He does a double take when he sees that I'm awake. "For a while, I thought you were going to sleep all day."
Sunlight flickers through the window as I glance at the clock hanging on the wall above the bed. "Holy crap, it's almost dinnertime?" The thought of food squeezes at my stomach.
He hands me a coffee and I gladly take it. "Seth told me that you love lattes."
I nod, taking a swallow. It tastes divine. "God, my head hurts so badly."
He balances the other cup on the nightstand. "That usually happens when you drink too much."
I lower the cup away from my face. "Kayden... I can't... I don't know what happened."
He sits down on the bed beside me and the mattress concaves under his weight. "Well, I only got the privilege of witnessing the last half of the night, but from what I heard, Seth said you drank a ton of vodka. By the time I met up with you at Ben's party, you were trashed."
I wince. "Did I do anything... weird?"
"Not really. You had to sleep here because I lost track of Seth and there was a red scarf on your door."
"Where did you sleep?"
He tenses, looking guilty. "Next to you."
I lick the froth from my lips and stare out the window at the clear blue sky. "If I remember right, you had to carry me?"
He nods. "You could barely walk... I didn't mind doing it, though."
I pull the blanket off my body and slide my feet over the edge of the bed. "I should probably go take a shower and try to eat. Although, I feel like puking my guts out."
He places a hand on my leg, enfolding his fingers around my knee. "I actually want you to come somewhere with me. There's something really important I need to tell you... It's about what happened that night at the pool house." There's heaviness in his eyes and stiffness in his voice.
"Okay," I say. "Do I have to go with you now? Or can I shower first? I feel really gross."
He laughs at me. "You can shower first. I'll wait for you out on the benches."
I get to my feet with a sudden urge to hug him. "Alright, I'll make it quick." I head for the door, but pause as I turn the knob. "Kayden, thank you for taking care of me last night."
"It's not that big of a deal." He hesitates. "I owe you a lot more nights of that before we'll ever be even."
Kayden
I hardly slept last night. I lay in bed, listening to Callie breathe, trying to match my own breathing to the rhythm. Part of me wished she'd just stay asleep, so I could continue to lie next to her.
By the time the sun rose above the mountains, I decided it was time to tell her the truth, so she knew what she was getting into. Then she can decide if she really wants me, because I can't seem to stay away from her.
I'm nervous as f**king hell as I drive up the mountain where we took our first hike together. I park the truck near the tree line and we hop out, walking below the blue sky toward the hills.
"We're really going to climb up there again?" she asks, staring up at the top of the cliff as we approach it. Her hair is scattered across her back and her arms are crossed over her chest.
I mount onto a boulder that's on the side of the path and gaze out at the view. "It's quiet today." I sit down on the rock and pat the spot next to me. "Come sit down by me."
She shuffles toward me and I offer her my hand to pull her up. She situates beside me, rests back on her palms, and gazes out at the hills in front of us. I shut my eyes for a moment, feeling everything, knowing it's going to go either good or bad when I tell her.
