JC stopped mid-step a few yards away from Kyra who was still surrounded by Lonnie and Max. Naturally a small woman in stature, she looked even smaller near the hulking bodyguards.
She also looked different than she had the last time he had seen her: her hair which she’d usually kept quite short or tied up was loose and wavy on her shoulders, its color was what seemed like a dark red instead of its usual chocolate brown and she was wearing a very pretty dress.
His Kyra wasn’t one to walk around in sky high heels and dresses except on very special occasions, preferring her jeans, her flats and her pony tail. She was a creature of habit, which was probably why they had hit it off so well when they were little and kept a strong friendship all the way into their early twenties.
They understood each other.
They used to understand each other.
He wondered if the heel of her left hand still had the perpetual ink stain that it used to.
Well, she wasn't his Kyra anymore.
With that thought, JC shook his head and stepped forward. “Hey guys, I’ve got her.”
Lonnie and Max looked up with questioning looks on their faces. “Is she with you? She’s not on this floor…” Lonnie asked.
“Yeah, she’s with me. I’ll get her back to her room; thanks guys.”
The two men moved away from Kyra, still looking as if they weren’t sure about leaving her alone with JC but they still did.
He approached Kyra who had stayed quiet the entire time and seemed to not be very steady on her feet. “Ky?”
She didn’t answer, her eyes narrowed as she took him but didn’t seem to recognize him. “You…you look just like him.” She swayed slightly as she walked forward and poked her index finger into his chest. “Just like him”.
JC sighed and reached for her arm. “How ‘bout we get you back to your room?”
This was strange. His Kyra wasn’t one to drink that much, let alone drink copious amounts of…he sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose.
Tequila.
She wasn’t one to get drunk and argue with random people or walk around without her wits about her. He needed to get her back to her room before she made a fool out of herself, got sick all over herself or even worse, someone with less than good intentions got their hands on her.
She moved her arm out of his reach. “Listen buddy, I don’t do guys with blue eyes anymore, you’re cute and all…but I’m just going to go back to my room. It’s riiiiiight, down there,” she said, closing one eye as she aimed her index finger over his shoulder.
“Actually they switched your room…they brought your stuff and everything. You have to take the elevator. I’ll show you.”
She eyed him skeptically for a moment before tiredness seemed to win her over.
This time when he reached, she let him take her arm. He leaned down and grabbed her shoes which she’d dropped onto the floor and then they slowly made their way to the elevator.
Thankfully it came quickly and JC pressed button for the fourth floor. As the elevator made the quick ride down one floor, she leaned up against him. “You smell just like him too…”
JC shook his head again as they left the elevator and started walking down the hallway quietly. She seemed to be losing steam the more they walked and she started leaning against him more heavily. She was still clutching her keycard against her clutch purse so he grabbed it from her and used it to unlock the door to her room.
As the door swung open he got a whiff of her perfume and he smiled. She still wore it.
“We’re here, Ky. Let’s get you into bed.”
“I’m so tired, Josh,” she said quietly and he turned his face quickly to look at her.
She recognizes me now?
Easy.
“Ky, do you-“ he started to ask when she suddenly turned white as a sheet and started to bring a hand up to her mouth.
Fuck!
Instantly he reached forward, pressed one of his hands over hers and quickly turned her toward the bathroom. He half pushed and half carried her over to the toilet where they made it just in time for her to wretch into the bowl.
He crouched next to her as she heaved, holding her hair back with one of his large hands as he used the other to search through her things on the bathroom counter.
Where the hell are they?
For a girl that used to live in a ponytail, he couldn’t seem to find a hair band for the life of him.
After a few more seconds of searching and a few muffled swears later, his fingers finally grasped one and he leaned down to gather her hair with it as best he could.
This’ll have to do.
When her heaving seemed to have mostly subsided he ran his hand soothingly across her back for a few minutes then said gently, “Okay?” She nodded weakly, her eyes still closed and watery. “Let’s sit you up, honey.”
With a small nod on her part, he flushed the toilet and shut the cover before helping her up delicately and making her sit on the seat. Once she was settled he reached above her to the towel rack and grabbed two face cloths. After moistening them both with cold water, he used one to wipe her mouth and then used the other to gently pat her forehead and finally the back of her neck. Leaving it to rest on the back of her neck he then filled a small glass with water and brought it to her lips. “Don’t drink it, just rinse and spit.”
After she complied, he crouched down in front of her again and tried to catch her eye. “Ky?”
Her head lifted just enough for their eyes to meet and although hers were hooded and cloudy, she still seemed to be able to look at him. “Josh.”
He smiled sadly and nodded his head. “Let’s get you into bed,” he said as he leaned forward, picked her up in his arms and carried her over to her bed.
She seemed to settle back against the plush mattress and thick pillows instantly. He reached down and undid the small belt that was wrapped around her waist, not wanting it to dig into her as she slept. Once removed, he grabbed the thick throw blanket at the end of the bed and covered her with it.
As he leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead , she sleepily mumbled in the most vulnerable voice something that broke his heart.
“You left me behind…”
********************************
Oh what fresh hell is this?
Kyra groaned as she stirred in bed awoken by the alarm clock on the nightstand apparently very close to her head.
Though she didn’t remember having it set at jet liner engine volume level, it was a good thing she had remembered to set it before she had gone down to the bar last night. She had anticipated the possibility that she wouldn’t remember to set it later.
With a disoriented hand, she patted her nightstand until she was able to hit the snooze button and quiet the infernal roaring.
With a sigh, she licked her lips and found them dry; come to think of it her mouth was really dry as well. Planning on getting glass water, she started to get up out of bed but suddenly with a soft gasp she fell back against the pillows clutching her head.
Oh god…
Why had she had so much to drink last night?
This wasn’t something she did often. She could count on one hand how many times she’d gotten this drunk and she didn’t plan on doing it many more times.
She just had a lot on her mind.
She had him on her mind.
His blue eyes swam in her mind’s eye and she blinked her own open.
Stop thinking about him.
With a steadying breath, she gathered her strength and slipped out of bed. As she slowly made her way to the bathroom, she looked down at herself and noticed that she was still wearing her dress but her belt was missing.
She looked around and saw it resting on top of her open suitcase near the door. When she scratched her cheek, she also realized that her hair was in a clumsy ponytail low on her neck.
Strange.
In the bathroom she started looking around her things and noticed that her travel makeup and toiletries bag was mostly unpacked and things were strewn all over the counter. Two balled up facecloths were in the sink and the toilet bowl cover was shut over the lid.
Even more strange.
She had been really drunk last night and didn’t even remember how she’d made it back to her room. Maybe she'd made this mess trying to get ready for bed.
Thank god she hadn’t brought Sexy Bartender back with her.
She leaned over and turned on the shower spray and closed the curtain. As she grabbed the facecloths from the sink and noticed that they were still a little damp, his eyes started to swirl around in her mind again.
Like she’d seen his eyes recently.
Like last night.
Oh. My. God.
Josh.
Chapter End Notes:
Uh oh! What is she going to do? What do you think? Review with your ideas! :)
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