Lia’s POV
Tonight was a Friday night, two weeks since I’d moved to California. I had tons of friends, and most of my time was spent hanging out with them or at dance class. I didn’t have time to be sick anymore.
The blackout’s had ceased; I hadn’t had another one since the Saturday before. Usually I didn’t go three days without having one, but now it was almost a week. My nosebleeds still happened, but less frequently and less severe. I chalked it up to actually having a life now.
I walked to Vic’s again, he was having another bonfire. He met me at the front door this time, and led me right to the back. “Someone seems eager,” I commented. He nodded excitedly, “We have alcohol !”
Tonight was about to be one wild night.
Like I said, I never really had friends before, much less friends to drink with. But there was about twenty of us here in this huge open field on a Friday night, passing around bottles of beer, vodka and Smirnoff. I was sitting next to Vic and Rian, feeling right at home in this huge circle of friends. I was a little scared of getting drunk, but I drank anyway. By eleven, I was the only one who wasn’t hammered. I was the only girl out of everyone there, and let me tell you, drunk guys are crazy. Especially attractive, teenage drunk guys. Jack and Alex looked like they were on the verge of making out with one another, Austin was laughing hysterically with Alan, Mike was passed out, Tony was crying, and everyone else was pretty much just running around the field. Vic started puking harshly over on the side of the field, so I went over there to see if he was okay. “Lia.” He mumbled between puking. “I don’t feel right. I’m really sick.” I held his hair for him as he retched. I felt his head, he was right, he was really hot. “Vic ?” I was concerned now, his voice was panicked and the alcohol was long puked up, now it was just food and bile. I knew he didn’t have alcohol poisoning, but I also knew something wasn’t right. He stepped forward and stumbled, falling to his knees. I held him up, walking slowly and supporting him. “It’s okay Vic, I’ve got you.” Walking back toward everyone else, almost all of them were passed out or asleep already. “Stay with me tonight Vic. I’m not leaving you alone.” “My parents,” He protested. “Vic, I’m serious. They’re asleep anyway, don’t worry about it.” I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to him, and besides it would be easy enough to sneak him in through my window. He was my best friend, I couldn’t just leave him helpless. And so we stumbled through the dark back to my house.
When we reached my window, I left him standing outside and entered through the front door. I hurried to my room and opened the window, helping Vic through it. He was pale and sweaty, and murmuring nonsense. I got him some water, then laid him down in my bed. He curled up, closing his eyes and muttering my name. “Lia, I’m tired.” I sat next to him, on top of the covers. “Then go to bed silly.” “Liiiaaa,” he whined, sounding like a child now. “I’m sheepy.” “You’re sleepy ?” “No, I’m SHEEPY.” I finally let it go, he was going to keep insisting that he was ‘sheepy.’ He fell asleep not long after that, fitfully squirming around at first, then staying complacent. His features were relaxed, and he looked like a tiny child all curled up, gripping the sheets. I stayed up for half an hour, watching him to make sure he was okay. I softly stroked his hair, brushing it out of his face.
I felt lonely although he was right next to me. I had wanted nothing more than to curl up with him for a while now, but now that he was here, it made me sad. I think I was sad because I would probably never be more than a friend to him. Nothing is worse than liking someone so much and having them not like you back. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but I couldn’t go on pretending... I would do anything for Vic, as proven by tonight. I couldn’t explain how special he was to me, but the feeling was definitely there. I decided to make the most of what I had, and crawled under the covers, cuddling up next to him.
I woke up around three in the morning, tangled up in the sheets. No, I wasn’t tangled in the sheets, I was tangled with someone else’s legs- Vic. We were currently spooning, and his head was tucked into my shoulder and the base of my neck, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. He tightened his arm around my waist, and I put my own arm over his. This was paradise- the room was slightly chilly from the cool September night, but I was warm and more comfortable than I’d ever been. If nothing else, at least I had this.
If things ended up going further and then not working out between us, at least I would have this memory. I would be able to look back and say that I’d spent a perfect night tangled up with the one I loved. There was that word again, love. Every time I thought of Vic, I’d think of love.
I rolled onto my back, my thoughts stirred up now. What is love, exactly ? An emotion ? Or something more than that ? Emotions aren’t tangible, but I felt like love was something that you could feel physically and emotionally. Love was felt with the heart, brain, and even the skin. You could touch someone and say “This is love. This is someone I love.” But, you cannot touch hope, wishes, or dreams. If you touch something you have dreamed of, then it is a reality, and if you touch something you fear, then you have conquered it. So that makes love the most complicated, the most indescribable of all emotions. That’s what makes love….love.
“Lia ?” A soft, sleepy voice mumbled. “Yes Vic ? Are you feeling okay ?” I turned to face him, and his face was right up against mine, our noses touching. His eyes were closed, and he murmured “Mmm-hmm. I jus’ wanted ta see if you were awake.” “Well, I am,” I whispered. His eyes flicked open, his bright caramel irises practically lighting up the room. They shone even in the darkness, his dark eyelashes making them stand out even more. “Thanks for letting me stay over,” He whispered back. I just nodded, suddenly super tired. I was so comfortable that I couldn’t keep my eyes open, but his presence made me hyper aware. Vic rubbed his legs together to get comfortable, scratching my legs with his skinny jeans. I had changed into cotton shorts and a big t-shirt before I climbed into bed, and my bare legs were wrapped around his. Vic noticed this and looked down, “Are my pants making you uncomfortable ?” I giggled, “Your pants…they bother me…take them off.” I buried my face to hide my laughter, but Vic literally got out of bed and took his pants off. I looked up, surprised. “I hope you don’t mind…they aren’t very comfortable to sleep in and it’s kind of hot…” he said shrugging. Then he hesitated, “I can sleep on top of the covers if you want…” I shook my head, “No, it’s fine. I mean, we’re best friends, they do that sort of thing, right ?” I motioned to his now bare legs “Strip for each other….” He crawled back into bed next to me. “Stay over at each other’s houses…” He moved closer. “Cuddle with each other…” Vic moved closer still, and he whispered the next line,
“Kiss each other...”
“At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody.”
**Well, I tried to make this chapter cute. I hope it makes sense, actually....For future reference, everyone that's at these parties Vic's keep having, the people in his group of friends include everyone from Of Mice & Men, All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens, and the rest of Pierce the Veil.
