Savior

The Girl with the Suitcase

It could be the bright lights of the garage burning my eyes, the intense pounding in my head, or my churning stomach that make Rick's nagging unbearable, but whatever the cause the effect may be my beating the shit out of him.

"You two idiots show up to work an hour late, reeking of alcohol and barely functioning. And then dweedle-dumb here had to puke in my trashcan, while you, dweedle-dumber held back his hair."

My boss' cockney accent is much too sharp and loud for my pounding head that I can't possibly take offense at his insult and instead meet Niall's hand for a high five in gratitude.

I am never usually this unprofessional. I'm always early to work, I stay late, and I go above and beyond my duties so my ass doesn't get canned. But, today... Man, It's lucky I even showed up.

Last night... Well, from what I can remember, got a little bit out of hand.

Once we split from the girls and met up with a few of the guys from work at our regular pub we had a celebratory shot... and then another... and then another. And the next thing I knew Niall and I were sleeping in the back of a cab at two am.

It's a miracle that we got home in one piece to be honest.

The whole night is pretty much a blur, but I do recall one of the boys forcing Niall to wear a tiara printed with, "Bride to Be" in sparkly gold letters. I also vaguely recall the lads teasing me about my mystery girl who I always seem to brag about, but never introduce.

And there is one bit of last night that sticks out in my mind like a gleaming light, more clear than anything else we did. They all asked me when I planned to follow Niall's lead and put a ring on Layla's finger.

I laughed it off last night, way too knackered to form a coherent response. But, in the light of day and with a somewhat clearer head I have to say the idea has my stomach churning for another reason besides the alcohol.

Layla and I are both so not ready to walk down the aisle, but I know that that's my end goal with her. That us getting married in the future... Well, it's a possibility I intend to fulfill.

"C'mon, Rick!" Niall whines, holding himself steady on the popped hood of one of the cars in the shop, the sharpness of his voice pulling me out of my reverie, "You only get engaged once! We had to celebrate."

But, Rick isn't buying it. He smooths his greasy hair back, shaking his head at our worrying appearance.

"Yeah, well tell that to my three ex-wives," Niall grimaces at his bitter tone and I try not to laugh as he wags his finger at us like we're children, "You two are skating on thin ice. One more strike and you're out of here, both of you... Now, get to work!"

I only wished Niall had planned his impromptu engagement a little sooner so that I could have asked for the day off, but I really can't afford not to work.

The profit from the sale of Layla's portraits may cover my mum's hospital bills, but I need to start investing in my future. Saving up my money to cover future treatments for my mum, maybe buying my own gallery someday, buying my own house... with Layla.

The future is looking bright now that she is in it, but that doesn't mean I can slack off now.

Rick hobbles back to his office, leaving Niall and I to get ourselves together before getting back to work. But, Niall's face is ashen and he looks as if he may vomit and I make sure that Rick isn't still watching us before shoving Niall towards the trashcan.

He dry-heaves into it, but thankfully, nothing comes out, "I think I have officially thrown up everything in my stomach apart from the actual organ... So, why does it still feel like I have an actual demon inside of me?"