Thirteen
Emily hadn’t come home since I’d run out earlier in anger. She’d tried calling me numerous times, but I’d left my phone in the car when I’d gone to Everett’s office so I couldn’t answer. One single text from her sat in my inbox with the words I’m sorry staring back at me. She wasn’t one for giant apologies; a single, simple sentence was her usual style. Just another reason why I loved her dearly.
I tried to call her, but her phone kept going directly to voicemail. So, I continued to curl my hair and loosely pull back the top layer with a clip. I wished she was home to help me prepare for the very first date I’d gone on since I moved to Indianapolis. But, my own actions were the reason she wasn’t. I had no one else to blame but myself.
Being a person who was used to hurt and being left behind, it made it hard not to go to extremes when I was angry or sad. It was something I needed to get under control. So Emily giving me space was her way of clearing the air, even if I didn’t need it at times.
The funk that was trying to settle in on my mood needed to go away. I couldn’t ruin our date with the cloud of sadness hanging over me. So I quickly typed out a reply to Emily’s message, hoping she’d come home before I left. I had to let her know I wasn’t mad and that I was sorry for overreacting. I told her I was going on an actual date with Everett and I’d love for her to see me before I left. But, as I hit send and re-read the message, I realized how selfish it sounded.
When had I become that girl?
I tossed my phone on my bed and finished up my makeup. Tonight’s outfit was a bit toned down. A hunter green knee-length cap-sleeved dress with a pair of black booties. Minimum jewelry and smoky makeup.
A knock on the door echoed through the empty house. I hoped it was Emily, because there was a little over half an hour before Everett would arrive. Smoothing my dress with my hands, I passed through the living room and pulled open the door without checking the peephole. A very intoxicated Emily stumbled into my arms.
“Emily, are you okay?”
Her bloodshot eyes connected with mine. “I’m—I’m sorry, Arbor. I didn’t mean to upset you with all that shit with Everett. We did what we thought was best for the two of you. You need love in your life. I felt he could give you that,” she rambled.
“Oh, honey.” I pulled her through the door and shut it.
Somehow I managed to get her to the couch before she completely lost her balance. I slid a pillow beneath her head and raced to the spare bathroom to grab the trashcan and a wet cloth. She was burning up from all the alcohol.
The smell of stagnant vomit filled the air as I stepped back into the living room. I cupped my hand over my mouth and nose, trying to will myself to keep it together. Emily was silently heaving clear liquid all over herself and onto the floor.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I rushed and quickly slipped the trashcan between her and the floor so she’d hit it with the vomit. “What have you done to yourself, Emily?” I wrapped the cool wet cloth around the back of her neck and she groaned.
My shoes were covered in puke, the house smelled like a dirty ass toilet, and someone was knocking on the door.
“Come in!” I yelled, not caring who it was.
“Hello, beautif—what the hell is that smell?” Everett’s baritone voice filled the room.
I frantically looked at him over the couch and sighed. “I could really use your help here.”
He rounded the couch and cringed. “What the hell happened?”
“I ran out earlier, super upset at Emily for what happened. I left my phone in the car while I was at your office so she thought I was ignoring her. I tried to get a hold of her after I left but no answer, and about twenty minutes ago she showed up drunk as a skunk at the front door apologizing the best she could in this state.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” I frowned. “I can’t leave her.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to. Let me help you clean things up and we can stay here.”
“You don’t have to.”
He placed his hand over mine and leaned down so he was staring directly into my eyes.
“I know I don’t have to, I want to.”
I smiled and hugged him tightly.
“If you could carry her to her bathroom, I can clean her up.”
“You got it.” Everett began unbuttoning his shirt and laid it on the loveseat.
I’d never seen him without a shirt before. His chest was muscular, but not overbearing, and that defined V peeked from beneath each side of his navy slacks.
“I didn’t want to get that on my shirt.”
“No, by all means.” I grinned like a fool.
With one easy scoop, he had Emily in his arms. She groaned and gagged as he slowly carried her down the hall with me directing him to exactly where her bathroom was. I flipped the light on and moved so he could slip inside the bathroom. It wasn’t small by any means, but felt a little overcrowded with him holding her and me in the room as well. I pulled back the shower curtain and ran the water until it was warm, flipping the plug so it would hold water as I ran a decent amount in the tub.
“Go ahead and put her in it.”
“Clothes and all?”
“Yeah.”
“That’ll make it hard to get them off of her.”
I sighed, not even thinking about that.
“Can you sit her here in the floor?”
There was a good size area between the vanity and the toilet where she could easily sit with her legs straight out.
“That’ll work.” He lowered her to that spot and leaned her head against the side of the vanity so she wouldn’t fall.
