If We Ever Get an Hour Together (A Van McCann fanfiction)

Checking My Phone For You

Lucia:

I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my fingers against my temple. The headache throbbed like a second heartbeat. Outside, I could hear Gabi's voice ringing out loudly, and the sound of silverware clinking together. 

What time was it? What day was it? Why did my head feel twenty pounds too heavy?

I brought my legs together underneath the sheets, remembering the events of the night before like a slow dream. Van laughing at me at the food trucks. Dancing. Stumbling onto him and making us both fall onto the concrete. Van's mouth against mine. 

I sat up, my limbs protesting at the sudden jerking motion. I replayed Van's mouth against mine, trying to remember how it felt. I remembered his fingers touching my cheek, my jaw. It sent a catastrophic amount of goosebumps down my arms. Gabi's loud laugh pierced my thoughts. 

I shut my eyes and rubbed my temple again. No, it must've been a drunken mistake. On both our parts. Or maybe just Van's. Or maybe he'd meant it. Maybe he just wanted to see what he could do before he left with his band. I swallowed, moving out from underneath the sheets. I reached for my phone and saw the time, 11 am. And right underneath the time, two messages. 

Van: Hope you're well, not too hungover :)

Cesar: Happy birthday babe, love you!

The big 2-0. And already I was diving into this new age by being a dumbass. I snorted quietly to myself, then felt the small throb of a headache coming up and shut my eyes again. "Lucia!" Gabi's voice rang out, followed by a very audible shushing sound from my mom. These floors really were thin. 

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"Happy birthday!" I accepted my parents' hugs. Gabi squeezed me in a one-arm hug, balancing her phone in one hand. 

"It's the little one's birthday. She's so grown up!" I saw her end the snapchat video. 

"I just woke up." I mumbled, trying to ignore how terrible my bedhead must've looked in the video. 

"You look fine, don't worry about it. So what's the plan? Where is your boyfriend taking you?"

"Oh well, uh..." My phone vibrated in my hand.

Cesar: You and me tonight at your fave pasta place. Dress beautiful! 

"That's sweet." Gabi read the message next to me. I rubbed my nose. Gabi seemed extra sweet today. It was probably because of my birthday, but there was something else. I felt it. 

It was sweet. But there was something else I wanted. I scratched my chin and joined my family for the obligatory birthday breakfast, feeling an itch to respond to Van's message, but unsure how to.

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Van:

I sat up on the couch, hearing the soccer game Bondy was watching while looking at my phone. Bob and Benji had gone out to a liquor store to scavenge for breakfast. 

"So the ball is right there...idiot!" Bondy jumped up from the couch, wrapping his arms around himself.