Drink Me

16. LOOSE LIPS

LOOSE LIPS

Riley woke up to the low sound of the BBC news playing as his alarm. He didn't move for a moment, scared to wake Alice but eventually reached behind him and pressed dismiss on the phone.

It was a chilly Saturday morning, the sky still dark with only a halo of grey at the horizon. The rain was hitting hard against the window and the wind was blowing hard, rattling in between the tall city buildings.

But inside it was warm and peaceful.

Alice was still asleep next to him. Her hair was messy on her face and the t-shirt she was wearing had moved during the night and was now barely covering her hips, revealing her round butt and a mint colour thong that left little to the imagination.

Riley found her adorable.

So this is what Aidan gets to wake up to everyday.

He toyed with the thought of his cousin for a little while, looking for that sense of guilt that should have been there but wasn't.

He had kissed Alice again. They had slept tangled in each other's arms and mostly, they had been so deeply intimate with their words. And yet, he didn't regret it.

Traitor.

But Aidan had crossed the line too. He had lost some of the respect Riley had for him when he had hit Alice. He needed to find out what was going on with Aidan before it was too late, for his cousin and for Alice.

Riley sat up and covered the girl with the duvet to keep her warm. He then checked the news on his phone, scrolling through some of his favourite online newspapers until he heard Alice groan as she turned and stretched, face in a bewildered frown as she slowly gathered her bearings. When she looked up at him, she smiled.

"Hey," she said groggily.

"Morning," Riley smiled back and put his phone away, focusing on the girl.

A thunder resonated loud against the window.

"Wow, did you hear that?" she said, glancing at the window.

"Yeah, I love it. Perfect weather for a lazy day in," he brushed her shoulder to warm her up a little.

"How are you feeling today?" Riley asked then, hoisting himself on his elbow and his gaze couldn't but fall on her bruises.

Alice cleared her voice, trying to fully wake herself. "Way better, I think..."

"Do you want to go home today? I'm not trying to send you away, you know you can stay as long as you want..." he added right away.

Alice played with the cotton corner of the blue pillowcase, folding it on itself a couple of times. "I'm not ready to see Aidan yet, to be honest," she said, her eyes focused on her task.

"OK," Riley said simply.

"If you have plans, I understand," Alice added hastily, an alarmed looked on her face. "I can go to my place."

Riley brushed some stray hair off her face. "Don't be silly. I told you, you can stay as long as you want... I sort of like having you here." He added sheepishly.

Alice smiled. "You're so great, Riley. Honestly. I owe you a big one..."

"No, you don't," Riley declared serious, allowing no retorts.

"Thanks," Alice said, for the underneath time.

Nodding satisfied, Riley shifted in his place, sitting against the headboard and Alice did the same.