SHE - HS

CHAPTER 56: Cherry Wine

I wake up late the next morning to the smell of bacon frying. I toss and turn in my bed, Hoping to sleep this hangover away as long as I can, but it was no use. I arched my back away from my bed, stretching it, before turning to the side table and grabbing my phone. I checked the time, seeing it was almost noon. I sighed, resting my head back on the pillow one last time, feeling a sore pain on my cheek but trying to ignore it, before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

I see Charlie in the kitchen, wearing my white stained apron, cooking bacon and eggs. I lean against the wall, admiring him before he notices my presence in the room.

"Good, you're awake," he says, scooping the eggs onto 2 plates and lying bacon next to them, "Food's ready." I nod to him and head over to the kitchen table. He brings both the plates over and sets them in front of both of us.

"You didn't have to," I spoke for the first time, realizing how gone my voice was. I widen my eyes in surprise at myself and Charlie just chuckles at me. "Oh my god, my voice."

"Sounds like autotune," he jokingly told me. I stand up and run to make some tea for myself to hopefully get it back before I have to speak at Laney's wedding tomorrow. I start to boil the water and set out my tea bag before I sit back down at the table and begin eating.

"So, what did you do last night?" Charlie asks. I wait to finish chewing my food before I can respond.

"All I can think about right now is we went to a club and Laney got a lap dance," I tell him, trying to connect the dots from last night. "Niall was there at one point I know that."

"That's all you can remember?" he asks me and I shrug, playing with my food on my plate, not feeling much of an appetite right now.

"I don't know what you expect, my head is throbbing and my throat is on fire," I confess and he chuckles at me as his response. We continue eating, making small conversation about the night and what he did until I hear my water is boiled. I stand up and make my way over to it, pouring the hot water into my mug.

"Oh!" I blurt out, remembering more things, "I remember you picking me up and bringing me home," I tell him, turning back to him and I bob the tea bag in the mug. I see his face frown at me with his eyebrows pushed together.

"What are you talking about?" he asks. I chuckle to him, thinking he is joking but he doesn't do the same.

"You know, I called you and you picked me up on rodeo and when you were dropping me off I fell face first out of your car and scratched my cheek, that's where I got this." I come closer to him, showing him the scrape.

"Ro, I have no idea what you're talking about. The only time we talked last night was when you were in the club and told me you would call if you needed anything. When you didn't call I just assumed Greta or someone took you home." I try to put my thoughts together as he speaks. I mentally squeeze my brain, trying to push as much as I can out of it.

"If you didn't pick me up, then who..."

Then it all hits me.

The car.

The smell.

The rings.

The kiss.

"Oh no," I whisper. I quickly set my cup down on the table and grab my keys from the key holder near the door. I swing open the door and close it quickly, not worrying to lock it or anything. I sprint through the hallway til I make it to the stairs, skipping the elevator completely.

"No,no,no," I say to myself as I fly down the stairs to the car garage. I run across the cool cement, forgetting to put on shoes, till I get to my car. I jump inside and start it within seconds, pulling out and driving out of the car garage.