Page 10 of Always Been You

Liv:What do you mean I did the convincing? I can barely remember last night. The last thing I remember is doing the shots which MATT convinced us to do. I say we blame my brother??.

Liz:Sammy’s sounds good.

Zo:Yup to Sammy’s.

Han:Sammy’s it is.

Han:Matt can take the blame for the first two, but girl, after that you were throwing them back. Good thing Josh took you home.

Zo:Yeah, in the words of drunk Liv last night ‘Josh is such a good guy,’ oh and ‘he’s got muscles I don’t think he has an ounce of fat on him,’ and ‘I can window shop, I just can’t buy, lol, drunk Liv is a blast.??????

Liv:I did not say that, did I??? God help me!

Liz:You did, in fact, say that as well as, you haven’t felt as much of him as you’d like, all while clinging to his arm as he walked you to his car.

Liv:??God! So embarrassing! This is why I don’t drink. Drunk Liv does stupid things. Why did you guys let me do that? How did you guys get home last night?

Liz:Grayson drove Zo home and Caleb drove us to my place. Now that is one hunk of a man.

Han:Oh yeah, Liz kept giving Caleb fuck me eyes on the car ride home.

Liz:I was not, take that back.??

Han:Babe, you were. If you two had been alone, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you had crawled onto his lap and started kissing him.

Liz:Okay, so Sammy’s in 45, let’s get ready bitches.

Liv:See you soon??

I go back to my conversation with Matt and respond.

Liv:I feel like hell. Shots, really? And tequila… the girls and I are fucked this morning??

Matty:You were the one who kept everyone going, Liv. When will I learn to never drink with you?

Liv:Not sure

Liv:Going for brunch with the girls will call you later.

I have thirty minutes to shower and get changed before I need to be heading out the front door. I muster what littleenergy I have, get out of bed, and make my way to the washroom, turning the shower on. God, looking at myself in the mirror, I see I have raccoon eyes and my lips are so dry that they are visibly beginning to crack. I step into the shower, allowing the hot water to run through my tangled hair and down my body. I close my eyes and try to piece last night together.

I remember getting to the party. I danced and socialized, and I remember seeing the cake which turned into shots with Matt and the girls. Matt gave me my birthday present, a gift certificate for a massage at a nice place downtown, and a gift certificate to the bookstore. The girls all pitched in and got me a new Apple watch with a band for me to dress it up.

I remember texting Drew to see if he was going to make it to the party, but he couldn’t make it. I grab the shampoo and work it into my hair and then rinse, moving to the conditioner. As I massage my scalp, an image of Josh kissing my forehead comes into my mind, but I can’t tell if it’s a memory or a dream. I finish my shower and head back into my bedroom to brush my hair. I then grab my phone and scroll, looking for Josh’s number to text him.

Liv:Hey, thanks for taking care of me last night. It means a lot to me. I always feel safe with you. Sorry if I did or said anything stupid; drunk Liv doesn’t always think.

Josh:No need to thank me. I am just glad we got you home safe. No need to apologize for anything; drunk Liv is funny.

I smile broadly, reading his text before putting my phone down and finish getting ready. Slipping into a pair of leggings, a t-shirt, and a pair of knee-high boots, I grab my purse and head out the front door. My phone rings in my purse, and it’s Gianna’s ringtone.

“Hey, Gi! How are you?” I answer with a smile. I miss my sister, but I know that she’s at a top tier school getting a degree that she wants, so I’m happy for her, but as her big sister, I wish she was closer.

“Hey, I’m good. Sorry, I couldn’t make it to your birthday bash yesterday; Matt told me all the plans. That’s why I waited until today to call you; I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep the secret.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “How was it?”

“It was amazing. I loved it. They went all out on decorations and food, and they got my favourite black forest cake too. But then I let Matt talk us into tequila shots, so I am heading to meet the girls at Sammy’s for some greasy hangover food. How is school? We miss you. When will you be home?”

“School is good. My finals are coming up soon. I will be on the first flight home after finals. I miss you guys too. We need to do a sibling’s lunch when I get home.”

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