At some point during their dinner, Leighton's phone chimes and she excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She's really worried seeing Whitney's name on the screen and doesn't waste any time before calling her back.
"Hey babe, what's going on? What happened?" she asks nervously.
"Oh no, Leigh, don't worry everything is fine," Whitney reassures her, cheerfully.
"It's actually more than fine. He was super early and I was kind of unsure if he'd be offended that I brought Jackson, but he immediately was so nice to him and they're getting along great," Whitney gushes.
"I'm so happy for you Whit that sounds amazing," Leighton says relieved.
"Yeah me too. Oh and Jackson and I are gonna stay until tomorrow like we planned, so I'll be there when you guys get home."
"Okay great," Leighton nods.
"Hows the wedding going so far? You gotta take some pictures for me please," Whitney says.
Leighton nods as she leans against the sink, silently cursing that she didn't bring anything but high heels.
"Of course, but I think the ones the photographer took will be much better. I'll show them to you when I have them, but back to the wedding. It was so beautiful. Their vows where sickingly adorable and her dress was breath-taking," she explains with a smile.
"Good. I'm glad it went well. Was your bed as comfortable as you said it looked? It sounded amazing"
Yeah we slept well. It's really big, so there was plenty of room,' Leighton scrunches her face, annoyed at the obvious slip up. She should really think first before saying anything.
"Oh you slept together? I thought your mom booked a room for each of you," Whitney says, pretending to be confused.
Leighton huffs massaging her temple.
"Yeah we fell asleep in my bed."
"Ohh okay."
Leighton rolls her eyes, hearing Whitney's dopey smile through the phone.
"What?" her tone is sharp, causing Whitney to chuckle.
"Nothing"
"No please Whit. Tell me what's on your mind," Leighton says.
"Um Jackson's calling me, I have to go. I'll speak to you tomorrow," Whitney says haistly as she stifles her laughter.
"Oh come on Whitney. I know he's not calling you I would hear-"
Leighton pauses hearing the beeping of her phone.
She's definitely not gonna let Whitney hanging up like this slide. It's not like she wanted Mabel to sleep in her bed.
Yes, it was nice, but that's beside the point. She shakes her head, desperately trying to get her mind to stop thinking about this.
Mabel and her are friends, who occasionally flirt, but that's definitely it. She knows, that trying something would only confuse things and she likes what they have. She just has to convince herself that it's enough.
She reapplies her lipglos, as she fidgets with her rings and takes one last look in the mirror before quickly walking back to her family's table.
Her mother gives her an annoyed look, but she just mouths the word "emergency" and shoots Mabel a smile, before listening to the best man's announcement.
●
Her mother and father are chatting with her aunt and uncle next to the dessert table, when the newlyweds finally open the dance floor for everyone.
Leighton downs her glas of champagne, having lost count of her drinks and grabs Mabels hand to go to the dance floor. Mabel just grins, beeing slightly tipsy herself.
They are stopped by two of Nico's friends, who invite them to dance. The brunette guy doesn't even wait for Mabels response before leading her to the dance floor. She looks back apologetically and Leighton huffs annoyed, taking the other's hand.
They dance for a while, Leighton's eyes never leaving Mabel and her incapable dance partner. He accidentally steps on her feet a lot and Leighton can see the pain shoot through Mabels body every single time.
Her partner follows her glance laughing.
"Don't be upset, you can have her back in a few minutes."
"What, no, that's not-"
Leighton cringes at his cocky grin.
"You're friend just sucks at dancing and you're not the greatest either. At least I know how to lead my lady," Leighton hisses, as she looks disparagingly at Mabel's dance partner.
Nicos friend gapes at her in shock.
"Ouch, I won't take that to heart, but he might, so be careful what you say."
"As if I care. Don't step on my toes and I'll be quiet until we're done."
He swallows hard as he tries to regain his composure.
"Why are you so belligerent. Are you on your-"
"Don't finish that sentence," Leighton says warningly, giving him a death glare.
"Just shut up please."
●
Leighton finally snaps, when she audibly hears Mabel wince in pain. She leaves her partner alone on the dancefloor, rushing over to her.
Mabel's dance partner prepares himself for the next song, reaching out for Mabel again, but Leighton gets between them.
"No please get your awful dancing skills away from her. I know for a fact that you've had dancing lessons, but I wouldn't wish this torment on anyone, let alone someone I care about."
She waves her hand signaling him to go away, but he just stands there in disbelief. He doesn't budge, so she simply takes Mabel a few feet away from him.
"Thanks Leigh, but I'm not sure if we should try this. I didn't really get this dance and I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't. Just relax and let me lead you," Leighton says, smiling confidently at her.
Mabel nods as Leighton puts a hand on her hip, guiding her to the music. Mabel relaxes after figuring out the steps and leans into her touch.
Leighton's stomach jumps at the sight of Mabels excitement and she regrets not insisting on dancing with her from the start.
'See you're a natural. It was totally that douces fault," she says nodding in his direction.
The boys still look at them dumbfounded, as they stand next to the dance floor.
