Page 12 of Flame After the Fumble

9

Liza

“I’m dead.” Emberly’s groan echoes through the paper thin walls of our dorm room. Her voice through the wall startles my aching body. I turn over, wrapped in my warm comforter on the twin sized bed, hair fanning across the cool satin pillowcase.

Cupping my hands over my mouth, I yell, “Welcome to the nightlife!”

“Don’t think I’m cut out for it,” she groans.

Chuckling, I sit criss-crossed on the bed. “Come over.”

Footsteps tap against the tile floor until my door cracks open. Emberly stands in the doorway with an oversized sleep shirt tucked into plaid pajama shorts. Her jet-black hair is thrown on top of her head, as she rubs sleep from her eyes. I pat the small space next to me on the bed and she climbs up. “Last night was awesome, but I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck this morning.”

I shake my head and smirk. “You didn’t drink much, though.”

“Umm. . .” Her hands raise to her mouth to bite her nails. “That was the first time I’ve ever drank.”

Her cheeks flush pink in embarrassment. It should have dawned on me that Emberly had never drank alcohol before, but where I grew up, underage drinking is common. “What? You should have told me.”

“I didn’t want to be lame. I already couldn’t do my makeup.” Her hands raise to touch her now flaming cheeks. “You’re way cooler than me, and it shows.”

I roll my eyes and look her straight in the eyes. “Stop. None of that stuff matters to me. I really like your company. Don’t be afraid to be your true self with me.”

She lets out a breath and laughs. “That hasn’t gone well for me in the past.”

I reach out to wrap her hand in mine. “What happened?”

She takes a deep breath and swallows before speaking. “A stupid boy.”

“If he made you feel like that, he isn’t worth it.” I open my arms wide to invite her in for a hug. “AndI’velearnedthatthe hard way.”

She leans over the creaky bed and folds into my arms. “I hit the roommate jackpot.”

“Same. Do you have plans today? I was thinking about heading downtown to check out the boutiques and become more acclimated with the area.”

“I don’t. Mind if I tag along?”

I hop off the raised bed. “Duh!”

An hour later, we make it to the downtown shopping scene. Being single means being more independent, and that starts with doing things I want to do when I want to do them. Springs U is nestled in the heart of a small beach town littered with locally owned businesses right on the water. We’ve been window shopping along the cobblestone sidewalk for a few minutes before we catch a whiff of the savory smell of cheese and bread wafting through the air.

I close my eyes and take a deep inhale of the scent. “Mhmmm.”

“I’m hungry,” Emberly says.

Linking my arm through hers, we walk a few shops down before we spot the entrance of the pizzeria. The sign reads that it opened at eleven, so we’re just in time for the first batch of fresh pizza. We walk up to the ordering counter and study the menu printed above.

“What are you thinking?” I ask.

“Doesn’t matter to me. I like anything with cheese.” She chuckles.

The dinging sound of the door to the shop opening rings through the empty restaurant, alerting the cashier of more customers making their way into the shop.

I rattle off our order to the cashier. “We’ll take a large pepperoni with extra cheese.” I tap my chin before continuing, “Oh, and can we get an order of the cheesy bread with two large drinks, too?” I laugh as I walk away to grab napkins and fill our drink cups. There’s no way we’ll devour all of this food, but that means more to save for later.

Emberly throws her hands up as she tails behind me. “No arguments here.”

“Long time no see.” A sultry voice hits me out of nowhere, traveling straight through my body from my head to my toes.

---