Still Time / Billy Hargrove

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗

a/n: fixing a minor spelling /
grammar error!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧

TAPS ON HER WINDOW WOKE ADDIE UP AFTER MIDNIGHT. It took her a minute to register what the sound was, and for a second she nearly just ignored the noise and considered going back to sleep. But she was worried about waking up her mom or brothers, so she went to the window and pulled back her curtain.

Standing there, with a bloody nose and blood on his forehead, was Billy. As much as Addie was upset, she couldn't bring herself to turn him away, and so she opened the window and stepped aside to let him through.

"Did— you drive here drunk??" Addie could smell the alcohol before he was even inside.

"I, yeah. I needed to talk to you and you... you wouldn't listen to me at school so—"

"And what you couldn't have come here sober??" Billy opened his mouth to respond, but Addie held a hand up, silencing him. She left the room for a moment and returned with their first-aid kit and a wet cloth. They were both silent as Addie grabbed the wet cloth and gently wiped the blood off of his face.

Billy didn't say a word as she applied medicine, and a small bandage to the cut on his forehead. "You can sleep on the floor." Addie handed him a pillow and extra blanket.

"Baby please—"

"No. I'm not having this conversation right now when I know you won't remember half of it when you wake up. I don't want to have it at all, but I'm definitely not doing this when you're drunk. Go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning." Addie gets in bed and turns to face the opposite direction, ignoring when Billy calls out to her.

After a few minutes, he says something again, but Addie didn't catch what it was. "What?"

"I nearly killed him tonight." They both sit up and Billy wipes away a tear, but not before Addie notices. "He pushed me and had me up against a wall, and I walked out of the room. We were up at the top of the stairs and there was a good few seconds where I wondered what would happen if I just pushed him down. I wouldn't have pushed him hard, he was drunk and that way I could've said it was an accident and I just saw him fall."

"Billy—"

"I know you hate me. And I know I'm so fucking stupid and I never should've talked to you that way and I shouldn't have treated you like that. Please Addie. You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time and I can't lose you right now."

She wasn't even close to letting him back in, but she could hear the fear in Billy's voice. So she scooted over to one side of the bed. "Come here." He was up instantly, getting into bed and pulling Addie close, relieved when she laid her head on his chest. "I'm still mad at you," she whispered.

"I know. And I'm gonna do whatever it takes to change that. I can't lose you."