Glasses

Diez

"Fae! The phone's ringing!" I grumbled, heaving myself off of my bed, and trudged down the stairs. Almost snatching the phone off of my mother, I received a stern look before bringing the phone to my ear, watching as my mother burned holes into my eyes.

"Hello?"

"Hey Fae, it's Lacey - where are you?" I suddenly realised that I'd never got the chance to tell my friends about my being grounded, and that they were probably waiting down for me to join them at the pub.

"Sorry, I've been grounded."

"For going out last night?" I nodded, before remembering that she couldn't see me. "Where were you?"

"Listen, I'll talk to you later." I replied, eager to hide back in my room after noticing that I didn't know where I'd been that night. "Bye Lace."

Scrambling back up the stairs, I slammed my door shut and strained to hear my mother's muttering as I dived back underneath the sheets. Where had I woken up? And who with?

---

I'd spent a week as a prisoner in my own home, forbidden to even run to the front garden and collect the morning paper. My mother entered my room one morning and left a house key on my end table before leaving for work, signifying my freedom.

The gang had been forced to postpone their catchup after the night out because of my disappearance, and I was coated in a fair amount of guilt as I stepped into the pub. Only Carla and Lacey were seated at our claimed table, however with Oasis playing in the background, I knew that Andy must be hidden somewhere. When Carla noticed my presence, she rushed the two of us into the bathroom, our bodies pressed so close together that I fought to keep my chest from heaving.

"Where were you?" She asked, shoving her hands into her denim pockets. I told her about my punishment, to which she explained that she didn't mean that, she wanted to know what had happened that night.

"We came back to get you, but you weren't there!" She said suggestively, raising her eyebrows. "Did you lose it?" My mouth dropped open, appalled by her prediction until a slight wave of realisation washed over me.

"I, I don't know," Before I could even think about continuing, my friend had interrupted once again.

"How can you not know?"

"I just, I woke up next to someone, freaked out and then left." She asked if I knew who it was, to which I shook my head timidly and shrank back into the corner of the tiled room. Before we could continue or conversation, Lacey ran in and called for us, saying that the boys had arrived and were becoming rather impatient.

After retrieving a cup of orange juice from the bar, I sat with the others, feeling quite uncomfortable next to Finn. Apparently the split with Joanna hadn't been easy at all, and she'd continued to harass him at first, before settling for spreading rumours instead. Of course, nobody believed them, but it didn't make it any easier for him.

"Before we start, guess who lost their V-card last week!" Carla buzzed, gesturing to me. I pleaded for her not to say anything in my head, hoping that my friends wouldn't make as big a deal out of it as she had. It didn't go unnoticed that when my name was announced after much anticipation, Finn's face fell a little, although I thought nothing of it. He was probably just as disappointed at my actions as I was.

"What happened?" Lacey squealed, and Carla retold the story, not that I was entirely sure it was the truth. The whole night was a blur, and the fact that I couldn't remember even a minor detail confused me greatly. I hadn't drunk, and I was almost certain I hadn't accidentally taken anything I wasn't supposed to. Surely my friends hadn't given me anything without my consent.

Around half an hour later, after the initial surprise had died down, we were back to our usual selves - minus Finn's usual contribution, however his silence was most likely due to his separation with Joanna. I can't deny, it was strange seeing him without his arm wrapped around someone, pressing sweet kisses to her temple and cheeks. I only wished that it was me cushioned by his chest.

"Fae," Finn tapped my shoulder as the others argued. My head whipped around, and I fought the overwhelming urge to gaze into his eyes. "Can I talk to you outside for a sec?" I nodded discreetly, sliding out from behind the table and walking behind him, struggling to keep up with his long stride. Once we had settled beside the large, green doors, he began again.

"Nothing happened that night." He said, taking a deep breath. I furrowed my brows, confused as to what he was talking about. My time spent in the club suddenly became the clear night in question, and I altered the orientation of my glasses.

"What?"

"You fell asleep on the sofa," he continued, his fringe edging slightly over his eyelids. Finn explained that I hadn't been drugged, or unexpectedly drunk alcohol, but had simply fallen asleep, and he'd had the decency to take me to the bedroom upstairs. Unfortunately, Chuck had decided to take his bike home - or wherever else he'd disappeared off to - and so he was forced to sleep next to me.

"I was really worried when I came out and you weren't there," He exclaimed, a pink tint appearing on the apples of his sculpted cheeks. "I thought someone'd taken you or somethin'!" I chuckled slightly, shuffling nervously on my feet and grabbing at the material covering my arms, the cold wind beginning to travel down my neck.

"Sorry," I apologised, gazing up at him in embarrassment. "I freaked out a bit."  We stood in silence for a second, the awkwardness rapidly returning. "Thanks, though - for taking me upstairs, I mean." He smiled, gestured towards the open door, and hovered a hand behind my back, almost too scared to touch me. I rolled my lips as we reentered the pub, the warm air hitting me gladly.