"Y'all couldn't give me any Advil or something?" I asked.
My head was fucking pounding, and we were sitting in the parking lot with Isabella waiting for Brandon and Eliza's practices to be over.
"We did," Ryder said.
I looked over at him, and he was currently helping Isabella with her homework while we waited.
Even though he's hurt, his heart is still so big.
"You just drank a lot last night," Leo said, butting in from the front seat.
Leo gave Ryder a look in the rearview mirror.
Oh no, what's with that look? "Oh god, was I being weird?" I asked.
So far, all I was told is that I slept through the whole day today and only woke up when we had to pick up Isabella and Ryder's siblings.
Nobody has said anything besides that. Fake pieces of shit.
"Leo dumped you in your room with me..."
"Unknowingly. I was tired as fuck, and I thought you were staying in a different room," Leo said, interrupting Ryder.
"Did I vomit everywhere? I actually can't remember anything," I asked, and the two of them just laughed.
I felt a pang of jealousy in my heart. Fuck.
"What do you remember?"
"Uh. Well, we drove to Matteo's "trap." The whole place was very bright, and I talked to him. And I remember he was getting on my fucking nerves, so I had a few drinks, and I remember him saying something about Ryder, and I continued to drink. Then I don't remember anything else besides that," I said, looking at the two of them.
"Well, he said something pretty derogatory that I won't repeat, and then you started to smack him down, and I thought you were going to murder him," Leo said, trying not to laugh. "Someone called the cops on you, and we got the fuck out of there because you know your history," Leo smiled, and I gave him a look.
"What else happened?" I asked. Silence
What the fuck?
"You were black out drunk," Leo said.
"Thank you, captain, fucking obvious," I snapped, and Isabella started laughing.
I looked at her, "What?"
"Nothing, Dad; you were just being funny," Isabella said.
"That's a first; Dominic isn't funny," Ryder said. Dominic? No weird nickname. No daddy-o or big poppa?
God, what did I do last night?
"He can when he isn't being annoying," Leo said, and Ryder laughed.
I turned around and looked at him.
He was really cute. God, he made my heart squeeze.
He had his hair in 6 braids (I don't know what they were called, but they went down his scalp).
He looked adorable, though.
My eyes lingered on his neck, which had these weird marks.
They kinda look like hick…I don't remember the word, but I have never seen one in real life before, so I don't know.
"Ryder..."
I was interrupted by Leo's rude ass while he was turning around in his chair. "Boss, do you want to swap the cars? I can stay here and wait for Brandon and Eliza, and I will meet y'all at the place, or do you want to stay here and I do that?"
That wasn't even coherent, but okay.
"Uh, Ryder and I can go in the other car and then start the errands and stuff, and you stay here and then go to us, and then we go back, and we swap again, and Ryder can be with his siblings while we drop them off," I said, spewing something that also made barely any sense.
"Okay, sounds like a plan," he said.
I reached over and kissed Isabella's head. "I'll see you in an hour, baby cakes, be good," I said, and she nodded.
I got out of the car and made my way to the other side, where Ryder was.
I opened the door for him, and he handed me his crutches, stood up, and hopped out of the door.
My eyes shot down to his legs, where the marks that were on his neck were also.
I let out a sigh as I shut the door.
I don't know what's wrong with me. We aren't even dating; he can be with whoever he wants. I have no right to be jealous, so why am I?
"Damn, why are you slamming it so hard, Dom? You are going to break it off," Ryder asked me, snapping angrily.
Because I'm jealous and a terrible, wretched old man.
"You want to walk or not?" I asked, not answering his question.
"The car is right there; just carry me," he said, accepting his fate, already slumping over.
I smiled, bent down, and picked him up.
I bumped his ass with the crutches as we walked into the parking lot towards the other car.
"Dominic, stop being a weirdo," Ryder said, laughing.
I put him down in front of the car, and I opened it for him.
"We switching, boss?" One of my bodyguards asked, as Ryder got into the car.
"Yep. You can go with Leo," I explained, and he nodded as I walked around the car and sat in the driver's seat.
We then switched places, and I shut my door, locking the car.
I looked over at Ryder, who had his foot up and was in this weird position on his phone.
"I appreciate what you were doing for Isabella, you know, helping her with her homework and all that," I said, trying to make small talk.
Ryder didn't look up from his phone and said, "Anytime."
He's being standoffish and awkward, so I feel like something happened, but no one is telling me shit, so I don't even fucking know.
I sighed, and I asked the dreaded question once more. "Did I do anything weird last night?"
That got his attention because he looked up at me and laughed.
"What?" I asked, putting my hands in the air, "I don't remember anything. I didn't hurt you, did I?" My expression changed to worry. I really hoped I didn't, because the marks are making me nervous. Those might not be from another person…those might be from me.
"Uh…" he started to trail off, and he looked embarrassed.
I crooked my head and rolled my eyes. "Just tell me! It can't be that bad. If I vomited everywhere, you can tell me," I said, looking him in the eyes.
He looked back at his phone.
"Watch this," he said, and he shoved his phone in my face.
"What's this?" I asked, taking his phone and clicking play on the video in his camera roll.
"Hi, future me, and future Dominic."
