Alicia POV
I cracked my eyes open as the blessed state of unconscious slumber began to fade. I immediately wished I hadn't when a sharp glint of light sent a searing ache through my skull. I quickly screwed my eyes shut again.
The blossoming pain in my head was one of the few things that I was aware of, drawing in deep breaths in a futile attempt to ease the sensation. My entire body felt numb and I didn't even bother trying to lift my heavy limbs, unable to even feel my legs.
I frowned as the hazy thought drifted into existence, unable to dwell on it for long when a harsh series of crashes exploded into life. Three consecutive booming assaults on my head erupted and I instinctively threw a hand up to my ear as if to block them out.
What the hell was that?
I risked a brief glance at my surroundings, peering through bleary eyes to observe the worn, faded material pressed against my face.
Where the hell was I?
The caravan door swung open with a heaving groan and I didn't even bother to lift my head when a chirpy voice drifted over me.
"Rise and shine," Octavia sang, brandishing the metal utensil that she had so kindly been smashing against the rusting vehicle. "Sleep well?"
I didn't have the energy to respond, only just about managing to lift my head and stare daggers at the rude girl. My irritation morphed into a frown when I glimpsed the prone figure draped over my legs, blonde hair cascading over a hidden face as her own feet hung loosely over the edge of the couch.
"I've seen more life in the undead roaming the streets," Octavia noted, grinning with unconcealed amusement at the pitiful scene.
There were no words to express my displeasure and I dropped my head back onto the worn material which served to muffle the groan escaping my lips. I felt horrible.
"O, If you don't leave in the next ten seconds," a faint voice sounded from beneath the layers of wild blonde hair, " I'm gonna crawl over there and stab you with your own sword."
Far from being offended by the remark, Octavia quirked an eyebrow as her smile widened.
"That's more like it," she said, retreating down the two steps even as her voice floated back to us. "You'd best be out here in the next ten minutes. There are louder things in this camp than a metal spoon!"
I silently cursed the girl, knowing that she would keep her word and return with something much worse if we didn't comply. Not that I held much hope for the possibility. It would take me at least ten minutes to think straight again let alone regain the use of my legs.
That reminded me of the sprawled blonde and I glanced down to see her fixed in place, head resting on my hip as she hid from the world. No wonder my legs felt non-existent with Elyza collapsed over them.
With what little energy remained, I rolled my body to the side and bucked my hips, eliciting a groan from the semi-conscious girl as she was dropped to the ground with a muted thud, a sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan escaping her lips.
I winced as sensation began to flow back into my legs, my neck aching from the uncomfortable position. My memory of the previous night was conveniently blurred, snapshots of laughter and drunken antics playing in my mind.
Octavia's warning drifted back to me and I reluctantly peeled myself away from the couch, spinning onto my back until I was propped up against the couch arm, providing me with a view of Elyza's still form.
An unexpected bout of laughter rumbled from my lips as she lifted her head with a pained frown, blonde hair thrown wildly in multiple directions from her descent to the floor. The sound didn't help with my aching head and it quickly dissolved into a heavy sigh whilst I lifted one hand to massage the pain away from my forehead.
"I'm not gonna make it out of here before Octavia comes back," I muttered reproachfully, not bothering to raise my voice as we both suffered from the aftereffects of an alcohol fuelled night.
At first, I didn't think Elyza had heard me, her head hanging as she drew in a deep breath.
"Don't worry about it," she finally replied, her voice hoarse and deep as she rolled her head back against stiff shoulders. "I've got this."
I peered sceptically through half open eyes as she slowly dragged herself upright, leaning heavily on the counter for a long moment before she stumbled through the exit and out into the growing light. The door swinging open cast a burning glow of daylight into the caravan and I covered my eyes with a heavy hand to eliminate the offensive glow.
I had more regrets than I could comprehend but I was certain of one thing - I was never drinking again.
My fragile state was no better by the time Elyza returned, lacking the energy to even open my eyes when the door creaked to announce her presence. Any other time, I might've jumped when her hands gripped my legs without warning but even that couldn't spark a reaction from my tired body.
Elyza tipped my legs up and slid beneath them with a huff, dropping them down into her lap before she balanced a rucksack on my shins. I squinted at her tiredly when she began to rifle through its contents.
"What are you doing?"
She didn't respond immediately, pushing past the odd can of food and spare top to discover what lay carefully stored underneath. She muttered a brief congratulations to herself and withdrew the ray-bans with pride, sliding them onto her face with a relieved sigh.
"Seriously?" I scoffed, a hint of disappointment in my tone. Painkillers would've incited a far more positive reaction. Elyza turned her face to me and wagged her finger in disapproval.
"Trust me," she retorted, resuming her search through the bag with renewed vigour before withdrawing a second pair. "You'll thank me later."
She twisted towards me and lent awkwardly over my outstretched legs as I continued to stare at her with a slight pout, my dreams of painkillers squashed in the place of designer eyewear. She slipped the black arms gently over my ears, wiggling them minutely until the sunglasses fell into place.
