𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐌 | ⁿⁱᶜʰᵒˡᵃˢ ᶜʰᵃᵛᵉᶻ

25 | sour alcohol

Taby and Cooper showed no signs of slowing down. They were clearly enjoying the free drinks a little too much, their laughter echoing through the room as they stumbled over to the snack table, grabbing handfuls of chips and giggling like school kids. They were totally drunk.

I watched them for a moment, shaking my head with a smile. "They're going to regret this tomorrow," I said to Nicholas, who stood beside me, arms crossed and a bemused expression on his face.

"Probably," he agreed, glancing over at our friends with a hint of amusement.

"It's getting late, I should probably take her home" I said, glancing at the time
on my phone.

Nicholas nodded, his eyes brightening with agreement. "Good idea. I should take Cooper at home as well."

We made our way over to Taby and Cooper, who were currently engaged in a passionate debate about which snack was the best, takis or cheetos.

"Guys, time to go home," I announced, trying to grab their attention.

Taby turned, a wide grin plastered across her face. "Nooooo... not yet." she exclaimed dramatically, her hands in the air.

Nicholas leaned down, whispering to me with a playful smirk, "Should we pretend we didn't hear them?"

I stifled a laugh, shaking my head.

"Alright, let's make it quick," he replied, making his way towards Cooper and Taby.

"Okay, okay," I called out to Taby and Cooper. "Let's go. Enough fun"

"Too late for that!" Cooper shouted back, taking a huge bite of a chip.

Nicholas pulled Cooper away from the crowd and so did I with Taby. It made me feel like we were the parents of two little kids- and to be honest it was kind of funny.

As we stepped outside, we both carefully helped them get into our cars before walking up to each other.

''Tonight was ...-'', I tried to ease the silence.

''Different? Yes, but in a good way.'', he ended my sentence looking at me. ''Get home safe, Perla''

''You too,'' I said back, warmth spreading through my body and a confused feeling rising up.

He looked at me one more time before getting into the car and driving off. I couldn't shake the feeling that tonight had shifted something between him and me.

"Did you see how he was checking you out?" Taby asked, breaking through my thoughts.

"What? Who?" I answered in innocence, but a small part of me already knew she was talking about Nicholas.

"Come on. Nicholas was totally into you tonight. " She nudged me playfully, her excitement infectious.

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my blush. "No. He's was just ... trying to be less annoying."

"Or maybe he likes you," Taby replied, her tone teasing. "You should give him a chance. He's kind of hot, you know?"

"Taby, focus. I'm not up for a romance," I said, though a part of me couldn't help but entertain the thought. What would it be like if I let my guard down around him?

"Sure, sure. But don't act like you didn't feel that chemistry. It's obvious." She wiggled her eyebrows as I pulled into my driveway, parking the car and turning off the engine.

"You definitely drank too much," I said, knowing full well that I was already thinking too much about it.

As we stepped out of the car, Taby stumbled slightly. I reached out to steady her, and we both burst into laughter at her clumsiness. "Alright, party girl, let's get you inside before you fall over," I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

As I filled a cup of water for Taby, my phone buzzed on the counter.

"Who is it?" Taby called from the living room.

"Something irrelevant," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant as I handed her the water. "You know how it is."

"Right, just random," she teased, taking a long sip. "Anyway, I hope you're ready for another round of parties soon."

"Nah, I'm good" I laughed. "Tonight was too much."

"Hey, at least you got to spend time with your crush" Taby said, smirking at me knowingly.

"Can we not?" I said, putting my head in my hands dramatically. "He's not my crush."

"Isn't he?" Taby pressed, nudging my shoulder.

I looked at her, trying to suppress a smile. "Taby, no," I said, my heart racing at the thought of his eyes on me earlier.

"See! You're eyes are telling something different!" Taby beamed, pleased with herself.

I rolled my eyes again, but this time I felt a smile creeping onto my lips.

As I finally settled into bed, I couldn't help but wonder what the future would bring. I turned off my light, the shadows of the room wrapping around me, and tried to push those thoughts aside, my mind couldn't stop thinking about a specific pair of eyes. I was damned.

__________

drunk taby is so cute and i love her for shipping them 🤝🏼