The Elusive Heart of Nova Hart ✔

32// drunken hearts

For TenFeetUnderBooks because your book Up, Up and Away is soon going to become another Wattpad favourite of mine.
And also because i forgot to put my phone on silence, and all the notifications you've been sending my way woke me up at 4.30 a.m (crying) and i haven't been able to fall back asleep lol (Its 6 a.m now).
Thanks for all the love though <3

DRUNKEN HEARTS

    GRAHAM KNEW HE SHOULDN'T HAVE drunk that first cup of cocktail.

    Because then there was a second cup. A third. And now he was on his fourth.

    He drove here by himself, and he was supposed to drive himself back. How the heck was he going to do that with alcohol in his system?

    God knew he wasn't going to drive home drunk, as short as the distance was. Graham's dad had enough on his plate as it was, what with his mum suddenly announcing she was pregnant only to rip out the happiness and light in his father's eyes by telling him he wasn't the father.

    They'd been so normal. Happy. It didn't ever, ever even cross their minds that she would've cheated on their perfect family.

    "Whoa, how many have you had already?"

     Graham knew that voice.

    He'd known that voice ever since he walked in on her singing Dancing Queen while flailing her arms and legs around clumsily without a single care in the world. They'd been in sixth grade, during Addy's birthday party and he'd been looking for the washroom in Addy's house.

    Nova had never noticed him frozen in the space of the half-open door though, and he'd left her to her own devices.

    Then again, he didn't think Nova ever noticed when it came to him.

    Except for right now. When he was drunk.

    "One too many," he muttered, his words not slurred despite the drinks.

    "Tyler's drunk too," she was watching him carefully now, "so who's your designated driver, Miller?"

    He only grunted in response. "Don't you have a secret admirer to get to?" He applauded himself on doing a great job of hiding the bitterness he intended with those words.

    "Yeah well John Doe's not exactly responding right now," she muttered, a gloomy expression taking over her beautiful face.

    Graham grunted again, his mood turning sour now. So that's why she was here, initiating a conversation with him when she'd never done so before — because the guy she really wanted to be having a conversation with wasn't available. 

    Stupid Nova.

    And her stupid beautiful face.

    And her stupid full lips.

    And her stupid turquoise eyes that Graham could swear was the eighth world wonder.

   And that stupid hourglass figure of hers.

    And the stupider top she was wearing that showed off the smooth skin of her back.

    For one wild second, Graham wanted to know... He wanted to know whether her skin was as soft as the silk she currently wore. He wanted to know with as much intensity as the dry land that craved water during a drought.

    God, he was losing it.

    "John Doe?" He asked, clearing his throat, and hopefully his mind too.

    "Yeah well, he's an unknown right now, isn't he?"

    "I don't know how I'm going," he said, going back to the previous topic because the current one was making him feel funny. "I'll figure out a way."

    "I'm not drunk," Nova said.

    Was it an offer? He didn't know.

    "Okay?"

    She sighed and scratched the bridge of her nose. "So I can drop you... If you want."

    He contemplated the offer. He'd given his word to his dad that he wouldn't drink because he was supposed to be driving himself back. If he turned up wasted with his arm around a girl's shoulder, he was bound to be lectured on being irresponsible and burdening a girl with bringing him home.

    But you were raised better than this, Graham. He could hear the words resonate in his mind. Nope, he was going to have to text his dad saying he was staying at Ty's.

    "No, its alright," he sighed. He didn't particularly feel like seeing disappointment in his father's eyes.

    "You don't want to go home or you don't want to bother me?"

    God, she was smart.

    "Can't go home," he replied, eyes drinking in the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders.

    "What about Ty's place?" She asked.

    Graham shook his head. "He'll be going to some girl's home; probably Piper's. She wasn't drunk."

    Nova was staring at him with her mouth ajar. "Well, I can't just leave you here!"

    He ran a frustrated hand down his face, "Nova, its fine —"

    "Come home with me," she blurted.

    The air left his lungs and he straightened up to his full height, the haziness of the alcohol dissipating and her words and his vision suddenly all too clear.

    "What?"

    Her cheeks seemed to redden for some reason. "You can stay at mine," she repeated, her tone steadier this time as if she was surer of herself than when she said it before. "Its just my sister and I."

    Graham should've said no, really. He should have.

    "Okay," he said instead, "sounds about alright."

    Graham should've said no. But Graham was finding out that Nova's presence was something he didn't mind all that much.

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