Chapter 22 HARPER
I’d only blinked once and Tyler appeared right behind me. I let myself relax into the warmth of his body, letting him act as my anchor while I tried to shake off my dizziness.
The crowd had gone silent and someone in front of me was cussing, but I couldn’t focus. The boy in front of me blurred and warped into two… then three. I giggled, finding the idea of humans multiplying hilarious.
Tyler wasn’t laughing though. His good hand wrapped around my waist while he shifted the one with the cast in front of me protectively.
“For fuck’s sake, know when to keep your thing in your pants, Billy,” he growled, his breath brushing past my ear.
I flinched, thinking for a second he was yelling at me. He noticed and his voice dropped to a whisper behind me.
“Not you. I’m not yelling at you.”
I nodded, my hands dropping to cover his on my waist. A soft hum started playing in my head, drowning out the noise around me, and I swayed to it dreamily.
I’d never drunk before, but I was starting to understand the appeal—the soft, dizzy kind of euphoria that came with it.
“I should drink more often,” I said to no one in particular.
A short puff of air fanned against my neck and I giggled again.
“Okay, time to go home.”
“No.” I turned and threw myself at him. He groaned from the impact of my body against his cast. I winced. “Sorry.”
“It's okay. Can we just leave?”
“No. We only just got here.”
Out of nowhere, someone yanked me away from Tyler, laughing. I recognized the thick, plump lips.
“Don't be a party pooper, Tyler. She's having fun. Right, Harper?” Megan asked, staggering against me.
“Right. I never have fun when I'm around him. Don't let him take me away, Megs.”
I clung to her tightly, both of us struggling to stay upright. Tyler palmed his forehead, then reached for me, but I pulled away.
“Just five more minutes,” I cried.
“Five more minutes, Harper, and you could be in some shed with some creep who won’t take no for an answer.”
“But you're here,” I argued, leaning on Megan’s shoulder as she laughed hysterically. “You said I'm under your protection for the day, so I can do whatever I want.”
Tyler looked around hopelessly, like he was waiting for someone to come to his aid.
“I didn't sign up for this,” he grumbled, but he didn't make any move to drag me toward his car.
Trusting him to let me be, I stretched out my cup to him. “Here, try some. It'll help you lighten up.”
“Yeah. You're literally the only uptight person around here,” Megan chirped in.
“Yo, cap drinking? Count me in,” Jax chimed, coming up behind Megan as he carelessly placed a kiss to her cheek. “Drink. Drink. Drink!”
And just like that, the crowd picked it up, chanting at the top of their voices.
I wiggled my brows at Tyler, knowing he was trapped. “Come on, Tyler. You can't be Westfield’s hot throb and captain of their hockey team yet be scared of a couple of drinks. Don't tell me you're seriously that light weight,” I teased.
“Matter of fact, Tyler here has been the chugging champ of parties since tenth grade,” one of his teammates hollered. “Do it, Cap. Show your girl she's still a newbie at chugging.”
I blushed, my chest swirling with a tingling sensation at the fact that I'd been called ‘his girl,’ and he hadn't corrected him. But then, Tyler hadn't said a word since, just stood watching me as if waiting for my breaking point.
The ground shifted under me when I took a step forward. Tyler was already there. He wrapped a hand around me to keep me from hitting the ground.
“Oh, my bad—”
I shrieked, choking on my words as he used the opportunity to sweep me off my feet, throwing me over his shoulder.
“Whoa, you're freakishly strong.” I flailed my arms, kicking my legs playfully. “I can see the world from up here.”
He actually was that tall. It felt like I was flying, resting on his shoulder, and Tyler didn't seem to be struggling from the weight, despite my constant movements.
Dropping me down gently when we got to his car, he positioned his body in front of mine, caging me so I wouldn't run, while he used his now free hand to search for his keys.
Whether it was the alcohol that gave me the boldness, I wasn't sure, but I trailed a finger down his torso and he tensed immediately.
“Gosh, you're beautiful,” I breathed.
Tyler’s jawline sharpened, his eyes fixed on mine now. He stopped moving, his hand falling to the side with the keys in it.
“What?” I said, grinning from ear to ear.
“I-I'm not sure.”
He looked confused, like studying me was causing him a migraine.
“Is something wrong with my face?”
He didn’t say a word, just snapped out of his reverie and unlocked the car doors. After making sure I was seated and strapped, he went around to his driver's side and got in.
The way he was being patient with me wasn’t lost on me, even though my thoughts were clouded with alcohol. It was a rare side of him I was seeing, and I really hoped I remembered it when I got sober.
“Why don't you play music when you drive?” I asked, breaking the quiet. Blabbing was definitely one of the side effects of being drunk for me.
I didn't expect him to answer though, but he did.
“No reason, really,” he said at first. Then, after a few seconds—maybe realizing the silence had grown awkward—he added, “Driving is one constant reminder of my current predicament. Blasting my speakers used to be a fun memory of my old self. I guess I just didn’t want to ruin one core memory.”
I yawned, my eyes drifting shut from exhaustion. “But I like music.”
“Hmm.”
I let my head rest against the window, when the soft sound of Billie Eilish’s voice filled the car.
“Better?”
“Mmhmm. Thank you.”
And just like that, I drifted off to sleep.