Still Falling

08 | delicate

Finn

*

Nothing on earth could have prepared me for this situation, and so I was frozen in place, speechless at the sight of her half-naked. Was she aware she still had company or did she simply not care? Whatever it was, she didn't seem to give it any thought as she moved to a sofa and laid on it.

I raked my hand through my hair, completely overwhelmed by the situation. I had to somehow get her cleaned and in bed then face the nasty mess on the floor before leaving. Even the thought of leaving made me uncomfortable. At this rate she could very well choke on water if she got thirsty in the middle of the night.

Well, that was a pathetic excuse.

I got out of my jacket, tugged my tie off and undid the first two buttons of my dress shirt. Then I walked over to where she lay asleep and paused at the sight of her. She looked so peaceful, like something angelic, even with her vomit a few feet away from us. For once her face was free from the sad expressions she'd worn all evening.

I snapped out of my thoughts and gently lifted her up. "Come on, Amanda. You need to clean up and lie in your bed."

Her eyes came open. "Can't I just lie here?"

"The sofa's not a very ideal sleeping spot, especially if you're going to be waking up with a hangover. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience," I said with a bitter chuckle. Her eyes went close again. Great. I bet she wouldn't even remember any of this in the morning. I guess that was a good thing.

Helping her on her feet wasn't difficult. She led me to her bedroom and was held back from getting on the bed.

"You need to brush your teeth first," I said to her. She let out a frustrated groan and leaned into me. My body went stiff in an instant. Thanks, Elliot. This is going to be a long night.

Luckily the first door I got us through happened to be the bathroom. Getting her to brush her teeth at this rate looked near impossible so mouthwash would have to suffice. I opened the cabinet and got it out. I was having a hard time keeping her on her own two feet when she was so intent on having her body glued to mine.

"Say ah," I said, holding up a capful. With her eyes opened in slits, she opened her mouth and I tipped it in. "Don't drink it," I warned sternly. "Shake, then spit."

She kept her eyes on mine and her cheeks moved, then she spat it out into the sink.

"Good girl," I muttered. She left my arms and hurried out of the bathroom. When I got out, I found her curled on her bed like a cat. My eyes traced the contours of her body, up her slender legs and rounded ass, all the way to her raven hair that spilled over her face. I fought myself from remembering- I didn't want to recall the nights we had spent together, those limbs intertwined with mine, or that ass on my face. I didn't want to question if her hair still smelled of peaches like it used to. I didn't.

Get a fucking grip, will you?

With all the willpower I could summon, I tore my eyes away from her body and padded over to her closet. After a quick inspection, I pulled out a nightgown and moved to the bed.

"Hey," I gently lifted her up. "Put this on."

She rubbed her eyes and stared sourly at the clothing in my hand. "I don't want to."

Unbelievable. "What do you mean, you don't want to? And what do you think you were doing, stripping like that?"

She scrunched up her delicate features. "It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before. Go, I need to sleep. You keep pestering me."