I was awaken by an alarm. Eyes closed, I reached for my phone on the bedside table, trying to hit snooze. All I got was the cold glass surface of the table underneath my fingertips.
"Please, turn it off."
At the sound of the sleepy male voice my eyes shot open. Memories of the night before flooded my mind. I wasn't at home. I was at Gia's. In bed with Nolan, his arm securely wrapped around my waist.
The alarm was coming from the dresser. Squinting in what little light peeked through the blinds I saw a pile of clothing, a phone lighting up on top. Gia or Bee must've found Nolan's things and brought them some time last night.
I moved to get up and shut off the alarm, but Nolan's hold around my waist tightened. As much as I enjoyed our current position, part of me knew it had to end.
"Nolan." My calls were met by him pulling me closer, nuzzling up to my neck. It took a lot for me to not give in and melt into his embrace.
"Nolan, wake up." I tried again, that time throwing my elbow back and getting him in the gut.
A sharp inhale and muttered curse came from behind me. Then he released me. The bed shook as he put some distance between us.
I sat up, facing him. His brown eyes were wide. I could practically see the gears turning in his head, trying to piece together the night before. Then his face paled. A look I'd seen too often on Bee after a night of partying flashed across his features.
"Bathroom's through there." I pointed and he was gone in a flash.
The retching and heaving made my own stomach turn. I tried not listen to it as I got up from the bed, walking across the room to turn the alarm on Nolan's phone off.
I was back to sitting on the bed when Nolan emerged from the bathroom, wiping his mouth with back of his hand. "Why the fuck...do I have a tail?"
The hard angles of his face seemed sharper. His brows drawn to the center, eyes slit as if I was to blame for his current attire. The too small cat costume countered the effects of the glare.
"Because you decided to go streaking."
He froze, his stern look melting from his face. Then he rushed back into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door, as he emptied the contents of his stomach.
Having done this for my best friend many times before, I grabbed his clothes from the dresser and set them in the bathroom. "Get dressed. We're going out for breakfast."
An hour later our faces was clear of zombie make-up and Nolan was no longer dressed as a cat. We made our way through discarded plastic red cups that littered the ground of Gia's house. Our shoes stuck to the ground and crunched over chips and pretzels.
He didn't say anything as we drove to the nearest McDonald's, ordering breakfast and coffee from the drive thru. We didn't want to subject the patrons to the stench of a late night teen party, so we sat in my car to eat.
"You're not going to ask what happened last night?" I said, biting into my McGriddle.
Nolan stared into the black liquid that filled his coffee cup. "Do I want to know?"
"The streaking was the worst of it."
He squeezed his eyes shut. Either trying to remember or forget about running naked through the party.
"You don't remember anything?"
He took a long sip of his coffee, staring out the window. "I remember...the kiss."
I coughed, choking on my food. "With who?"
His eyes shot over to me. "You." At my silence he continued in a less confident tone, "We kissed."
"No. We didn't." But I was curious to know who he did kiss last night. A sliver of jealousy slithered through me, envious of whoever she was.
His eyes narrowed at me. "Yes, we did." He sounded desperate. Like he wanted, needed, it to be true.
I shook my head. "I don't know who you made out with but it wasn't me."
He dropped his head back against the worn leather of the seat, pinching the bridge of his nose.
I took another bit of my sandwich, slowly chewing it, forcing myself to swallow despite no longer having an appetite.
Who did he kiss? Why did he kiss her? What made him think it was me? The questions bounced around my head, worsening my unwarranted jealousy.
We weren't really together. Technically he could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted. Still, I felt a little betrayed. Even if he did think he was kissing me.
"If it wasn't you," he said, breaking the silence. "Then why were we together? In bed? Didn't we..."
"No!" I said quickly. A blush crept up my neck and I tried to focus on something other than the ramming of my heart. "You were drunk and didn't want to be left alone."
I stole a glance at him. He was staring back with a pensive look. "You're sure it wasn't you?"
"Positive," I replied. "I hardly even saw you. We went our separate ways once we got there."
He settled back into the seat, rubbing his brow. It was clear getting blackout drunk wasn't sitting right with him. Maybe it was the lost memories. I wished I could've lifted the fog, filled in the blanks. I wasn't with him, though.
I should've stayed with him the first time I caught up with him, while he was only moderately drunk.
My own feelings got in the way, though. The feelings that spread across my chest whenever he was around, whenever he let his guard down to reveal the real him.
Him telling me that he wanted to be alone with me didn't help the situation at all. I debated telling him what he said, but I didn't think he could handle it. Not now.
Maybe somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he slipped up and said something he never would've said sober. Maybe I'd be doing him a favor if I kept it to myself.
* * *
After I took Nolan home I went home myself. Taylor run up to me as soon as I got through the door. She was in nothing but a diaper in covered in something sticky. Jelly from the looks of it.
Mom was picking up pieces of half chewed pancakes from the floor when I walked into the kitchen. She asked all the typical questions about the party:
Was it fun?
Did you drink?
Are you pregnant?
I didn't even humor her with a response to the last question. Once the interrogation was over I went up to my room, getting ready for a much needed shower.
My phone was completely dead, so I plugged it into the charger while I let the water warm up. I had a few unread messages. The newest was from Nolan.
You never said there was a video of my naked ass, the text read.
Sorry, I replied.
Next time we go out you get wasted and take off your clothes, he sent back. It's only fair.
I snorted, a smile taking over my face as I tapped out my reply.
You're funny
I waited for some witty response. Instead the next message he sent was only a single word.
Sorry
For? I messaged back, genuinely confused.
The way I acted before the party, he sent back. Maybe if I wasn't being a dumbass I wouldn't be naked on the internet.
The apology was unexpected. I read it over a few more times, still shocked it was from Nolan.
Is it possible you're still drunk?
He replied back quickly, Yes.
I small laugh escaped my lips. Maybe he was still drunk from the night before, leaving his walls down just a little. My mind still spun at the idea that he wasn't. That he was sober and meant what he said. That his defenses were lowered, just a little bit, for me.
I was still staring down at my phone when my mom appeared in the doorway of my room, Taylor on her hip.
"Why are you sitting here with the water running?"
I sat my phone down, giving her a sheepish grin as I eased past her to get to the bathroom. "Sorry."
She huffed, walking toward Taylor's room. "Acting like you pay bills."