What's a Girl to Do? (Season 3)

Chapter Six: The Lies We Have To Tell

I woke up the following morning after the firm's Halloween party with a pounding head, and cursed myself for not looking too carefully at the drink refreshment table. I must've accidentally grabbed the alcoholic cider, I reasoned with myself, making a grab for my phone to shut off my alarm. It was Wednesday, meaning that my day at the firm was shorter, but I was also in charge of picking up Iana and Liam from daycare and school respectively. I shoved myself out of bed, knowing that I would need to take a moment, once downstairs, to take some pain medication to alleviate the headache that was slowly morphing into a full-blown hangover.

As I saw to Iana after getting out of bed—changing her into a fresh diaper and doing my best to make silly faces as I dressed her warmly—I kissed her forehead, her smell putting me at ease as I set her down in the center of my bed. Stripping off my T-shirt and long pajama pants, I trudged over to the closet and made a grab for a pair of black slacks, a white camisole, and a black blazer to wear that day. I grabbed a pair of my dress socks, and stepped into a pair of black heels as I shoved the last of what I needed into Iana's bag, just buttoning up my blazer when there was a knock at my bedroom door.

I bent to pick up Iana as I moved to open it, putting some lip gloss on as I opened the door, and did my best to plaster a smile on my face as I looked up at Ian. "Hey," I managed to get out, and he gave me a sympathetic expression.

He held up a glass of water and two pain pills. "Trade you?"

"Please," I replied, maneuvering Iana carefully as I tossed the lip gloss onto my bed, and took the pills into one hand, while Ian took my daughter, and I made a grab for the water. "You have no idea what a relief this is," I told him, popping the pills into my mouth and chugging the water. "It is such a relief..."

"Bad night?" Ian asked, and I smiled up at them, watching as Iana tucked her head into the space between his neck and his shoulder. "I mean, I don't want to assume..."

I held up my hand. "It is what it is," I said, continuing to sip at my water.

Ian nodded then, a deeper understanding developing on his face. "That bad, huh?"

I peered up at him. "What? What do you know?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just an assumption."

I scoffed then. "Fuck off," I muttered, turning around to grab my bags, slipping my lip gloss into the makeup compartment of my business satchel.

"Does it have anything to do with Nicholas?"

I hesitated for a moment in my movements, and felt a moment of hatred flow through me as my cheeks betrayed me by flushing. "What's your point?" I muttered, moving past Ian to go to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Well, it's just that you came stumbling in close to midnight last night, and you were mutter swearing all the way to your room. I'm surprised Iana didn't wake up screaming."

"She's a good sleeper," I muttered, making a grab for my toothbrush and filling it with paste. "I mean, I'm allowed a drink, aren't I?" I asked, vaguely remembering pumping after the party last night, to ensure I got all the alcohol out of my system. "I like to think I'm responsible enough to party a little..."

"Oh, sure," Ian replied, bouncing Iana ever so slightly as I stuck my toothbrush into my mouth and began to brush my teeth. "You're plenty responsible, Murph. Now, are you going to be a good twin and tell me what happened last night, or do I have to pry it out of you little by little throughout the day?"

I turned to Ian then, my mouth filled with toothpaste, and growled at him like some kind of rabid wolf, and I was momentarily pleased that he looked amused. I bent down then, washing out my mouth, and was careful not to get any offending matter on my clothes. "What's there to know?" I asked, moving to wipe my mouth on the hand towel. "I'm an attorney. I went to the firm's annual Halloween party, and had a little too much to drink. End of story," I said, picking up my bags again and moving towards the stairs.