1 Night, 5 Hearts

Chapter 15 || Drake? Do You Mean Daniel?

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After the announcement I looked out into the crowed of people finding places to sleep. I saw Rick faced down laying across the kitchen Island. A few kids snuggled under the counter. Most however, were choosing to just crash on the floor wherever they happened to be standing just moments ago.

"So, your room?" I asked, turning my head around to look at Bryan.

"Yeah, um sure," Bryan said quietly, which is not his style at all. Bryan has always and will always be the loud outspoken guy I adore and this silent little man is most certainly not him.

"Are you okay?" I ask as we're heading up the stairs.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be," he shrugged, but sounded so far off the grid.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you're responding to my questions like your pet gribble died and you haven't looked me in the eye since I suggested we go to your room to sleep, but you're right. You are one hundred percent a-okay," I accused, sarcasm laced in every word.

"How about we talk about this in the room?" he suggested.

I nodded, but of course when we got there it was already occupied by Celsey and her little pet Duncan or something.

"Oh sorry, Bry. We got kicked out of the other room--" Celsey started.

Bryan interjected, "No, no stay, but please just sleep nothing more. Okay. Remember those are my sheets and that is my bed," he said, walking out of the room, while of course I just stood there looking shocked as ever.

"What the hell is going on?" I shouted him, when I was finally able to move.

"In here," he pointed to the empty bathroom.

"I don't care how clean you think it is. I am not sleeping in there," I tell him, pointing inside the sparkling white room.

"Not to sleep, to talk." I nod and follow him in.

"So, what is going on with you?" I ask again once we're in the bathroom and he has shut the door.

"I'm not ready," he states, facing me.

"Not ready? Not ready for what?" I ask, completely and utterly clueless to what he is getting at.

He hesitates. "I've never been-- How should I put this? Um, intimate with another person and I'm not ready. In fact, I don't think I'll be ready until I'm married. I mean, it's legal in most states, so it's possible, but I know I'm not ready," he rambled on.

"Hold the phone a second, Bry. I'm not asking you to sleep with me or be 'intimate' in anyway. I'm just tired and a little drunk, and I know you are too, so I was trying to find a quiet place for us to sleep. I just didn't want to really be away from you yet. So don't worry as far as all of that goes. We will get there when we get there. No rush. For now though can we just go to sleep?"

He lets out a sigh in relief and smiled, "Yeah, I'm good with that."

"Thank goodness, because this is too much for my wasted, tired brain to handle," I groaned.

He laughed. "Come on. We can sleep on the couch in my room."

"Okay. Besides Celsey and Drake are probably going to sleep anyway. I mean, did you see that guy. No way anything is happening tonight," I said, leaving the bathroom.

"Drake? Do you mean Daniel?" he asks.

"Yeah, him."

As Bryan opened the door to his bedroom, Ethan walked out. "Oh, night guys. See you in the morning."

"Night," we said together, watching him strut down the hallway and into the last room.

"Hey, Celsey, do you mind if we crash on the couch?" Bryan asked, poking his head inside the room.

"Seriously, please take the bed," she begged, pushing Dillon something off the bed. He just laughed. "Oh guys and this is Daniel. Daniel this is Bryan and Emmett," she introduced us.

"Yeah, I know, who you guys are. Well, it's nice to meet you," he said, shaking our hands.

"You too. Night, Celsey." We both quickly pulled her in for a hug. She laughed and pushed us off.

"Night, knuckle heads," she giggled and grabbed Daniel's hand to lead him to the couch.

Bryan and I walked over to the bed and jumped in. We quickly got under the covers. Just before I was about to close my eyes and drift into the vast sea of dreams, I felt Bryan's fingers intertwine with mine and smiled.

"Night, Emmett," he whispered.

"Night, Bry," I said back, giving his hand one last squeeze before shutting off the world.

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