A Shade Darker ✔️

{Chapter Thirty Four}

Sunlight and Hangovers Don't Mix

July, 5th, 2017

Ashley

"Christ, mo ghaol! Cover yourself!" A groggy and surprised shriek wakes me and it's Mike's voice finally awake as he began tugging down the silk of my camisole that had been above my hip bones.

I groan a little, rub the sleep out of my eyes and watch as he holds his head and squints at the window.

I look towards it and my heart nearly leaps from my chest. The court had accepted my deal, had been persuaded by me and Liz both and now the trees were open, but only for the garden. I ran to the window, pressed my face against it and nearly cried at the sheer beauty of the flowers gleaming in the sunlight.

"It's beautiful! Mike, look! Look at the flowers!" I hear a groan and the blankets thrown back, then another shriek.

"Christ again! Bloody hell, where are my clothes?" I move away from the window long enough, just to see his bare pale ass walking into the bathroom.

I laugh, pick up his clothes from the floor and contemplate on whether I should mention last night.

After he relieves himself and walks out with a scowl on his face, I laugh at the sight of him.

"What are my clothes doing in your hands and not on me?" He asks, taking his pants from my grasp and pulling them on over his legs and, er, extremities.

A hint of humor plays on his face, but still I could see pain and annoyance in his eyes.

He must have a killer hangover.

He grabs a clean shirt from the wardrobe and begins buttoning it.

"Well..." I start, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing down a part of the messy blankets.

I explain last night to him, from the beginning when he walked in smelling like whiskey and the end when I had fallen asleep for the fourth and last time.

His face burned red as he rubbed his mess of hair and let out a suppressed groan.

"Ugh, really? Twice?" I nod, standing to grab a dress for the day.

I pluck a yellow one from the wardrobe and drop my camisole to step into it. His eyes hover my body and I'm used to his gaze, but I never get tired of it.

"Drunk as a skunk and asleep for that matter, if we're being honest. Not to mention you woke me up three times" A defensive look crosses his face and stays there while he searches for his shoes.

"Well then I do apologize for waking you! I did not know I would be most unpleasant and that you would not enjoy it!" I roll my eyes smiling as I threw one of his shoes at him, discarded by the vanity.

"Look, drinking yourself until drunk wasn't my fault. You brought that on yourself, but I never said I didn't enjoy anything Mr. Defensive" He turns, pick up the shoe I threw and pulled it onto his foot.

He sat on the bed, fixed the sleeves of his shirt and added shyly:

"So, I was not bad? I did not make a fool of myself?" I let out a laugh, turned to him so he could zip my dress and started walking towards the door.

"No, you weren't bad. But I wouldn't go as far as to say you didn't make a fool of yourself. Now c'mon, enough about yesterday. Let's have a walk in the garden and lighten up that headache of yours" He grumbled as he stood, grabbed my hand and said with a chuckle:

"How did you know?" I smiled to myself as we went down the stairs and out the glass doors of the kitchen leading to the sunlit garden.

"Oh, I don't know. But I don't suppose you think you're the first person who's ever experienced a hangover, do you?" He grinned at me and once outside he clutched his head and squinted at the sunlight.

"The light is not helping..." And then it dawned on him "How did you get the courts to agree?"

I shrugged a shoulder and decided not to bother him with knowing about the deal.

"Liz helped me persuade them, I guess. But it's only for the garden. Sunlight elsewhere is forbidden because it would cause too much controversy. And I'm okay with that. Come on, we can go back inside. I'm sure Lucile has something for a hangover"

****

"Maybe you will think better next time than to allow yourself too many drinks" Lucile scolds from the counter as she struggles to reach a box of rosemary from the top cupboard.

I smile, suppressing giggles as I circled the table and wrapped a loose arm around Mike's shoulder. He still held his head, closed his eyes and mumbled incoherently.

Lucile glances back at the mumbling and shoots me a smile as she begins emptying some of the leaves into a pot of boiling water.

Adding honey and a little salt, she looks over her shoulder at me again and makes conversation.

"And you were smarter than to have more than your share of alcohol?" I shake my head at her, massaging the tense muscles in the back of Mike's neck.

"No, I think you'll find that I did not accompany him on that trip. Why don't you explain your little getaway to us, honey?" Lucile lets out a deep but quiet laugh and Mike raises his head to look over his shoulder at me.

In doing so, it must've worsened the headache because he winced, turned back around and held his head again.

"He gave me a tour of his wine cellar, and where he makes his whiskey. Gave me a tasting and then we talked for a while. Is that tea done yet?" Lucile comes to his side, pushes a finger into his face and wags it at him.

"Now you listen here, mister. I am taking my time, and will probably be behind on dinner because it's taking time out of my schedule. I should ask to have my pay increased, but no. I do this because I can't seem to turn you away. Now wait patiently" I want to laugh, but a shriek from outside at a distance and a sound of a group coming together makes me glance at the doors.

Even though I already knew what was going on, I walked slowly to the balcony and looked over it.

Red eyes meet mine, and even though I had given up my fear of him and gained the sunlight, I couldn't help but shiver.

He smirks at me from the courtyard where a group is gathering and when I hear Mike's voice call me I put on a smile and make my way back to the kitchen.

"What's the matter? You have gooseflesh" He remarks, touching my arms.

I wave him off, massage his neck and reply with a sigh.

"Just the breeze, nothing to worry about" But I was worrying already. Worrying how long I could keep Mike away from knowing that I had let the court release Billie.