"What did I tell you, Harls?" Joe stood between Harley's legs while she sat atop his bathroom sink. He gently rubbed 'SLUT' written in sharpie from her forehead using a wet rag. Someone had drawn it on while she had keeled over onto a couch.
She dazedly peered into his eyes and muttered, "To not drink those four shots of whiskey..."
Joe paused his scrubbing to take in her state of mind, the profound word barely legible. He sighed, dropping the rag into the bowl of the sink. With his hand still damp, he tucked a loose strand of hair away from her face and cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin. "You've got to be more careful, Davidson."
"I don't need a bodyguard, Joe." She pulled his hand from her face and removed herself from the sink, her eyes pinned to the floor.
"I wasn't trying to be like that, Harls. You know that." He persisted, watching as she left the bathroom and sat on the edge of his bed.
"I just want to sleep, okay?" She snapped, her hands gripping the edge of the mattress. "Or is that not allowed?"
"Jesus, Harley. I was just trying to make sure you were okay."
She held eye contact with him for longer than she had liked before unfolding the bedding and slipping into it. "Good night, Joe."
"You're wasted, Harley... Just let me look after you. That's the one genuine thing I can do right now when you're in this state, Harls. I'm doing this because I love you. So, sorry if you can't comprehend that right now, but if you want some space, I'll just go out on the couch tonight."
Those simple three words that hastily slipped from his mouth halted Harley's frustration. "You... you love me?" She sat up in the bed and looked deeply into her lover's hazel eyes.
"Of course, I do." He derided. "My entire life revolves around you now, Harls..."
"I-I'm sorry... for saying what I said. I don't want you to sleep on the couch tonight. This is your bed. And I was a jerk, okay? Just... lay with me, Joe? Please..."
He slowly crawled into the space next to her in the bed, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him without wasting a second. He gently pulled her hair up from her neck to plant a kiss below her ear before whispering lowly, "I meant every word, Davidson."