The Cost of a Dance (GxG)

Chapter 8

   As promised, Macy drove me home the next morning. The car ride was less awkward than I thought it would be. We laughed and reminisced. It was... Nice...

   Macy pulled into my driveway and, to my surprise, Hunter was sitting on my front porch.

   I turned to Macy. "Thanks for the ride... But, I need to talk to Hunter."

   Macy nodded. "No problem... Just, remember what we talked about."

   I returned her nod, giving her a little smile. "Sure thing... Ill, uh... I'll see you around."

   "Sounds good." She replied as I stepped out.

   Hunter stood as Macy gave us a wave, backing out of my driveway.

   "Well... That was an interesting sight." Hunter said.

   I rubbed the back of my neck, looking back at Macy's car as she left. "Yeah... I kinda had a mental breakdown at the strip club. I decided I needed to talk to Macy, clear the air... It was nice, actually."

   Hunter gave me a little smile. "I'm glad... How're you feeling?"

   I looked down, a little smile of my own still pulling at my lips. "Really good..."

   Then, I looked up at my best friend, a sudden rush of guilt over taking me. "Hunter... I'm sorry for how I've treated you..."

   She shook her head. "Don't be... I probably deserved most of it... I just wanted you to get better... It hurt seeing you like that... I just... I care about you, you know?"

   I pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you... I care about you to... And, I promise, no more drinking."

   She pulled back. "Really?"

   I nodded, running my hand through my hair. "Yeah... Macy gave me everything I needed."

   Hunter gave me a humorous look. "You didn't sleep with her, did you?"

   I laughed, shaking my head. "No... Although, I'm pretty sure she offered."

   Hunter laughed with me. "Of course she did."

   We continued to laugh and joke as I invited her inside, spending the rest of the day just hanging out with my best friend. No alcohol, no strip clubs... No pain...

   The next morning, I found myself on the couch, texting Macy. It was fun talking to her again. Even if it probably wasn't the best idea.

   Then, a notification popped up at the top of my phone screen. I looked up, seeing a text from Ellie. It read: "Hey... How're you feeling?"

I let out a little sigh before replying: "You wanna come by? We can talk about it."

The three little dots danced at the bottom of the screen as I nervously awaited her reply, tapping my finger against the back of my phone.

"Sure. Be there in a bit." Came her reply.

Relief washed over me as I sent a quick reply, tossing my phone on the couch as I made my way to my room to get changed.

I looked over my bed, remembering the last time I was in here. Ellie wrapped up in my arms. The smell of her perfume. The kiss she gave me that morning. It was intoxicating.

With a little smile, I stepped back into the living room just as a knock rang out from the front door.

I pulled it open, seeing Ellie herself standing on my front porch.