BOUND 2 (GxG)

Shhh Go Into The Light

I let out a low groan, bringing my hand up to my head that was pounding so hard I thought my head was quite literally going to explode.

When my heavy eyes fluttered open, another groan bubbled in my throat as pain shot through the entire front of my face.

Fuck, fuck, fuck—that really hurts.

The room was still and quiet—I couldn't really make out too much of my surroundings given how dark the room was, but oddly enough, I felt safe.

"Take the medicine on the nightstand," a raspy voice said, which I immediately identified as Karter's voice.

What the... but then it all came back to me.

The game, talking to Tate, the party, and... what happened after the party.

I'm really regretting drinking now.

I sighed, leaning up from the soft pillow and Karter's arm that was slung around my waist as she laid on her side with the front of her body pressed to my back.

It was dark—but a slight light peeked through the thick curtains covering the glass wall of Karter's room, which peered out over her backyard.

With the small amount of light, I could make out the ibuprofen bottle on the nightstand beside two bottles of water.

I grabbed one of the water bottles, screwing it open and taking a few sips of the water.

Once I felt properly hydrated, I grabbed the pill bottle, screwing it open and taking two of the white pills before washing it down with more of the smooth water.

After setting everything back on the nightstand, I noticed my phone plugged into one of the chargers, which I assumed Karter had done.

Curiosity got the best of me, wondering what time it was, causing me to tap the cold iPhone screen.

It lit up almost immediately, reading, 6:37 am.

My brows raised slightly, realizing it was still really early.

I glanced back over to Karter's silhouette as she slept peacefully under the thick covers—I had two clear options.

I could get up, and find a way home—or I could lay back down with her.

The first option seemed the easiest, knowing that willingly laying back down with her felt a little intimate.

It felt like something a girlfriend would do—a real girlfriend.

And I'm not that.

But I felt so tired—and my head felt like it was practically getting beaten in.

It was clear what the easier option was, which was to lay back down—while leaving felt like the more logical option.

"Sloan, it's too fucking early," Karter's raspy voice groaned, settling further into the bed. "Lay back down."

Suddenly, it felt like the universe was on my side. Like the choice had been made for me, and I didn't actually have to make a decision at all—I just had to listen.

I hesitantly laid back down, causing Karter's warm arms to wrap back around me, along with the thick covers that fell back over my body.

My heavy eyes fluttered shut again as Karter's face rested in the crook of my neck, allowing her warm calm breaths to fan down on my exposed skin—which quickly covered my body in goosebumps.

To Karter, this was probably normal or meaningless, but to me, I had only really done this—cuddled this intimately—with one person.

And maybe Karter knew that—maybe Karter was doing all of this to give herself a step up in the bet.