Page 86 of Bridesmaid By Chance
Hudson: When you saw him today, were you excited?
Sloane: Hudson, GO TO SLEEP.
Hudson: When he touched you…did you like it?
Sloane: Do you really want to know?
Hudson: Yeah, I really want to know.
Sloane: If I tell you, will you go to sleep?
Hudson: Yes.
Sloane: Promise?
Hudson: Promise.
Sloane: Fine. When I saw him today, I felt familiarity. When he danced with me, I felt special. When he linked my arm through his, I felt cherished. When I saw you and kissed the corner of your mouth…I felt butterflies.
I stare at her words, my heart racing a mile a fucking minute.
Because that’s what I wanted to hear, that’s what I wanted to know.
My phone buzzes again.
Sloane: Now go to sleep.
She sets her phone in her cubby, flips her eye mask down, and brings her blanket back up to her chin, shutting me out.
Chapter Thirteen
SLOANE
“You okay?” I ask Hudson, who is standing at baggage claim, looking practically green.
“No,” he says curtly.
“Can I get you anything?”
“No.”
“Hey, guys,” Devin says as he comes up to us with a wave. “Customs was fun.” He eyes Hudson up and down. “Dude, you don’t look so good.”
“I think he’s feeling a little airsick,” I say as I rub Hudson’s back. “And it was hot over in customs. I think he just needs some fresh air and?—”
Hudson takes off running before I can finish my sentence. I watch him throw up into the garbage can as Devin winces next to me.
“Yikes, that’s not an ideal way to start a trip.”
“Yeah, not so much,” I say, watching Hudson heave into the trash can. The champagne was a bad, bad choice on his part.
Did I ignore Hudson to the point that he was actually asking me to talk with him? That was the plan, right? Melva plotted it out, it worked like a charm, and he was begging to have a conversation—and let me tell you, it took everything in me not to fall into the trap of conversing with him.
But now…now that he’s clearly not feeling well… I feel bad, because no matter how many times he shooed me away, cut me off from digging deep with him or flat-out just trying to form a connection, I still don’t like seeing him like this, and I feel responsible. I know the whole point wasto get him to the place where he’s acting…well, like this, but now that he’s getting drunk, throwing up, because he’s upset on account of me? Yeah, it makes me feel two things. For one…awful. I don’t like putting people in that kind of situation. And two, he’s tugging very hard on my heartstrings.
Hudson lifts up from the trash can, takes a few deep breaths, and then heads into the men’s room, where I’m sure he’s going to freshen up.
“Tough day,” Devin says.
