The Moon Is Beautiful

Chapter 24

My head hurts.

The sun shines onto my face through the window and it makes my groan, rolling over and pressing my face into the pillow.

A knock on the door has me groaning even louder, pulling the covers over my head. I hear the door open, but I pay no attention to it.

"Breakfast is ready. Come and eat something so that you can take an aspirin." I hear my mother say and I merely groan in response, not really paying attention to what she is saying. All I can pay attention to right now is my blazing headache that has me wanting to fall into a deep abyss of sleep.

I don't move from my position on the bed until I hear another knock on the door. Groaning, I yell at the person to leave me alone when I hear the door opening.

"Aw, I'm offended. You really want me to leave?" a familiar voice says, fake sadness lacing their voice, and familiarity has me throwing the covers off of my head and lifting my head to look at the person standing in the doorway.

"Eliza?" I mumble in confusion, unsure whether she really is here or if I'm hallucinating as an aftereffect of the hangover.

She smiles before rushing over to me and jumping onto the bed, right on top of me, crushing me. She excitedly wraps her arms around my form, snuggling her face in my hair.

"Eliza? Are you really here?" I ask, my mind spinning from the hangover.

"Of course I'm really here," she says, pulling back a little to look down at me, and even though my head throbs right now, the realization that she is indeed really here has me flipping us over, excitedly wrapping her in my arms. "Well I'm glad you are happy to see me."

"Of course I am. Do you have any idea how much I have missed you?" I mumble into her shoulder.

"And whose fault is that? Do you regret convincing me to stay behind?" she questions, moving a strand of hair from my face. I hum, nodding with a pout. She laughs, pulling away from me to sit up. I follow her, resting my head on her shoulder.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good." she notes, placing her hand on my forehead.

"I have a hangover." I mumble against her skin, my eyes fluttering close.

"A hangover?" she questions, confusion laced in her voice. "But you don't drink."

She's right. Ever since that sinful night with Raine that was mainly caused by my drunkenness, I haven't drunk a sip of alcohol. I was too afraid that I might make such a mistake again, a mistake I cannot afford to make. Well, at least I remained without alcohol in my system until last night.

I'm not too sure what possessed me to accept Kaden's drink, but I did. And I realise now that taking that drink from him was most probably a great mistake of mine. Because I don't remember anything beyond taking my first sip of alcohol. I've always had a low alcohol tolerance, and I can't remember how much I drank last night at all.

Last night isn't even fuzzy, but completely blank. I remember everything we spoke about and did prior to him offering me a drink, but after that, everything becomes black, like a blank slate.

Although, there is one silver lining to it all. I woke up in my own bed. Unlike from the night I spent with Raine, I woke up in my own home, with my clothes still on. That indicates that, hopefully, nothing happened between Kaden and I last night. That is unless he dressed me and brought me home after we did the deed. The mere thought makes me shiver.

I don't think Kaden is that kind of man, even though the way his entire demeanor and way of speaking changed completely last night still tugs at my mind even now whilst my head throbs.

I should remember to ask my mother how I got home last night.

The sight of Eliza’s hand waving in front of my face pulls me out of my thoughts and snaps me back to reality.

"Sorry," I say, blinking. "I was just thinking."

"It's alright. But, what made you drink last night?" she questions, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I merely shrug, throwing the covers off me and getting to my feet.

"Let's go have breakfast." I say, slipping into a robe and tying the tie around my waist. She nods, following me out of my bedroom and to the kitchen where my mother waits.

And that's when I notice it. The two other people standing in the kitchen.

"Oh right. I didn't come alone." Eliza whispers into my ear, slipping past me and taking a seat at the table. The two people turn around and I immediately recognize the one as Flynn, his familiar innocent smile painted on his face. And then my eyes move to the person standing next to him, my smile slipping from my face.

Raine.