"Wow, you really did a number on him. He looks horrified," Mabel says chuckling.
"Well, he doesn't deserve to dance with someone like you," Leighton responds, pulling Mabel closer.
"At least I know how to make you feel good," she says, the alcohol making her bold.
"Oh is that so?", Mabel asks grinning.
Leighton pulls away slightly.
"I mean, I could stop if-"
No please don't," Mabel interupts her, restoring their earlier closeness.
Leighton smirks, swearing that she saw Mabel glance down at her lips for a second, but it's probably just her alcohol endused brain playing tricks on her.
She focuses on her surroundings and notices her parents across the room. Her dad is smiling cheerfully at them, while the expression on her mother's face is unreadable.
A year ago, she would have immediately retreated and gotten as far from Mabel as possible, before making up an excuse as to why they were dancing like that. But now she doesn't care anymore. Mabel is georgous, so them thinking that there could be something between them flatters her more than anything.
They stay like this for a long time until Leighton excuses herself to get another drink. Being so close to Mabel is intoxicating, but it's hard to enjoy it with her mind running wild.
Mabel joins her at the table after turning down an offer from a guy, saying she needs a break. He takes the hint and she gazes back to Leighton, who looks down, with a flushed face.
She rubs her leg and sights at the pain in her feet.
"My shoes are killing me."
Mabel tilts her head, before she bends down to take off her shoes.
"Here, take mine, Leigh. We can swap."
"No you don't have to-"
"Just take them Leigh. I hate to see you in pain", Mabel interupts her.
Leighton nods, while mumbling a thank you and almost falls over at the attempt to take them off.
"Let me do it," Mabel says smiling at Leighton's clumsiness as she kneels down to take them off.
Leighton's taking her in, finally being able to look at her without having to be discreet. She remembers why she avoided doing that, not being able to think properly in Mabels presence.
Mabel catches her gaze already smiling and Leighton blushes again.
●
It's way past midnight when Leighton's cousin orders the drunk pair to get in a cap she called for them. Leighton's parents are long gone, having to leave early the next mornig to not get back home too late. Leighton protests, not wanting to stop dancing, but her cousin threatens to drag her to the cab herself, so they say their goodbyes and leave.
Sitting in the car Leighton immediately leans on the window, her exhaustion finally setting in.
She doesn't get to rest for long though cause the cab driver urges them to get out immediately, when they arrive.
He yells something about him not wanting "the blonde girl" to puke all over his car and Leighton eyes him annoyed.
Mabel stops Leighton from going off at him and quickly pays the driver, before they make their way up to their room. Leighton goes to the bathroom to change and skillfully removes her makeup, even though she's wasted. She returns to Mabel in a top and shorts and slips under the blanket she's holding up for her.
"Hey thanks Mae for getting me back. Sorry I drank so much," Leighton says slowly, guilt taking over her body.
"Don't worry love. I had the best time, so thank you for taking me," Mabel smiles gently.
"Good night, Leigh," she says, before leaning closer to kiss her forehead.
Leighton's mind goes crazy and her face turns a deep red. She hates how obvious she becomes when she's drunk. It's so embarrassing.
"Are you okay?" Mabel asks concerned and Leighton just sighs, like her friend Zia used to do in middle school, when she was looking at her crush.
Mabels expression turns to confusion and Leighton sighs again.
"I just-"
"How are you so perfect?," Leighton asks, as she cups Mabels cheeks, with the lightest touch. She holds her breath, as Leighton moves closer and she reminds herself, that she has to stop her friend from making this mistake, knowing Leighton doesn't actually mean what she's saying, but she can't bring herself to move.
Leighton runs her thumb along Mabels jaw as her gaze lingers on Mabels lips for a few seconds and part of Mabel thinks that maybe she's wrong. Maybe Leighton actually wants this. She knows it's more hope than rationality, but she doesn't care.
Inches away, Leighton's eyes flicker to hers again and right before Mabel wants to pull away Leighton smiles at her and leans back in her bed. Her eyes flutter shut and she sighs one last time before dozing off.
Mabel sits there frozen in place contemplating her whole life. She checks her phone thinking about calling Zia, but it's too late and she doesn't even know what she would say. She picks up her phone and starts typing furiously.
"My roommate Leighton almost kissed me a few minutes ago, but that's because she was drunk and she wasn't thinking properly and I'm realizing that maybe I feel more for her than physical attraction, which is definitely the most she could ever feel for me, because she's Leighton fucking Murray. " She shakes her head, knowing how crazy that sounds, but Zia would understand, so she just clicks send.
Her throat is closing up, thinking about how to talk to Leighton in the morning and she gathers her running shoes shaking. She leaves the hotel, feeling the panic take over and just reminds herself to calm down.
She starts running as fast as she can and collapses on a bench in the middle of the city. She stays there catching her breath, annoyed at her overthinking everything.
Some time later, she returns to the hotel and tries to be as quiet as possible, while showering. She checks on Leighton and her lips curl into a smile when she sees that she's completely out of it.
A certain serenity settles in her stomach as she goes to her room, where she falls asleep as soon as her body hits the mattress.