"There you go," she quipped with a surprising amount of energy, leaning back to admire her handiwork. "Ready to face the world."
I wasn't so sure about that, but I had to admit that even in the dim confines of the caravan the sunglasses were successfully reducing the burning ache in my skull. There was no time to make a wise comment when Octavia's voice drifted through the cracked window.
"Don't make me come back in there!"
My pout returned as I felt my hopes of hiding in the caravan for the rest of the day rapidly dissolving.
"After you," I muttered to the blonde girl, swinging my legs down with a sigh. It didn't look as if we had much choice in the matter.
Elyza POV
I blatantly ignored Octavia's bubbling laughter as Alicia and I traipsed out of the caravan, not leaving a shred of doubt in anyone's mind about our fragile state as we sported a set of matching sunglasses. It was more depressing to realise that it was barely morning, only a few brave souls scurrying around the site to obtain provisions for their hangover.
We stepped over abandoned bottles, kicked aside empty cups, and finally slumped down into two of the remaining camp chairs, the short walk from the caravan tiring us sufficiently to ensure that it was a welcomed break.
Alicia grimaced when her arm fell onto the sticky remnants of alcohol soaking the material of her chair and reluctantly heaved herself up again to find a cleaner alternative.
"Why are you dragging us out here at this ungodly hour anyway?" I inquired, my spine curving dramatically as I sunk into the chair and observed Octavia through darkened lenses. "Any particular reason, or do you just like torturing us?"
Octavia was leaning against the caravan that we had just emerged from, arms crossed over her chest as she took an obscene amount of joy from our suffering. Everyone else was enjoying a peaceful rest, as we should have been.
"Call it my sweet revenge." The dark-haired girl lifted an eyebrow when she received only blank stares in response. "Oh, come on, you don't remember?"
Her expression brightened further at the revelation when Alicia slowly shook her head, nervous anticipation clear on her face as she suspected the worst.
"The suspense is killing me," I drawled, kicking out one leg as I waited for the over dramatic story that the girl was clearly eager to tell us. My ankle was burning with renewed vengeance, not spared from the adventures of the previous night.
"Let's just say that you interrupted my beauty sleep and almost gave me a black eye for the trouble of dragging your ass to bed," she summarised briefly, shaking her head in the same manner as a disapproving teacher.
I shrugged as best as I could in my unnatural position.
"That's what you get for trying to part me from alcohol."
That much I did remember. Octavia's attempts to remove the whisky bottle from my grip. A foolish attempt to say the least.
"The bottle was empty," she added in a flat tone. "Which you then predictably dropped and, long story short, I was the idiot who had to bandage your arm when you fell on the broken glass."
I frowned and shuffled into a sitting position to slide off my jacket, looking down at the neat bandages wrapped around my upper arm.
"Hmm, not bad."
I settled back into the chair and fought back a smile when I saw Alicia virtually shrinking back into herself, dismayed by the display of irresponsible behaviour.
"After waking up everyone within a 300-mile radius," Octavia continued, addressing both of us as she pushed away from the old caravan. "We decided that you two can clean up the mess whilst we get some well-deserved rest."
She did a twirl away from us and threw up a brief hand as she made for her own accommodation. "Have fun."
I just stared after her, wondering if she was serious and voiced the question to Alicia who just looked at me witheringly.
"Oh, she's serious," she uttered, burying her head in her hands. "What were we thinking?"
"It's called having fun, she should try it some time."
With a heavy sigh, I gripped the chair arms and hauled myself upright, wincing when an unexpectedly sharp pain shot through my injured ankle. The string of curses had barely left my lips before Alicia was standing in front of me, her concern unmistakable even with the dark shades masking her eyes. I didn't think it were possible for someone to move so quickly when they were that hungover.
"Take it easy," she urged as I gripped onto her offered arm, hurriedly lifting the injured limb away from the ground to relieve my pain.
"This crap isn't going to tidy itself up," I muttered, casting my gaze over the scattered litter that had been discarded without thought. None of this mess was ours, but I had to begrudgingly agree that we needed the good karma after disturbing the entire site with our drunken venture.
Alicia pursed her lips and her eyes fell to the roll of bin bags that had been pointedly left near the central campfire.
"I've got this," she insisted, abruptly removing her supporting grasp on my arm to plant a firm shove against my shoulder. The breath whooshed from my lungs as I fell back into the chair, my head spinning at the sudden movement, with no time to recover when the roll of binbags collided into my chest moments later.
I huffed sharply and glanced down to where they had fallen into my lap.
"You know how to hold a bag right?" she called out from where she had thrown the bags with impressive accuracy. I arched an eyebrow at the unexpected display of life from the previously lethargic girl.
"I think I can manage that."
We resided in a comfortable silence, nothing but a headache waiting for us if we opted for unnecessary conversation. It gave me a half decent chance to gather my memories of last night, a few iconic moments standing out as I reviewed the night's events. My eyes followed Alicia as she moved around the unlit fire, thankful for the sunglasses that masked my lingering gaze.
