Page 74 of Under the Influence

“What are you doing here?” he slurs, his voice breaking between his tears.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He sneers, jerking the water bottle forcefully from my hand, “Do I look okay?”

I take a chance and sit down next to him, trying not to stare at his boxers, even though every single bulge is very clearly defined. I wrap my hand around his wrist, breaking its connection from holding his head up, causing him to turn into me. “It’s going to be alright.”

He just stares at me, more tears pooling behind his blue eyes. “Why doesn’t she love me?” He sobs, “Why can’t she just put me first, for once!”

I pull him into me as he buries his face into my shoulder. “She needs help. She’s gonna get it,” I pull him away, making him look at me. “And you? You are going to be fine, Nash. I promise.”

“I can’t live here with them.”

“You can, and you will. You have Carson, and you have me.”

“Do you like him? Do you want him?” he asks.

“Of course I like him. We’re friends, Nash.”

“Friends?”

“Yeah. Just friends.”

“I don’t typically sleep with my friends,” he accuses.

I snap, “That’s because you sleep with everyone.”

He grits his teeth, and I continue, “Look, I don’t want to fight with you, but I don’t owe you an explanation either. Carson and I are just friends. Believe it or not. It doesn’t change the truth.”

“What is the truth, Corinne?”

“That for some stupid reason, the more you push me around, the more I crave it. I can’t stay away from you. Even though I should. I’m just a game to you, and ruining my life is your revenge.”

He surprises me, pushing my hair gently behind my ear, causing most—if not all— of the air to escape my lungs. His bloodshot, stoner eyes find mine, “Seems like Karma has already won. You’re here, aren’t you?”

I pull back quickly. His voice was seeping with hatred, for me, for his mother? I’m not entirely sure.

“I’m here because I want to be,” I snap. “If you want me to leave, just say it.”

His hand flirts with the edge of my skirt, his fingertips grazing my skin. The air shifts between us as I watch the hunger in his eyes turn from hatred to something else entirely.

“You don’t want to be here,” he whispers. “Not really. You want someone safe. I’ll never be that, Princess.”

I sigh, “You mean Carson? Someone like Carson?”

His hand remains gentle on my thigh, the connection heating me up. “That’s exactly what I mean, and in the end, I’ll never compare. I never have.”

I jump from his bed, positioning his cheeks between my palms, “You have never been my second choice. I didn’t know what that kiss meant for you back then, and I’m sorry that it has caused you so much pain, but I’d never call it a mistake. No matter what the outcome. Everything happens for a reason.”

He pulls me onto his lap, my legs wrapping around his solid waist. Two thin pieces of fabric are the only things separating us. He buries his head into my neck and hair, inhaling me. Consuming me.

“I have done horrible things. Unforgivable things, and I can’t ever take them back.” he warns.

His grip on my thigh tightens, constricting my words, but I manage to get them out, “It’s the past. I promise mine isn’t perfect.”

He connects his lips with my collarbone, “You have no idea what you’re getting. You’d hate me if you knew.”

“I want you, anyway.”