“Thank you so much, Everett. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t showed up.”
“No thanks needed. You do look nice, though. Even if you have puke on your dress and slightly in your hair.”
“Ugh!” I gagged when I noticed it.
He chuckled. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be in the living room. If you need me just holler.”
I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”
He smiled and left me to clean Emily up.
Thankfully she had gone out in a pair of those elastic band shorts that look like the bottom of a flapper’s dress from back in the day and a tank top, so getting her undressed was an easy task. I already knew the girl didn’t wear panties, and removing a bra wasn’t like rocket science, even if she was dead weight. Once she was undressed, I lifted her to her feet and draped her arms over my shoulder.
“Emily, if you can hear me wake up, please.”
She groaned and tried to speak but what she was mumbling didn’t form words.
“Can you hear me, Emily?”
She nodded.
“I need you to try and walk for me, okay?”
Her eyes fluttered and she attempted to stand for a moment.
“Good!” I helped her slowly across the bathroom until we were directly beside the bathtub.
“Now I need you to lift one leg so I can get you in the warm water.”
She opened and closed her eyes before pulling her leg up just enough for me to get it into the water. She inhaled sharply and I wondered if I had gotten the water too hot.
“Now we need to do the other leg, sweetie. You can put all your weight on my shoulders and I’ll help you sit.”
She nodded again.
I slowly lowered her into the water and felt the temperature with my hand. It wasn’t hot, about a medium heat, which was fine. The one thing I used to make fun of her about was the fact that she had a suctioned pillow that connected to the back of her bathtub. She swore by it when she wanted a bath, claiming the rim of her tub bothered her neck. I was thankful for that little damn pillow now. I placed her head on it and stretched her legs out so she was a bit more comfortable. Not that her comfort mattered to her at the moment, she’d thank me later.
She tried her best to stay awake as I washed away how her afternoon unfolded. I’d never seen her get so trashed day drinking. There had to be more going on than our argument. I needed to be a better friend and make sure she was okay. When she was back to herself again, I was going to do just that.
I drained the tub and she actually stood on her own. Her robe hung on the back of the door so I pulled it down and helped her slip it on. She was slowly becoming a fraction of her normal self.
“Thank you,” she managed to choke out.
“No problem, Em.”
We walked slowly to her bed and I pulled back the comforter so she could get in. She curled up on her side, still facing me, and gave me a weak, eyes half-closed smile.
“I’m sorry for the mess I made.”
“We’ve all been there.” I smoothed a hand through her hair and she closed her eyes. “I put a trashcan here by your bed if you feel like you’re going to get sick again. I’ll leave your door open in case you need me, okay?”
“Okaaaay.”
Her drowsy response made me giggle. That girl could withstand being hit by a bus probably. How she rallied and woke back up after passing out like she had surprised me. Hell, if I was down for the count there was no coming back until the next day when I was resurrected, and then I would still feel like death was knocking at my door.
I’d almost forgotten Everett was in the living room from how quiet the house was. If it wasn’t for the sound of the kitchen sink running, I probably would have forgotten. The kitchen and living room were one giant open space, separated by the couch and one of those decorative tables butting up against it. I loved the floor plan.
When I found him, he was washing his hands. The mop was sticking out of the mop bucket on the floor beside him, a box fan turned on to dry the freshly-cleaned area.
“You really didn’t have to clean up that mess.” I leaned against the counter beside him.
He grinned and dried his hands with the towel hanging on the handle directly below the sink.
“You had your hands full with her. It’s the least I could do.”
Everett had put his shirt back on, but didn’t bother tucking it back into his pants. His hair was a bit messy, most likely from cleaning up Emily’s mess, but he still looked as attractive as ever.
“I appreciate it so much.”
He looked me up and down before chuckling.
“You need to go change and wash your hair.”
I glanced down at my dress and groaned. I’d forgotten that I had Emily’s barf on my clothes and even in my hair.
“Ugh…give me twenty minutes and I’ll be back.”
“No rush.” He was still chuckling as I headed back down the hallway to my room this time.
I made it a point not to touch anything with my dress as I collected some leggings and one of my extra long tank tops to change in to after I showered. Knowing Everett was a few rooms over waiting for me had my thoughts wildly racing. But getting out of my dress without getting vomit on any more of me was my main goal, being it wasn’t one with a zipper. My arms were the first to slip through their holes, and I slowly shimmed it upward so I could hopefully slip my head through its hole and toss it into the laundry basket with ease. Thankfully it unraveled exactly how I’d hoped.
