Hot Mess (LBSC #1) | Completed

Chapter 20

My phone's chirping brought me out of a very nice dream that consisted of Javi and I feeding each other dinner with our fingers, followed by him swiping everything off the table and us engaging in some pretty intense foreplay on top of it.

I groaned, angry at whoever had interrupted the best fantasy I'd had in a while. Ready to chuck the phone across the room, I stopped when I saw Javi's name. I pressed the "answer" button and hurriedly scrambled into a sitting position against my headboard.

"Javi, hey!" My eyes rolled at the eagerness in my voice. "What are you doing calling me—" I eyed the alarm clock on my nightstand— "at eight on Sunday morning?"

"Well, I was just thinking about what a good time I had the other night." The heat in his voice stoked a fire in me, traveling down my legs and making my toes curl.

"Oh, really?" I replied, nonchalance at its finest.

"Yes, really," Javi rumbled. "I was hoping to see you again today for brunch or something, but my mom called and requested my family's presence at mass today."

"Oh," I said, my voice hollow with disappointment. It was funny because I hadn't even realized how much I was looking forward to seeing Javi again until he said he was busy.

"But there's this big music festival in the park on Tuesday evening. You interested?"

Was I interested? Little did Javi know that if he had asked me if I wanted to chow down on broken glass and walk across a pile of legos with him I probably would have given him an enthusiastic "yes."

"Sure," I said. "You gonna pick me up again?"

"Absolutely." Javi paused. "Look, I gotta go. I'll text you later, okay?"

"Sounds good. Talk to you then."

I ended the call with a smile on my face and swung my feet out of bed. Feeling compelled to go through one of the sun salutations I'd learned from yoga class, I squatted on the floor and went through the motions Daisy taught me. When I was done, I padded to the living room to see if Zoey was awake.

She was right where I'd left her, stretched out on the couch under an afghan and breathing heavily. I was tempted to poke her awake but remembered that I was New Reese and New Reese wouldn't be so selfish as to startle her best friend awake after a night of imbibing.

I started moving things around the room, quietly at first, then a little louder. After I relocated the ceramic platypus-shaped dish that contained our loose change for the third time, Zoey stirred and opened her eyes.

"Oh, hey, Zoey," I said brightly as I plopped down on the couch next to her legs. "I'm so glad you're awake."

Zoey rubbed her eyes. "How much did I drink last night? I haven't felt so hungover in ages."

"You drank a fair amount," I said. "Want to go to Natty's Diner? They've got the best hungover food."

Zoey pushed herself into a sitting position and yawned. "What time is it?"

I glanced at my phone. "Nine-nineteen."

Zoey leapt off the couch. "Shit. I'm supposed to be having breakfast with Hayden and his parents at ten. Shit, shit, shit." She darted for her room.

"So I guess that's a 'no'?" I asked the empty space beside me.

****

"I'm so glad you came over," Dad greeted me after opening the door to my parents' home. After the twins left for college, my parents decided to sell our childhood home in favor of downsizing.