Those Irish Summer Nights - a Sugary {Sugar/Rory} fanfiction

Chapter Four

Rory hovers over the toilet, moaning. I sit on the edge of the bathtub and slowly rub his back, hoping to ease him. He pukes for a third time and I try to quiet him by humming a soothing tune. He leans back, rubbing his temples, "I feel like utter shit."

"You should. You had way too much to drink," I say calmly.

"I can usually control myself, really. I'm not like this, I swear."

I shush him as I wipe the sweat from his forehead with a damp cloth, "Why don't you change and I'll take you up to bed?"

He tries to stand up but stumbles. "Help," he mutters.

I grab his arm, pulling him up with all the strength I can muster. I hand him a gray t-shirt and black shorts that I found in his dresser, "Here, change." I go to leave but he pouts. "What?"

"I feel sick, help me."

I roll my eyes, "If you weren't so intoxicated I wouldn't be doing this." I snatch the clothes from him and proceed to unbutton his green flannel. I take it off and fold it; then I carefully remove his white undershirt. I try to ignore his bare chest but it's difficult, especially because I had no idea that he actually had abs. Thankfully, he's too out of it to notice my staring. I pick up the gray t-shirt, "Arms up," I say, and I easily slip it on. "You can do your bottom half."

"Help," he mutters again as he stares off into the abyss. I can see his face growing pale as if he's going to get sick again. I swiftly unbutton his jeans and slide them off, keeping my eyes fixated on a small bar of soap sitting on the sink. I pull his shorts on and lead him back to the toilet, where he gets sick again. I help him brush his teeth and lead him up the stairs and into his bedroom. I guide him into bed and tuck him in. His room is cute in a sort of strange way. The walls are white, but every square inch is covered with newspaper articles, pictures and posters. His dresser is perfectly cleaned off, except for one single picture frame with a photograph of him and me.

I'm heading out the door when Rory calls for me.

"What is it?"

"Please don't leave me."

I pull a chair up to his bedside, "You really want me to sit here all night?"

"If you get uncomfortable you can climb in bed with me."

I assume the alcohol is talking, so I don't take his comment seriously. I run my hand down his cheek, "That's very sweet of you."

"I mean it."

"I know you do."

"Then will you do me the honor of accompanying me?" He holds his arms out and grins.

I'm unsure of what to do. Would I be leading him on? Bubba specifically told me not to do that. I figure that Rory is too out of it to even realize what he's saying, so I decide to give him what he wants. I jog over to the guest room and throw on a tank top and shorts. I neatly hang up my dress and head back to Rory's room, shutting the door behind me. I climb into bed next to him and face the same way he does.

"Don't you dare puke on me," I say.

He wraps his arms around me, pulling me as close to his body as possible, "No promises."

The sunlight creeps through the blinds, waking me. I roll over, noticing Rory is gone. I sit up and rub my eyes, where could he have gone? I swing my feet over the edge of his bed and push myself up. Before I have the chance to look for Rory, he comes in, carrying a bowl of cereal. "Good morning," he says cheerfully, taking a seat next to me. "Breakfast?" he asks, handing me the bowl.

"Thanks," I say. "How long have you been up?"

"I'd say, about an hour or so."

"What time is it?" I ask as I scoop up a spoonful of Coco Puffs.

He glances over my shoulder at his alarm clock, "Ten o' five."

"Do you remember anything from last night?"

He blushes, letting out a small chuckle, "Not really. I was very confused when I woke up this morning."

"I figured you would be. You puked four times," I tell him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I do remember that."

"You made me undress you then redress you."

His face goes completely red, "You what?"

I reach into my bowl of cereal and throw a Coco Puff at him, "Don't worry, I didn't see anything."

His facial expression eases, "I'm thankful for that."

I choose to change the subject because now I'm thinking of Rory half naked. "So, what do you have planned for today?"

"Today, I'm taking you to the beach," he smiles.

I hand him the bowl, jumping up from the bed, "Really?"

"Yes! There's a beach down the road and it's fantastic. Seamus is coming with us as well."

My excitement fades, but I try not to show it, "Oh, that's wonderful."

"Both of us are ready, so we'll leave as soon as you're ready too." I can hear Seamus yelling Rory's name from downstairs. Rory excuses himself, leaving me alone in his room.

I head over to my room and pull out my favorite bikini – magenta colored with white polka dots. I take off my pajamas, which heavily smell like Rory, and slip on the bathing suit. I throw on a pink sundress and grab my heart-shaped sunglasses. I grab my white flip flops and a beach towel from the bottom of my suitcase and rush downstairs as Rory yells for me.

"I'm ready; I'm ready, calm down."