My reflection in the mirror caught my attention. My cheeks were flushed, my once perfectly-curled hair had loosened and a few barf-covered strands were matted together. I gagged as I debated on removing my hair clip, but I knew most likely it would cause those matted strands to move and the last thing I wanted was to risk smearing that shit on my face.
The shower in my bathroom was quite a bit different than Emily’s. I didn’t have a tub to relax in; I had a walk-in shower with stone and a glass door. Yeah, I missed taking baths every now and then, but when I wanted one I’d sneak into her bathroom and use hers. Most of the time I didn’t miss not having a tub, though. My showerheads were top of the line and if I wanted to sit, I had a good size slab installed where I could enjoy the steam or shave my legs a bit easier. It was my own little oasis.
“Arbor?”
“Oh my God!” I nearly jumped out of my skin as I dropped my bra to the floor.
Everett stood in the doorway of my bathroom and I was clothed in nothing but a skimpy pair of panties. His eyes quickly skimmed down my body as I tried to cover my chest.
“I should’ve knocked! I’m sorry! I didn’t hear the water running so I thought you might not have gotten in yet.”
“What are you doing in here?”
He turned his back to me and cleared his throat. “Emily was groaning. It sounded like she was going to get sick again. I didn’t want to go help her and she think I’m some random dude trying to attack her or something.”
I grabbed my robe from its hanger beside my shower and slipped it on.
“Let me go check on her.” I slipped by him.
There weren’t any noises coming from her room when I reached her. She was sound asleep with no vomit anywhere to be seen so I crossed back into my room and found Everett still standing in the same position in the bathroom doorway.
“My guess is she was having a dream or something. She's out cold and still clean.”
He looked at me through hooded eyes. I could tell something intense was running through his mind by the look on his face. It momentarily took my breath away. When I reached where he was standing, I placed a hand on his chest.
“Are you okay?”
His laugh was clipped and he shook his head. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, my heart rate spiked when he reopened them and stared directly into mine.
“I shouldn’t be here, Arbor. My reserve with you is extremely thin after seeing you almost naked.”
His words were like a jolt to my libido. I took the belt on my robe in one hand and slowly pulled it until it was no longer tied. Everett’s eyes dropped from mine to my hands undoing my robe. It fell open just enough to exposed the center of my body.
He took a step closer to me and slipped a hand around my waist beneath the robe. The warmth of his hand caressing my skin was intoxicating. With one gentle pull of his hand, our bodies were almost touching and my breathing was audible for the both of us. His lips connected with mine and his other hand slipped beneath my robe, pushing it off my shoulders and exposing my chest. I dropped my arms to my side and shook the robe completely off.
“Jesus Christ.” He took in my body before dropping to his knees and taking my breast into his mouth.
A long moan rolled up my throat and I went to put my hand in my hair when the thought of the matted vomit in it came to mind.
“Everett…” I breathlessly managed to say. “I still need to wash my hair.”
He hummed against my breast and quickly stood, lifting me as he went. I squealed as he carried me into the shower and sat me on the seat. I watched in awe as he stripped his clothes off and ran a hand down his length. I lifted from the seat and slipped my panties off as he turned the faucet on. We both stood there staring at one another as the water turned from cool to warm. Steam began to fill the shower stall and I made the first move. I slowly closed the distance between us and smoothed my hands up his abs, his chest, and around his neck. His erection pushing against my stomach between us. Before I could take his mouth with my own, he spun me around. I anticipated what he was going to do next, as the sound of a bottle popped open and a few seconds later his hands began massaging shampoo into my hair.
One thing I loved was having my hair played with, and I loved having my hair stylist wash my hair even more, so Everett cleaning my hair for me was one of the best things he could’ve done. The fact that he didn’t try to shove me against the wall and fuck me senseless surprised me. It made me realize he wasn’t just about getting me beneath him, he cared.
As he began to wash the shampoo from my hair, he pressed his lips against the top of my shoulder. I turned and faced him. No one had ever looked so sexy with water running down their face and chest as he did. I smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. His hands smoothed down my back, resting just above my tailbone. We stood there, embraced in one another as we slowly kissed. No fondling or overly passionate kissing, just slow and sexy enjoyment of the feel of each other.
His hands left my back and I heard the sound of another bottle pop open. He pulled back enough to remove his lips from mine and squeezed conditioner into his palm. He made a turning motion with his free hand and I did as he asked. He began massaging it into my hair and against my scalp and I closed my eyes, taking in the sensation. Our entire shower was spent in silence, and I was okay with that. Once my hair was nice and lathered, he began to rinse the conditioner out just like he had the shampoo. His hands moved from my hair to my shoulders and began kneading the muscles there. I groaned with enjoyment and rolled my neck from side to side. Everett was making it very hard to want to shower by myself ever again.