The Favor (BOOK 1 & BOOK 2 INCLUDED)

3. Please, I'm Begging You, Don't Get Drunk

"Mm, come back to bed," I moan feeling the empty bed next to me. Even with my eyes close I can tell it's already light out, so I bury my head into my pillow.

"I can't, I have to get ready for class." I hear Brendon's buckle clink and realize he's probably putting his pants on that he left in my apartment since he was wearing a suit last night.

"Can't you just skip the first day?" I roll over and sit up to rub my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I don't know when I'll see you next," he says as he lifts a shirt over his head.

"I'll walk you out," I yawn as I stretch my arms and move my legs to swing over the bed.

"You don't have to. You need some more sleep; you stayed up way too late talking with that Beth girl."

"That was fun." I giggle as I recall last night.

Brendon and I walk out of my room and down the dark hall into the brightly lit room. Marcus has the blinds open and he's drinking some coffee at the small table we eat at, and I notice that Derrick is there too. I try not to look at his eyes too long so things won't be even more awkward than they already are.

"Bye babe, I'll see you later," Brendon tells me as he kisses my temple and opens the door to leave.

"Alright, bye," I say sadly. My eyes are barely open and my voice hardly audible. He closes the door behind him and I stand still in front of the door after that. I don't know what I'm really waiting for, but I just don't want to move. But then a few seconds later when I start to walk away, the door opens again and Brendon pops his head in and plants his lips right on mine.

"Love you." He smiles at me and looks my face over with kind eyes.

"Love you too. Have a great day." I go back in for one more kiss, and then he really has to leave. He leaves me speechless, speechless and smiling.

I go back to my room without making eye contact with either Derrick or Marcus to avoid tension. My phone reads that it's 8:12, and I know immediately it's too early for me to wake up but I know I can't go back to sleep after seeing Derrick. He's here to talk to me whether I wanted to talk so soon or not, and I get it. I would be the same way, because it's not only our relationship that is on the line but his job too. He's got a family to take care of, and he needs some answers.

I put some nicer clothes on and did my makeup and hair for the day. I walked out of my room with my bag to see that Derrick was still there with Marcus, except watching TV now. Derrick probably hears my footsteps as I walk in since he turns his head towards me. I watch his eyes move up and down as he takes in what I'm wearing.

"Lily, hey." Derrick stands up flustered. "I didn't mean to pressure you into making a decision, the label just sent me over here to check on the paperwork."

"Derrick, let's go get a bite to eat," I invite. I know that's what he was leading up to, and I really didn't feel like making small talk with him.

"O-okay." I smile at the way he stutters when he talks to me, a daughter he's never met. As we drive off to a small diner for breakfast, I hear the strain in his voice from being so nervous. When I speak to him I watch how he reacts as he listens to the sound of my voice. I like to think that he's thinking, that's the voice of my daughter, that's the voice of someone I created.

We reach the diner and walk in to see that there are three other people there. The staff is low from the lack of customers, so we seat ourselves at a booth. When the waiter asks us what we'd like to eat, we both say at the same time "Grilled cheese and scrambled eggs." We look at each other trying to come up with excuses in our minds why we just ordered the same breakfast, but there's no denying it whether it's a common breakfast or not.