A Hummingbird's Prey (TLU Book 2)

Chapter Sixteen- A Break?

Kakashi's eyes fluttered open, moaning as garish afternoon light pierced through his windows. It filled his head with a stabbing response, a hiss escaping his lips. Leading him to force his eyes to shut tight. He pinched his unmasked nose, and he questioned how he got home. A lingering scent of lavender caught his attention, and he reached his free hand to her side of the bed...
"Oh."

He opened one eye to stare at the cold, empty side that Mei had claimed. All of the events of last night hit him at once, causing the stabbing to increase. Kakashi sat up, the sheets falling off of his bare chest. The room's chilliness escaped him, it wasn't as cold as the spot beside him. Where her pillow rested was where her scent was strongest. It mocked him as he remembered how terrible the events of last night were. Almost as much as the discarded mask with a perfect print of her lipstick.
He hoped that a few hours would have been enough. That she wasn't as mad as he feared. Looking back, he figured he deserved every ounce of her anger. She was right, he had felt insecure and it bested him. It brought him back to his former self, wanting to shield himself from any feelings, out of fear none of it was real. And now, recalling her habit of clinging onto a grudge, Kakashi may have lost the very thing that made him feel... Worthy.

"Last call!"
Kakashi's hazy onyx eye lifted with his glass. Guy laughed and patted his back encouragingly, doing the same.
"Just one more.... And then I need to go sort this out." He slurred. His pearly hair, damp from sweat, had a lock falling over his closed eye. He shook his head to the right, swiveling it back into place and almost falling over in the meantime.
Guy smiled at the bartender's hand that filled their cups one last time. His sleek black hair shimmered under the bar's skylight. Upon hearing Kakashi speak, he peeked at him curiously. "Shouldn't you give it more time?"
Kakashi slammed his money down and threw back his final shot. As he stood, he waited a few moments to balance himself. "No," he hiccuped. "It has to be now."

Guy leaned closer to him. "My friend, let's go for a walk before-"
Kakashi waved his hand dismissively as he staggered out.
He managed not to stumble until he jumped onto the first rooftop. Kakashi inhaled the crisp night air and sighed deeply, staring in the direction he needed to go.
"Kakashi, hold on a minute." Guy rushed out, nearly falling over. "We haven't decided who the winner of our competition is. I believe it's a tie."

"I switched back to doubles after the last bar," Kakashi grumbled, hardly looking away from the apartments in the distance. "Th.... That means I win."
Ignoring the stinging in his chest, he carried on. His mind focused on his route, and tried to ignore everything else that staggered side to side in his vision. Once there it didn't take much to get the door open, it hadn't been closed all the way and simply needed a push of a finger to abide.
He paused in the middle of taking off a sandal and looked at her.

His eyes trailed over her loose blue curls first. So long it nearly touched the floor, despite her head resting against the armrest. Her heels had been tossed beside the couch, much past where she usually sets them aside by the door neatly. Meilani hadn't even twitched when the door creaked open, and despite her shallow breaths he knew she was out cold. Her right foot hovered over the floor and her hands were tucked under her face. Her body smelled of alcohol and sweat, and when he crawled closer, he saw the dried up tears.
His lips tugged down at the sight of her ruined mascara, smeared around her puffy eyes. He pulled his sleeve over his thumb and wiped under her eyes and under her runny nose. As quiet as possible, he staggered to her bathroom and grabbed her makeup remover and a washcloth. Meilani didn't stir even when the chill of the cloth was patted against her face. Or when he managed to find another washcloth and wipe her feet.
She did, however, groan at the feeling of being picked up. In the few seconds she was suspended in his arms the room began to spin again, and she grumbled in protest.