Love You Forever (2013 Wattys Finalist)

Chapter 31 - A Wake Up Call

Robert woke up in the middle of the night to Georgie screaming his name and a pounding headache.  He threw off the pink floral quilt and stumbled to the door in the dark, fumbling to find the doorknob.  As soon as he got the door open, Georgie began the long agonizing screams with choking sobs at the end.  He tried to get to her as fast as he could, wanting to stop her suffering as much as the pain her piercing screams were causing his head.   

Once she was awake and sobbing in his arms, he rocked her a little and shushed her while the reality of he'd done the day before settled over him like a dark cloud.  What the hell was wrong with him?  Why did he think it was a good idea to drink all that beer on an empty stomach?  He should have known he would get completely pissed and do something stupid. 

As he remembered the excruciating details of making Georgie sit on his lap and then begging her to lie in bed with him, deep shame burned through him.  After the way he'd acted towards her, what must she be thinking?  And what must May and Marianne think of him for getting drunk at their party, he wondered with horror as even more shame washed over him.  How could he have created such a mess?   

When Georgie finally stopped crying with a deep shuddering sigh, her head resting on his shoulder, he didn't waste a second.  He needed to repair the damage before she began, knowing how bad it was going to be.   

"Georgie, I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have –."

"Robert, its okay.  I –."

"No, please listen to me.  I'm sorry –."

"Let's just forget it," she said a little louder.  He hesitated a moment, unsure if he'd heard right.

"What?"

"I think we should forget about it." 

"But – what about May – and Marianne?" he asked hesitantly.  "They must be –."

"Don't worry about that.  I told them the jet lag finally caught up with you and that's why you went to bed so early."  He could hardly believe what he was hearing.  "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said, letting go of him. 

He was still trying to process what she'd said and it took him a second to realize she'd let go of him.

"Uh, cheers, Georgie," he said hesitantly as he let go of her.

"It's okay.  Good night," she said, not looking at him while she wiped her face, and he stood up.

"Uh, yeah.  Night," he said, and then turned to go to her bedroom, still in shock.

As he pulled off his jeans and climbed into Georgie's bed, he didn't quite know what to make of it.  He couldn't believe she was being so kind to him.  After what he'd done, she had every right to be angry with him, maybe even confront him, demanding to know his feelings for her.  Why would she be so willing to just let it go? 

And then it then it hit him.  She'd always been like this.  From the very first day he knew her, she'd never hesitated to excuse his behavior.  Even when he didn't deserve it, she'd forgiven him, and the thought made him feel even worse.  Why was she so fucking willing to forgive him all the time?  He didn't want her to be like that.  He pulled the pink floral quilt over his head and concentrated on his headache, trying not to think so he could stop feeling so guilty and ashamed but it was a long time before he fell back asleep.

When he opened his eyes the next morning, it was late enough the sun was streaming in through the window, making the room too bright and bringing his pounding headache back with a vengeance.  He immediately squeezed his eyes shut and groaned quietly from the pain.  His internal clock must have reset itself to Chicago time.  At least he could rest while he recovered from his hangover, he thought gratefully.