I follow Rory and Seamus out the door, closing it gently. I catch up and try to walk next to Rory, but Seamus pushes me away. I walk slowly behind them, kicking rocks along the way. We get to the beach in less than five minutes and I'm more than happy to know that it is so close. It's fairly empty, mainly because it's so early in the morning. I head to an open spot and set my towel down. The sea air is salty and fresh: the wave's crash against the shore. I can feel myself falling asleep when I'm snatched up from my towel.

"Rory put me down!" I scream, wiggling insanely in his arms. He holds me so tight that I cannot escape, and before I know it I'm rubbing the salt water from my eyes. He and Seamus laugh as I struggle to stand up. I'm completely soaked from head to toe and anger flows through my body. "You couldn't give me five minutes, could you Rory?" I yell, "Five minutes to just relax and forget about all the shit I've gone through in the past twenty-four hours!"

I stomp up to Rory, my cheeks bright red. He looks confused, "It was just a bit of fun. There's no need to yell."

"No need to yell? Oh no, I need to yell," I say. I point to Seamus and look Rory straight in the eye, "This little punk put you up to it, didn't he?"

Rory's face grows cold and his voice turns stern, "Excuse me?"

"This little brat ruined my suitcase. He called me fat. He doesn't want me here."

"No Rory, she's lying!" Seamus screeches, tugging at his brother's swim trunks. Rory pats his head, reassuring him that it's okay.

"Sugar, I understand that you're angry, and I'm sorry that I threw you into the water, but there's no need to blame Seamus."

I'm not sure why I'm so furious, but the feeling doesn't go away. Rory will obviously believe his brother over me, Seamus is just so innocent. I groan and storm past Rory, shouldering him as I pass. I sit back down on my towel, fuming. I watch as Rory shrugs off the whole situation and persists on playing with his brother. Before long I get annoyed and leave the beach, with Rory never noticing that I even left.

I walk up the road and run into strangely placed, heavily wooded area. There's a rotted, wooden gate protecting the entrance; I easily open it and curiously explore. The wooded area opens into a large field, surrounded by mountains. More than twenty horses graze in the open valley; I step forward, fascinated by their beauty.

"Don't get to close now," Rory says from behind, scaring me. He walks up to me, smiling, "I've named all of them. This is where I go when I'm having a bad day," he sighs, taking a seat in the bright, green grass, "You must be having a bad day too."

I sit down next to him, pulling my knees to my chest. "No dip, Sherlock."

"Look Sugar, I'm really sorry about what I did."

"It's fine. Sorry I got so mad," I apologize. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay mad at Rory. It's too hard.

"I get it, really. What I don't get is why you blamed Seamus and said all those mean things."

"They're true, Rory. Your brother doesn't like me."

"No, he loves you. He told me."

"He's lying," I say flatly.

Rory exhales loudly, "Seamus wouldn't lie to me."

I give up, letting Rory believe that his brother is a perfect angel. "Yeah, I guess he wouldn't."

Silence surrounds us and stabs at me. We watch the horses in complete peace as the breeze slowly pushes the longer grass back and forth. "That one is Raelyn," Rory says, breaking the quiet. He points to a black-coated mare that is closet to us, "She's my favorite. I give her apples every now and then."

I smile, "She's beautiful, Rory."

"She understands me. I visited her before I left for America; I told her that I'd miss her more than anyone else. She seemed sad."

"Why don't you go say hello, let her know you're back?"

"I highly doubt she remembers me."

"Who could forget you?"

He blushes, "Alright, I'll do it." He forces himself up and starts towards Raelyn, who turns her head in concern. Her ears perk and her nostrils flare. The other horses trot away, but Raelyn stays, gazing at Rory as he approaches her. He holds out his hand, waiting for her approval. Her nose gingerly touches his fingertips and they share a brief moment before Raelyn shakes herself away and trots after her herd.

I join Rory, who is smiling from ear to ear. I shake his arm, "So, how did that feel?"

"It felt great. It's almost like I could hear her," he says.

"What did she say?"

"Her eyes, they told me she missed me."

I place a hand on Rory's back, "We should visit her every day."

Rory turns to me, grinning, "She was jealous."

I roll my eyes, "Now you're just being ridiculous."

"She thinks you're beautiful."

"Rory," I giggle, stepping back, "stop it."

Suddenly, Rory pulls me close and softly plants his lips on mine. He catches me off guard and I don't know how to react. He breaks the kiss, peering into my eyes. I push him away and stammer out random words. I touch my lips, confusion rushing through my veins. I force myself backwards and rush towards the entrance to the valley. Rory shouts my name but I don't stop.

This can't be happening, this cannot be happening.