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When I wake up my head is pounding and my mouth feels dry. As I come to my senses I find that my back is turned to Calum and he has one of his arms slung over my body. His slow breaths hit the back of my neck and I rub my eyes to wake myself up.
An overwhelming sense of nausea washes over me and I remove his arm before I rush out of his room and into the bathroom. A short while later I feel someone pulling my hair back as they hunch down behind me while I empty my stomach into the toilet. When I'm done I lean back and Calum sits back on the floor with his back pressed to the glass shower wall. "I'm never drinking again."
"We'll see about that," he humors.
"I'm sorry, this is so embarrassing." I hide my face in my hands but they're removed my Calum.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Do you know how many times I've had to hold Luke's luscious curls back for him?"
"You really do that for him?"
"Put his hair up in a bun and everything."
"I should brush my teeth," I announce.
"I'll brush mine with you," Calum grins, and he helps pull me up to my feet. While we brush our teeth I can't help but admire him through the mirror, the way his hair seems impossibly fluffy after having slept, and how his eyes are all puffy. I feel like a mess but Calum makes me feel better.
After brushing out teeth—and being extra and gurgling mouthwash—I walk back into Calum's room while he goes off into the kitchen. He returns moments later with a glass of water and a pill, handing me both. "Thanks."
"Go back to sleep for a while and I'll wake you when I've made breakfast."
"OK," I nod and I crawl back under the covers and it doesn't take long for sleep to take over. When I wake up a while later it's because Arden lies down beside me to gently shake me out of my sleep.
"Scotty, Calum and Ashton made breakfast," she coos and i peel my eyes open slowly.
"Hey," I rasp, and I pull her into a hug which she returns. "Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah," she nods. "How are you feeling? You went pretty hard last night."
"I imagine this is what dying feels like."
"Oh, Scotty," Arden sighs, brushing my hair back behind my ear. "Let's go eat and maybe you'll feel better, yeah?"
"Yeah," I agree and sit up with her. "Where is Emma?"
"She's in the kitchen with the boys," she tells me.
"Arden." I grab her arm to stop her from moving. "What if Calum leaves?"
"Sweetie," she soothes me. "He's not going to leave. He just watched you throw up and he's out there cooking you food right now."
"God, why am I such a mess right now?"
"We both know that when you drink you get all happy and scatterbrained, and then at the end of the night you get into your feels," she says and I know she's right. "And then you're always emotional when you're hungover."
"All right, lets go." When Arden and I appear in the kitchen all attention turns to me.
"Look who's alive!" Luke exclaims and I can see how Emma turns our way from where she's sitting on the sofa in the living room. She stumbles off it and comes over.
"Are you OK?"
"Guys, I'm fine," I assure them. "I just had too much to drink—and don't act like you haven't done the same. I know about Calum holding your hair back, Luke."
"Calum!" Luke whines. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone."
Calum shrugs nonchalantly as he transfers the scrambled eggs from a pan and onto a serving dish.
"Dude, we all know," Michael butts in, and Luke lets his head fall to the bar top.
"I don't know who my friends are anymore," he sighs and I smile when Emma walks over and wraps her arms around him leaning her cheek against his back.
"It's all right, Luke," she tells him. "If it makes it any better I can hold back your hair next time if you want."
We all laugh at her words and Luke lets out a groan. I walk over to Calum and hook an arm around his waist. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah," I nod. "Can I help with anything?"
"It's mostly all done so you could help carrying everything to the table." We all carry a dish or two each in our hands and once we all dig into the food it's quiet for the first few minutes of eating as everyone takes it all in. I take note of the glances being sent between Arden and Ashton.
"Is it good," Calum asks me, throwing his arm up on the backrest of my chair.
"Why do you keep asking me that whenever you cook?" I giggle. "I don't think you could make anything taste bad even if you wanted."
"You're probably right."
...
I'm such a lightweight I'm drunk for like three days whenever I drink
