Stuck In Savannah

11. The Mess I Made

“Aspirin,” he said slowly, holding my gaze. “How’s your head? You were in a pretty bad shape when we got here,” he told me, concern lacing his velvety voice and those blue eyes of him were doing wonders to my heart. I even forgot that I meant to ask him about the pretty brunette he kept a picture of.

“I’m good,” I assured him, although he didn’t look too convinced I was telling the whole truth, “thank you for…taking care of me and I’m sorry for the mess I made,” I said, scratching the back of my neck and avoiding his gaze as I remembered racing to his bathroom earlier with him following after me to make sure I was okay…and then I remembered falling to my knees before I threw up in his toilet. During which time he patiently rubbed my back and held my hair back, so that I didn’t get puke stains on my clothes, although my jacket hadn’t been so lucky. My face, in turn, only got redder as some more memories came flooding back in.

“Don’t mention it,” he waved me off with a smile, as if he did this on a daily basis, “you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Except,” I couldn’t help myself but point out, “puking my guts out in front of you. Sorry you had to see that,” I said, cringing at the thought. Now he’d never want to kiss that mouth again. Who could blame him? I definitely couldn’t.

“Stop apologizing, Sav,” he told me and what was more shocking was that it sounded like he meant it. “It happens to everyone.”

“Maybe, but still,” I cut in, “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“You’ll think of something,” Tyson laughed before he winked playfully at me and my cheeks reddened, again.

“I need to go,” I suddenly said, glancing around frantically and trying to find my shoes, which were by the front door, “my dad will kill me if I’m not home when he wakes up,” I said, biting my lip until I tasted blood on my tongue.

“Yeah, of course,” Tyson nodded his head in understanding as his face grew serious, “I’ll give you a ride home.”

 ***

“I saw you leave the party with Tyson last night,” Hannah said to me the next morning as I was walking towards school and she jumped out of the nowhere, nearly giving me a heart attack.

“Jesus, Hannah, you scared the shit out of me,” I said with a shaky hand poised over my heart as I blew a hiss through my front teeth.

I hadn’t even seen her approach me from behind until it was too late and it was way too early for me to be having anxiety attacks, especially since I’d barely gotten a couple of hours of sleep. Sneaking back home had never been so nerve-wrecking. I thanked my lucky stars my late night rendezvous went undetected by my dad, but who knew if next time I was going to be so lucky.

“Well,” Hannah prompted me, taking off her sunglasses to give me a pointed look, “what do you have to say for yourself? You left me to the wolves!” she exclaimed dramatically and I couldn’t help myself but roll my eyes at her.

“Don’t be overdramatic,” I told her, deadpanned, “Margot was there with you.”

 “Aha!” Hannah exclaimed, a bit too loudly for my liking and I flinched at the volume of her voice. “So you admit that you left with him?”

I kept silent as I kept on walking, which was all the incentive Hannah needed.

“Is that why you even came to the party? To see him?” Hannah wondered, puckering her pink-glossed lips.

I rolled my eyes once more, then I got scared that they’d be stuck in this permanent position if I kept doing it, but I tended to roll my eyes quite a lot around Connor and Hannah, they did have that in common. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said to her, “I had no idea that he was going to be there. You invited me, remember?”