This morning, I'd woken up craving as the result of not smoking for two entire days. It could be called a success—but it also made me an addict. It started off with taking one or two cigs from people. I never thought I'd be craving—like I thought if I stopped, I would never be looking for it anymore. I only smoked like five cigs a day.

The subtle tilt of Abby's face shoved her hair into my nostrils and I almost choked. This was such a move in the middle of my thoughts as if she was awake and she could read my mind. Once I managed to escape her hair attack, I looked at my side to see her sleeping cozily on my chest. She must have not changed her position all night, which was impressive. Her left hand fisted my t-shirt like the rest of her body was resting on my right arm—which I could not feel at all.

When I lowered my head a little, we came face to face so that I could take her in easier. It ached so hard that she was too close yet so untouchable. Her soft exhales fanned my face, pulling me into a sudden frenzy. This proximity filled me with an urge to just lean over and cover her lips. Would she feel it? The blood raced to certain places of my body and left me to have to fight against this blind desire in its wake. This neediness took no prisoners, not really helping me to keep my calm. It was so risky to be filled with these untamed thoughts when she stood so close to me, not to mention her hand resting dangerously close to the left side of my chest—where my heart lay.

Her mouth suddenly opened and she let out a sigh. I waited for her eyes to part but it never happened. Her sigh left a trace of bourbon in its wake. It wasn't the most pleasing odor in the world. In fact, I tried to use it to lessen my attractiveness toward her for the time being but it didn't really work. My mind found a crook of my logic: this was the most intimate thing I could ever receive from her: her morning breath. Fuck.

When I hoped to chill, it only increased my rapid heartbeat and made me feel even hornier. My body reacted the same way it did to a craving for a quick smoke—did it make me addicted? When I lowered my gaze, I encountered the expected view and there was no way I could really hide it. Gosh, this was already so embarrassing but I couldn't find the energy to abandon this comfortable position that I would probably never be able to live again and go to the shower.

The sudden chime of a phone interrupted me. I instantly confirmed that it came from Abby's phone and I leaned back to take a breath. The previous thoughts moved to a freshly born curiosity. Since Abby hadn't mentioned Roy for a while, and I obviously didn't want to talk about it, I didn't quite know if they were still texting. I carefully lifted up my body toward her side and peeked at the screen on her bedside table.

The message burned a spot in my heart: Morning, beauty xx

My hand acted swifter than my brain as I grabbed the phone and rolled back to my side. This harsh movement luckily did nothing to Abby, only causing her to release my t-shirt and roll on her right with a huff. Exhaling a sigh, I typed her password. Pressing on Messages, I opened her messages with Roy.

The strange thing was that the earlier messages were deleted. It was as if Abby guessed that I could be reading through their messages. Casting a quick glance at her to check whether she was awake, I did a bizarre thing, for I was suddenly run by my instincts rather than my logic.

What could have he possibly told her? His feelings. Fuck. Could that be so? I decided to go with my guts and reply.

Next, he was calling. Throwing myself off the bed, I walked into the bathroom and took a breath. "Hi." I knew that he probably caught me so there was no point in denying this.

"What the fuck was that, George?" His voice was coming really pissed off. Good.

"I just wanted to prank you, dude," I said, laughing. Then, clearing my throat, I whispered, "Abby is sleeping. I don't want to wake her up."

"Are you sleeping together?" His tone was my new jam.

"Of course," I huffed. "I'd like to chat but I can't leave the bed, you know. She loves sleeping on my arm and we slept really late last night. Wouldn't wanna wake her up."

"Does she know that you're reading her messages?"

"I have my fingerprint saved, Roy." Before he could reply, I added, "Talk to you later."

With odd satisfaction, I slowly put the phone back on the bedside table after deleting the messages. The message was probably received. I did this for Abby. As she once said, Roy treated girls as meat and Abby was so much more precious than that. I was her best friend and if she lost her mind, it was my duty to save her.

Then, she moved, followed by a loud yawn. "My head," she murmured. When she rolled toward me, I looked into her deep blue eyes. She was temporarily fazed by our proximity and soon, her cheeks were colored a beautiful shade of red. Pulling back, she tilted her body. "Morning."

"You drank too much last night," I explained softly. "Do you want painkillers?" When she nodded in confirmation, I quickly went to find painkillers in my bag. Handing her one pill and a bottle of water, I plopped down on the edge of the bed, watching her. She swallowed the pill and ran a hand through her hair.

I wondered if she remembered what she'd asked last night.

"Remind me not to drink again."

"Can't do that. You gotta live a little, huh?"

Looking at me with a smile, she replied, "You're a bad influence, Georgie."

"You're too good to be tainted with my darkness."

In lieu of an answer, she'd stood up hastily, grabbed her clothes, and ran to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she was back, dressed, and ready to go. After taking a few minutes to change, I was also ready and we left the hostel with our bags.

Since Abby was coping with a hangover, I was the driver for the day. She had the plan ready though, and as I started the engine, she started to fill me in about our schedule. "Our first stop is Joplin—I want to see that giant Coke bottle. Then, Kansas!" She clapped her hands and I let out a chuckle. "We need to catch a great shot in a sunflower field. Instagram-worthy."

"Hmm."

"In the afternoon, we can head to Riverton for lunch. Heard there is a place that serves delicious sandwiches. And they are cheap—budget-friendly."

"Wow, that's so considerate of you."

"Shut up, Shaw." When I laughed, she poked me.

"Hey, I am driving—no sudden touching."

"I'm trying."

"You're trying what? To be frugal or to keep your hands off me?"

"This doesn't really help me not to punch you in the guts."

"Okay, okay. I'll shut up. Go on, tell me the rest."

Dropping the subject, she went on telling me the rest. The Rainbow Bridge, Big Brutus, and Baxter Springs were the other places on our schedule in Kansas. Then, we would cross another state: Oklahoma. She said we could stop by a few attractions before we arrived in Tulsa.

It was really comforting to know that she got all the plans ready. Her bright eyes were enough to keep me motivated and excited about the rest of this trip. What I found the most fitting about Abby and me was that we completed each other. She was responsible when I wasn't, and I was when she wasn't.

After ticking Joplin and the giant Coke bottle off our list, we headed straight to Kansas.

***

Hi!

Is it safe to say that these dorks are my favorite ever and the more I write the deeper I fall for them? George is just so easy to write and I really love writing them to dance around each other (though this really drives me crazy).

Does any of you actually like Roy? 👀 And do you think that Abby likes him?

❤️

. I love you all so much! Thanks a lot for 15K reads and 1K votes.

With love,

Sev xx