Author X Audience

Chapter 14: Something New

The next morning when my eyes flutter open, I don't know where I am. It sure looks like my old Boring room, but it also feels like a completely new place—somewhere I've never been before.

The same, and yet... somehow different.

I turn in Terry's arms and bury my face in his chest.

He hums at me, and stretches. He takes a deep breath and lets it out with relaxed contentment as he settles his arms back around me.

"Good morning," he murmurs, voice thick with sleep.

Yeah, I think, relaxing against him. It actually is.

"We don't have to get up yet, do we?" I ask.

He makes a hesitant noise and shifts, undoubtedly to look at the clock. "Nah, looks like we've got time. Tai said not to show up until 2:00. It's barely 8."

I groan. "Why are we awake so early?"

Terry shrugs. "You moved. You don't really move in your sleep. Plus, I sleep lightly when I'm in new places, and this is a new place."

I smile and twist my arms around his neck. Right again, Mr. Walsh. It is new.

I settle back into sleep against him. Until our alarms go off one after the other and we both shoot out of bed to turn them off.

Saturday morning haters that Terry and I both are, we might have set our alarms a little later than we should have. Even with Mom up, breakfast ready, and the house bustling about us, Terry and I managed to sleep until the last possible moment when our alarms went off at 11. As if trying to look presentable on a Saturday wasn't already a burden, trying to cram that process into three hours is pretty silly. Looking presentable enough to meet Terry's family at a wedding? That feels impossible. Especially when your period decides to show up a few days early.

Hello, unforeseen blood. Did you know that I have a very big thing happening today? Oh, that's why you're here? How considerate of you. Let's make this an easy affair with minimal bloating and cramping as you go through the exit wounds, shall we?

At least weddings don't call for heroic feats of strength and agility—and the dress I allowed Terry to buy me is a dark forest green, so I won't have to worry about blood on the dress as much as I would if it was some pretty bright color.

Still, even without all these obstacles in our way, getting ready for a wedding takes a while. Terry and I share mirror space as we hurry through dressing up. He fights with his tie while I have it out with my fair-weather friend mascara.

"Fuck you and your long eyelashes," I mutter at him as I fuck up for the third time. "Lend them to me for today."

"They'd clash with your complexion, not to mention your dress," he grumbles back, pulling ineffectively at the snarl of fabric around his neck.

"Gingers look great in green. And I could pull off ginger." There, right side done. Finally. Now to get the left ones to kind of look like they match.

He snorts.

"What?"

"You could not," he says.

"Fine." There, eyelashes done. I turn and bat them at him. "Guess I'll just have to settle for getting them off instead."

He sags as he starts laughing, hands falling away from his tie and going to cover his face.

"Do not let my sister hear you say that."

"More worried about what your sister'll say than your parents?" I'm meeting his parents. I'm terrified. Let's not talk about it. Oh god, we're talking about it. Mayday, mayday!