Playing Perfect

18. Meilleure Amie

18. Meilleure Amie

Best Friend

Alice woke up with a pounding headache and a heavy weight around her waist. She shifted, blinking through the bright morning light, and let out a quiet groan. Her eyes felt raw and she was sure they were swollen red by the way she struggled to keep them open.

She moved to sit up, only to find a strong arm wrapped around her waist, holding her down. She furrowed her brow, craning her neck to see Finn Cauley's sleeping face resting on the pillow behind her.

His hair was perfectly tousled, and his expression somehow managed to still look angry, even in his sleep. She somehow preferred him this way than to how he was at the Debutante—his messy hair and constant frown was much more suited to Finn Cauley than a tuxedo and polite small talk. Light streamed through her lace curtains, highlighting his high cheek bones and light hair, turning it a pale yellow.

She paused for a moment, staring at him in disbelief before shoving his arm off her and tumbling out of bed.

She rolled out of the white sheets, tumbling onto the carpet, and ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it down. She glanced at her clothes. She was in her pyjamas, which consisted of a short white night gown that fell to her mid-thigh and was partially see-through.

Cauley groaned from the bed, rubbing a palm against his eyes as Alice bolted to her dresser and pulled on a robe to cover herself. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, feeling her cheeks heat at the sight of her blotchy face and swollen eyes.

"Travers?" Finn muttered; his voice raspy.

"Cauley," Alice croaked, her eyes wide as she spun to face him. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" he mumbled.

"What are you doing in my bed?"

"I came over last night," he said, finally blinking his eyes open and running a hand through his hair. He paused, his eyes meeting hers before dropping to scan her body. She drew her robe tighter around her self-consciously. "You couldn't sleep."

Alice's eyes widened at the memory. Her head was still pounding, and her heart was racing, but she vaguely remembered Cauley entering her room well past dark and stroking her hair as she sobbed. A blush rose to her cheeks and she crossed her arms, turning away from him.

"I can take care of myself. It's not the first time I had my heartbroken by a former best friend."

If Finn caught the insult, he didn't show it.

"You didn't have any objections last night." Finn raised a smug brow at her, and her face grew hotter. She opened her mouth to retort back, but couldn't find the right words, so she huffed and stuck her nose up at him.

He smirked at her reaction and shifted, pushing the sheets off himself. Somehow, during the night, he'd discarded his t-shirt to the floor, exposing his bare chest. Alice's eyes widened and her jaw fell slack before she spun around to hide her deep blush.

"Put some clothes on!" Alice sputtered.

Finn laughed. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Shut up, Cauley," Alice snapped back. She glanced at her bedside table and groaned—six in the morning. She had her deportment lessons in half an hour. "I need to get ready."

"The sun is barely up," Finn groaned, falling back against the mattress. "I'm going back to sleep."

"No, no, you're getting out of here," Alice scolded, rushing around her room to collect her uniform and hairbrush.