Page 84 of Voices

“Why are you laughing at me?” I hear my words slur.

Unable to hold back she lets out a laugh as she hands me one of the cups.

“You look like you were trying to read a foreign language with your eyes all squinty and your head tilted,” she laughs again as I take a sip of the drink.

It immediately burns my throat as it goes down. I cough, looking up when I hear her spit it out, and almost drop my cup laughing at her face.

“Oh. My. God. That is the nastiest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth!” She hands me her drink as she steals water from the cooler next to the table, swishing it around and spitting it out.

I shrug and take another sip. It’s notthatbad. I can taste a hint of Red Bull at the end. I finish off my drink then hers before she’s composed herself. My face heats from the alcohol as the world slows. Lily is now in front of me holding the two empty cups.

When did she take those from me? She throws them away and wraps her arm around my waist to guide me to the curb. She pushes on my shoulders, forcing me to sit.

Bending over, she fixes my hat that fell forward when I sat down. “I don’t think you should have had both of those on top of those other drinks.”

I have to close one eye and squint the other to focus on her. “What were those? They’re good. Has Red Bull.” I lick my lips as I close my eyes, suddenly tired. “I’m gonna lay down now,” I say as I fall backward onto the plush grass. My hat gets knocked forward blocking out the lights.

“Can you make sure he doesn’t move please? I need to go find someone.” I hear Lily say but I have no idea who she’s talking to.

I start to fall asleep as my hat is removed from my face. I try to lift my arm to cover my eyes, but it weighs a million pounds.

“How much did he drink?” I’d know that deep voice anywhere. It belongs to my sexy boyfriend.

“We did that side then came over here. I was looking for you to surprise him but once that abomination hit my tongue, I couldn’t focus on anything other than getting the taste out of my mouth.”

I hear him chuckle. “You do know those are Jager Bombs, right? I watched the guys make them. There’s definitely more Jager than Red Bull in those.”

“That’s why they’re so gross. And why he went down so fast.”

I try to open my eyes, but they’re sealed shut. Arms slide under my knees and shoulders then my face is pressed against a warm, hard chest. I rub my face against it, inhaling the addicting scent that’s all Shane. I try to say his name but my lips feel like they’ve doubled in size.

“I’ve got you, baby.” His soft lips brush my forehead as he starts moving.

“I’ve got him, you can stay. I saw a bunch of people looking for you over there.” His chest rumbles as he talks and between the sway of his walk and the warmth of his body, I fall asleep.

“Hey, Beautiful. I need you to take these and drink some water.”

I’m not in his arms anymore. I groan as a light shines through my closed eyelids.

“Come on, baby. Then you can go back to sleep.”

He rubs upwards between my eyebrows, coaxing my eyes open. I squint up at him as he smiles down at me.

“There you are. Here take these for me.”

He helps me roll over so I’m using my elbow to hold myself up on the bed. I take the two pills and a sip of water before flopping back over and closing my eyes.

I hear him chuckle as he turns off the light and then climbs into bed next to me. He rolls me so my back is to his front, spooning me. He kisses my temple.

“I think I’m falling in-”

My brain shuts off before he finishes.

I wake to the pressure of my bladder that’s on the verge of exploding. I quickly slide out of Shane’s arms and make a mad dash to the toilet. At the feel of sweet relief, I let out a low moan. I hear a chuckle behind me and look over my shoulder to see Shane leaning against the door frame. My cheeks heat as I finish and tuck myself back into my boxer briefs. Washing my hands I watch as he walks in and kisses the back of my neck.

“How are you feeling?”

I turn in his arms and look up into those light icy blues. His hair has gotten a little longer, so I reach up and fix his bedhead.

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