Whiskey & Wildflowers

Chapter 20

Fan = fuck

Josie stumbled into the kitchen, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep. She'd been hoping to wake up and find that the previous night's events had all been a dream, but no such luck.

"Whoa, easy there, lass." Bobby's voice held a note of amusement as he grabbed her arms to keep her from bumping into him. She hadn't even noticed him standing at the counter. "You alright?"

She sighed and rubbed her eyes to clear them, then looked out over the lawn, only for her stomach to flip. Big mistake. One of the daybeds had been stripped of its bedding, while Henrik was laid out among a pile of sheets in the middle of the lawn, his blonde hair messily strewn in all directions. Wasn't that just like him?

With a groan, she turned around and opened the fridge, staring blankly at its contents as her stomach attempted to right itself. The sight of food was... well... not very appetizing.

"Do you want me to make you anything?" Bobby's tone was softer this time, and Josie blinked as she realized she'd forgotten to answer his earlier question.

"No... I... I'm not hungry." She shut the door harder than intended and jumped at the impact.

"Okay." Bobby placed his hands on her shoulders and directed her to a bar stool. "I'll make you a cuppa, something nice and soothing, and then see how you feel."

Josie forced a small smile onto her face. "Thanks, Bobby."

"What are friends for, hey?" He cracked a smile and grabbed the kettle, setting about making her the world's greatest cup of tea.

He kept up a steady stream of conversation as he worked on his breakfast, and Josie was grateful that he didn't expect her to respond, or even to laugh much at his jokes. She did try, especially when he recounted how Gary had tried to impress the girls the first morning by making breakfast for them but almost set the kitchen on fire, or when Rocco made someone a smoothie to 'balance her chakras' and she took one sip and spewed it in his face. But for the most part, she just sat there with her hands wrapped around her mug, feeling the steam warm her cheeks, unable to manage much more than a lukewarm smile.

When she realized Bobby had stopped talking, she looked up to find Henrik standing a few feet from her, nervously shifting his weight between his feet and fidgeting with his carabiner. She sucked in a breath. He looked about as bad as she felt, his hair a wild mess and his eyes red.

"Can we talk?" he asked softly.

Josie slowly released her breath. There was so much left to say between them, but she wasn't sure she'd ever be ready. One night certainly wasn't enough time, not even with all the hours spent tossing and turning and thinking of all the things she wanted to say and ask.

But she knew she could only put it off for so long.

"Um..." She looked into her mug, as if staring at the leaves nestled at the bottom would give her direction, but she couldn't read them. "I guess..."

Henrik visibly relaxed.

"... but let me shower first. I need to feel human again."

"Okay. I'll wait."

Nodding, she rose to her feet and set the mug in the sink, then headed inside. She took her time showering and getting ready for the day, deciding to spend more time on her makeup and hair. It was mostly a stalling tactic, but it had the added benefit of boosting her confidence. If she was gonna feel like shit on the inside, then at least she could look good on the outside. Not to mention, it wouldn't hurt to show Henrik what he was missing.

When she finally ran out of little things she just 'had' to do first, she went back outside. Henrik was leaning against the kitchen counter talking to Bobby, and when he looked up and noticed her, he stopped mid-sentence and stared with his mouth open.