Tangled Strings (sequel to Red Strings)

Chapter 35

"Hello?" "Luke? Is this you?" "Yeah Sky, you called me." "Right of course... um watcha doin?" "I'm actually playing scrabble with my mom can I call you back?" "Uh huh, of course." "Ok bye I- Skyler?" I walk the streets trying to find our car, because the bar had closed down and I didn't remember how to call a taxi in my drunken state. 

I click the next contact in my favourites "Sky?" "Mikey" "Where are you?" I giggle "I have no idea, I may be slightly intoxicated right now." I hear him sigh through the phone.  "Don't move I'm coming to get you." "Ok." 

Michael shows up about ten minutes later without a coat and in his slippers. I cover my face with my hands. "Skyler?" I put my hands down. "You found me!" Michaels breathing heavily. "Yeah, yeah I did now lets go home." I groan. "Do we have too?" "Absolutely!" I stop and Michael rolls his eyes throwing me over his shoulder as I squeal. "You smell good," I comment getting a whiff of cinnamon and vanilla, he chuckles "Thanks muppet."

I keep my face pressed to the window for most of the car ride trying to count the number of street lights, I usually had to start over after four. When Michael finally parks the car I burp. 

"So why the sudden need to get wasted?" he asks me "I don't know, thought it'd be fun." "Is it fun?" "Maybe." The car is silent again then Michael twisting the key and I start laughing. "What?" Michael asks a playful grin on his face. "You came and Luke didn't." I whisper Michaels eyebrows knit together and I touch his face. "Thank you" I smile making an 'o' shape with my mouth. He stares at me and I'm sill to drunk to think rationally so I kiss the corner of his mouth then push the car door open stumbling to the door.   

Natalie's POV

"What the fuck does she think she's doing!" I yelled as we got out of an earshot of the restaurant.  "Natalie calm down, she'll be fine." Sylvana assures me, getting into the car.  Thankfully she had only had one shot, unlike me who had of course had to order an extra round to get what Skyler had practically drowned.  

"No Sylvana what if she's not?" I ask and I can feel my head pounding, the happy feeling draining out of me already.  "Skyler's gonna be fine ok?  Don't worry about it." she says again as she begins to drive.  But as we leave, I can't help but look back at the restaurant, hoping that Skyler might come out and let us take her home.

Sylvana and I stumble into the house.  It's only around 12:30, but I can see that the living room lights are on.  "You head up into bed, I'll turn the lights off down here." I say and Sylvana looks at me concerned.  "You sure?" "Yeah the boys might've accidentally left it on." I say stretching a little and stumbling over while Sylvana headed up the stairs.  

I turn the corner however to see it's all four of the boys and they're huddled together.  It seems that they're having a heart to heart, and I can see a case of beer nearby.  They haven't seen me yet, and I step back a little, hiding myself far enough that they can't see me, even though I can clearly hear the conversation.  

"Come on dude, you're head over heels for her aren't you?" Michael asks and suddenly Luke says "How the hell was I supposed to know what love is?  C'mon haven't you seen Calum and Natalie they're constantly fucking around and fighting and shit."  Calum then says "First of all, we've only fucked twice-" "WHEN DID YOU FUCK HER THE SECOND TIME?" they all ask, and I bite my lip.  Shit.  Leave it to Calum to blurt it out.

"That's not the point, the point is-" "No Calum, when did you fuck Natalie?" Michael asks and he mumbles "Last night." "So that's where you were...." Ashton says and Calum then continues "Look, the point is, it took a couple bumps in the road before we figured it out.  That's what it is.  You need to love that person enough to let them go, and you need to love each other enough to get around things like this."