Page 207 of My Dark Prince
“Yeah, well … someone has to make sure you don’t drown in a pool of your own puke.” He shrugged, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. “You look like shit, by the way.”
“So everyone’s been saying.” I spun back to the lake. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. “Still remember what the sun looks like?”
It had started to slip below the horizon, casting the room in a hazy orange glow. We had another five or ten minutes before it disappeared entirely, but I figured my hallucination and I could enjoy it together.
“Looks the same as I remember, except with more pollution.” Seb claimed the space beside me, his mouth twitching in an almost smile. It faded into a scowl as I burped in his face. He fanned away the stench. “I should’ve let you drown in self-pity. Unfortunately for me, I’m feeling charitable today.”
I snorted, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “Since when do you do charity work?”
“Since my sole source of groceries turned into a drunk cliché from a direct-to-cable movie.” His brows shot up, peeking past his sunglasses. “I mean, seriously … Sitting in the dark, guzzling whiskey by the gallon, and staring into the lake? What’s next? You gonna write her a sad letter, tuck it inside a glass bottle, and throw it in the water? I’ve seen the movie. Spoiler alert: she never reads it.”
“Tempting. Maybe I’ll throw myself in while I’m at it.”
“Let’s refrain from the dramatic gestures. You’re kinda monopolizing the drama in this family. It’s exhausting to watch.”
I swiveled to face him, swaying into the doorframe as I jabbed a thumb into my chest. “I’mexhausting to watch?”
“Eh. You’re a shitty genre. Too much tragedy. Not enough explosions.”
I hiccuped into my bottle. “You’re a terrible hallucination.”
“That’s ‘cause I’mnota hallucination.”
“Prove it.”
“Gladly.”
With that, he bounced to his feet, stormed over to my couch, and proceeded to launch every pillow right at my face. The Jack Daniels clattered to the hardwood and cracked in two. A river of whiskey raced between us.
“What the fuck, Seb?” I shot to my feet, fisting his shirt.
He arched a brow, amused. “You mad?”
No, actually. Not at all.
I just couldn’t believe he’d left his cave.
“You left your cave.” I patted his arms, his chest, his neck, his face, feeling sober all of a sudden.
He swatted my hands away. “We already established that.”
“We did?”
“Oh, my god.” He started to leave. “Find me when you sober up. And the next time you missDays of Our Lives, don’t expect me to give you a recap.”
“No, wait.” I fisted the back of his hoodie, spinning him to face me. “Stay. You came here for a reason.”
“I came here to make sure you’re alive. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Stop lying. Why did you come?”
He didn’t reply. In the distance, water lapped against the shore, filling the silence. I started to release him when he finally answered, quiet. Almost shy.
“I’m sorry.”
That simple statement, more than anything else, cut through the fog of whiskey.
I cupped my ear, angling it toward him. “Come again?”
