You Can Hear it in the Silence

Chapter Five: Fall

I fell into his shoulder while I laughed, a habit that was hard to break.
After I had done it, I realized that maybe I shouldn't have. I laughed it off though, so did he. We were in front of more than 100 people, I couldn't just fall into him like I always do.

"That was great, drinks anyone?" Danielle asked as we were leaving. "Sure!" We all agreed as we got into the limo one after the other.
After a few drinks, everyone started loosening up. "So do you like Grant?" Stephen asked bluntly.
"What?!" I asked, surprised.
"Do you like him? I'm just curious..."
"Uhh, not really..." I glanced over to where Grant was sitting. He was laughing with Danielle and David. He was cute, very cute. He was my age, he was perfect for me. I just couldn't like him.
"Are you sure? If you do, you know you can tell me. Secrets safe with me." He smirked. I giggled. "I promise you, I don't." "Although I wish I did..." I whispered. "What?" "Oh, nothing." I lied.
Danielle and Grant got up and left quickly as David walked over to Stephen and I. "Where are they going in such a hurry?" I asked curiously.
"Not sure..." David said with a confused look on his face. We were all suspicious, but had too many drinks to care.
"I gotta go, this old man needs a bed." David laughed.
"See ya, Dav." Stephen said as they did their handshake.
"You two are too much." I said as I got up to give David a goodbye hug.
David walked out soon after, leaving Stephen and I alone in a bar full of Californians.
"Should we go?" I asked.
"If you want..." He said slowly.
Stephen rarely drank too much, he was good at controlling his alcohol intake. He didn't seem that way though, he had drank more than usual.
"Let's call a cab." I said as I reached for my phone.

"You're perfect." I heard him whisper in the back of the cab.
"What?" I asked in a shocked voice.
"You're, uh, the perfect, Felicity..." He corrected himself.
"Right... You've had a lot to drink haven't you?" I realized.
"More than usual." He stuttered.
"How come? Is there something wrong?" I asked.
He looked at my closely, stared into my eyes. "Nothing... It's nothing." He assured me.
"Okay..." It was hard to concentrate on my words with him staring into my eyes like he did.
He slowly let his head fall into my shoulder. He rested there for a few minutes before his head fell into my lap. "Oh, wow... Okay." I gasped.

"Here we are." The cab driver said as we pulled up to the hotel.
"Alright... Stephen... Hey, wake up." I said as I shook his shoulder. He sat up slowly. "I'm sorry..." He slurred.
"It's okay, come on let's go..." I said as I handed the cab driver $40 and got out of the cab, dragging Stephen with me.

"Here drink this." I said as I gave him a cup of bad hotel coffee.
He was starting to sober up as we sat on the hotel bed watching the news.
"This is disgusting." He said as he gave it a nasty look.
"I know." I said as I laughed. "I should go, to my room..." I said.
"Or, you could stay..." He said quietly.
"There's only one bed in here..."
"I'll sleep on top of the covers." He suggested.
I looked up into his eyes, I wanted to kiss him. I'd done it once before, but only as Felicity. I wanted to kiss him as Emily. And I hated myself for that.
"Fine." I finally agreed.
I crawled into the covers and rested my head on the pillow. He did as he said he would and laid on top of the covers. We faced each other in the dark as we silently fell asleep.