"Hi," I said, responding to the phone.
"You are currently drunk out of your mind and have been spewing nonsense for the past…I don't know how long, so this is for you to look at in the morning when you can't remember anything."
"Oh, lovely, how considerate of you," I said, looking at Ryder with a smile as he looked at me with a horrified look on his face.
Oh fuck, it's about to get back. I turned my attention back to the video.
"Drunk you is very aggressive, but I've tended to all of your wounds and brushed your teeth."
Was I being aggressive?
Oh god, I'm scaring him off already.
I watched as my dresser drawer came crashing down in the video.
Embarrassment is a real thing, and I was VERY MUCH feeling it right now as my face started to turn red.
I paused the video. "Is that why I had to fix that this morning when I woke up?" I asked him.
Ryder nodded at me, laughing.
Oh god. Hopefully, this video doesn't get worse.
"Now that was funny as fuck. I actually don't even know how you ripped it out," Ryder said, pointing at the phone and laughing at me.
My heart was warm; he could laugh at me any time he wanted, and I wouldn't even be mad.
He unpasued the video. "Now, can you take your clothes off, or do I have to do that for you, too?" I felt my body tense as the embarrassment got worse.
"Are you giving me a blowjob, pretty thing?" WHAT? Oh my god. What the fuck?
Why? Why Leo? Why did you put me in the room with him?
"I'm so sorry," I said, and he laughed.
"Surprisingly not the worst part." Not the worst part? That was already terrible!
Oh god, I am so embarrassed, so fucking embarrassed. I am going to die here. I am going to die right here in this car. Why? Why am I so fucking weird?
The video kept going, "Nope, nope, not happening. I am helping you so you can go to bed."
Only me. Only me.
What is wrong with me?
Why didn't I just let him go?
He looked back at the camera and said, "This is what I have had to deal with for the past, like 30 minutes."
"I'm so sorry."
"It's fine; it was funny," Ryder said sheepishly.
"Not you. Now lift your ass up."
I quickly put the phone down and let out one of the longest sighs ever. Then Ryder and I made eye contact.
"I'm sorry," I said again.
He continued to laugh so hard that I thought he was going to suffocate.
Okay, now he was coughing.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, and he nodded, still wheezing from laughter.
"It's just that the difference between you now and you last night is fucking hilarious," he said, and I smiled. I'm glad I can make him laugh.
I am still embarrassed about flashing him, though.
"Get your dick out of my face."The video was still going, and thank the Lord above that I put my boxers back on.
I watched myself sit back on my bed.
"Are you finally sleeping?"
I flipped the phone back over and squeezed his thigh
"What?"
"You have nice thighs."
"Oh my fucking god, I didn't mean that; I was drunk and just confused," I said, and Ryder was now cackling again.
I rolled my eyes and smiled at him.
And now I am on top of him, because why would I ever keep my hands to myself?
"Can you just go to sleep, please?"No. No, I couldn't because I love embarrassment, and horny, drunk me is so different from regular me.
"Dominic, look at your ass."I see it. I see it very clearly…actually, too clearly.
"Hey, hey, what are you…"All of that just went straight to my dick. All of the blood from the embarrassment, from EVERYTHING, went straight to my dick.
I am no better than drunk me.
"Stop! You need to stop kissing my legs."Is it bad that I'm jealous of myself now?
Why do I feel like this?
Fuck I am so disappointed. Why is he making me feel like this?
"It's about to get very bad," Ryder whispered to me.
It can't be that bad…"I want to fuck you,"and that's the end of the video. Wow, it just suddenly closed out. I wonder how that happened.
Ryder started cackling again.
"I'm so sorry, I was drunk, and I'm sorry I don't remember anything from that night, and…I'm just so fucking sorry right now," I said.
"It's fine," he said through laughter.
"It isn't, and I'm sorry," I said, stroking his knee.
I looked down at his legs.
"Are those from me?" I asked, my eyes going wide as I started to crunch my fingers.
"They are..."
I interrupted him. "Fuck," I said. I'm actually going to cry.
Ryder opened up his phone again and started showing me the video.
"Or are you gonna squeeze me to death with these thighs, Mommas?"
And then we kissed.
I looked over at Ryder, who looked embarrassed. And now I am the same.
I blinked.
"Uh, we kissed?" I asked, looking at the paused video.
He was on my chest, and we had just…kissed.
"Uh, yeah, twice."
"TWICE? Oh god, I am so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry," I said, apologizing for the 80th time.
He bit on one of his nails.
"It's fine, I told you," he said.
Those marks were from me, on his thighs and neck. All from me.
I looked down at his legs and traced them with my fingers.
I'm very impressed with myself, but still.
"I..."
He cut me off, saying, "No more apologies; I told you it was fine."
"Okay."
We stayed in silence.
My mind was racing a thousand miles an hour, and I don't know what to do right now.
"Uh, didn't we have errands to run?" Ryder asked, hitting my thigh gently.
I tensed up.
Control, I have control.
"Yeah, let's go run errands now, so I can, uh, get my mind off that."
"Okay," he said, and this time I looked forward, putting my hands on the steering wheel.
I could trust myself as long as I didn't look at him.