Whiskey & Wildflowers

Chapter 15

"Josie."

Josie groaned and buried her face in her pillow. The bedroom was still dark; who was trying to wake her?

"Josie!"

The whisper was louder this time, followed by a dip in the mattress as someone climbed in behind her. Where was Henrik?

A hand lightly grasped her shoulder, shaking her slightly, and she rolled over in annoyance.

"What?!"

"Shh!"

It was Henrik. She could barely make out his features in the dark, but a light from beyond the bedroom door created a glow around his silhouette. His hair was down around his shoulders, and he held a finger to his lips.

She frowned. Why was his hair down? It had been in his usual half-up style when they'd gone to bed. She was sure of that, because she'd made his night by agreeing to be the big spoon, and she'd fallen asleep to the gentle lavender fragrance that wafted from the silky strands.

At some point during the night, she must have rolled over, and he'd slipped away while she slept. But why?

"What's going—"

He covered her mouth with his hand and shushed her again.

"The boys are going out," he whispered. "I wasn't supposed to tell, but..."

"That's it?" Josie let out an annoyed huff. "You woke me for that?"

"I don't know when we'll be back."

She waved a hand dismissively and rolled back over, snuggling the duvet around herself. "You'll probably be back by this afternoon. Have fun, wherever you're going."

Henrik remained silent behind her, but she knew he was still there because she didn't feel the bed shift. Finally, he leaned over and laid a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"You're probably right. You won't even miss us."

"Mmm."

And then he was gone. The last thing she heard before falling asleep again was the distant roar of an engine.

***

The bedroom lights turned on, and the girls groaned at the sudden brightness. It wasn't long, however, before someone realized that something was wrong.

"Girls..." Chelsea asked sleepily. "Where are the boys?"

There was a rustling of sheets as the other girls rolled over or sat up, followed by confused murmurs. Josie yawned and blinked against the light as she pushed herself up into a seated position against the headboard.

"Did they all get up early?" Marisol asked, looking around. "They must be outside already."

"Maybe they're making us breakfast!" Chelsea exclaimed, far too excitedly for someone who'd woken up only moments earlier.

"God, I would love breakfast in bed right now," Priya said as she stretched happily.

Hope snorted. "Noah doesn't like crumbs on the sheets. But you wouldn't know that, of course. Not like I know him."

Priya rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, will you? It's too early for your bad attitude."

"My bad attitude? You're the one who—"

"Ugh, can we not?" Marisol cut in. She reached for her glasses from her side table and wiped them with her shirt before putting them on. "We have more important concerns right now — like where Noah even is."