It took only about half an hour to remove the worst of the discarded litter, cups and cans flying into the bag as Alicia strategically worked her way around the camp fire until she found the ground lay empty and clear before her. Eventually, the only task left was to gather the camp chairs together, some of which were strewn crumpled on the ground, knocked over by the coming and going of several people throughout the night.
Alicia had been gradually slowing as the last ten minutes dragged by, her face pale and drawn even when she stopped briefly to take a swig of water, wincing when her stomach resisted the effort to rehydrate.
"Hey, you need to get some rest," I eventually insisted, abandoning the half-full bag beside my chair to stand tenderly. "I can finish off here."
Rather than protest, Alicia nodded slowly and gave up on her task, resting one hand on her hip as she took a deep breath and exhaled a long sigh through clenched lips, her body protesting the unwanted exertion.
"We drank way too much," she finally admitted, looking at me with such regret through the dark lenses that I had to suppress an amused smile. I couldn't help but admire how damn cute she looked, even hungover as hell, sporting the hot mess appearance almost as well as I did.
With a shake of her head she ran fingers through the dishevelled waves of brunette hair and began her retreat to the motorhome where she could finally collapse into a much-needed slumber.
"Alicia?"
She paused and twisted her torso back to face me, one arm hugging the jacket closer to her body.
"Yeah?"
"I had fun last night."
Alicia huffed a brief laugh. For all the subsequent aches and tiredness, it had been a good night.
"Yeah," she said, smiling back tentatively. "Me too."
There was a brief pause as our eyes locked and I wondered what she was thinking in that moment.
She hesitated distinctly, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something but found herself lost for words. I knew the feeling.
"I'll have a drink ready for you later, to say thanks for putting up with me," I finally said in a mocking tone, breaking the sudden silence and biting my lip to hold back a laugh when her expression dropped at the mention of more alcohol. She shook her head and resumed her journey back to the motorhome.
"I need a medal for putting up with you, not another drink," she called over her shoulder and this time I did laugh, watching her disappear through the gathered vehicles in search of her own accommodation.
My laughter soon died but the smile remained fixed on my face, an odd sight for anyone who might walk by and assume that I was enjoying the task of cleaning up everyone else's crap. No, this smile was for one person, and one person alone.
Alicia POV
My head hurt. Everything hurt. It was no surprise considering how I had hauled Elyza back to main camp last night when she could walk no further, her ankle finally showing the strain after the alcohol induced pain relief had started to fade.
Apart from that, and the subsequent interaction with Octavia, it had been an interesting night. For once I had been happy, laughing freely and enjoying every moment with my worries nothing more than a distant thought as I forged new, unforgettable memories.
I lay sprawled on the double bed that graced the back of my motorhome, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling as fractured images pieced themselves together in my mind, replaying moments as if on a screen, reliving each smile and touch as if for the first time.
I screwed my eyes shut and sighed. What the hell was I supposed to do now?
For one, I was far too hungover to have such a difficult conversation without painkillers. The tiredness that had been slowly creeping over me now weighed heavily over me like a weighted blanket, tugging me lucratively towards unconsciousness even as my mind worked overtime.
Before I even knew what was happening, I was drifting away from reality, my body relaxing into the comfortable sheets beneath me as the tension in my body unravelled, luring my unconscious mind into the depths of the unknown.
It felt like only moments had passed when my eyes flew open again, but I was noticeably well rested and the fog clouding my mind was all but gone, leaving nothing but a stunning clarity in its wake.
Was I remembering clearly or was my mind deceiving me?
No, how could I ever forget?
The haze of sleep swept away as I hurtled up from the bed and down the corridor, almost tripping out of the motorhome as my thoughts centred on one singular person. I had hidden from my emotions for far too long already; I would not do the same again now. There was no time for doubts, I had to trust my heart.
The sky outside was bright with the midday sun and I had to squint momentarily against the harsh glare, this time not because of a hangover. It didn't stop me from hurrying past the abandoned caravans with purposeful steps, readjusting my jacket self consciously as I regretted not paying closer attention to my appearance before leaving.
I could not bring myself to care about it in that moment, the fleeting concern overshadowed by the urgent mission that I had embarked on.
Elyza POV
Sleep was far from my mind as the morning passed by unnoticed, the cool air turning noticeably warmer as sunlight streamed down onto the quiet campsite. People soon began to stream out into the communal area, languishing in the welcome heat. I had never been more relieved to have a trusty pair of sunglasses saving me from the glare.
I had taken to lounging in my favoured camp chair once more as I rested my ankle after the task of clearing the sitting area, watching with narrowed eyes as oblivious newcomers dragged the chairs into small groups, barely even noticing the absence of cups and bottles.
A sharp whistle cut through the air and I adjusted my gaze to watch Octavia strolling past the unused campfire, completing a full spin as she observed the transformation.
"Damn girl, you can be of some use after all," she said begrudgingly, placing hands on hips as she stood before me. "It's done you some good, I honestly thought you'd died this morning."
Octavia lurched to the side with graceful ease to avoid my half-hearted kick, waltzing towards her own chair with a smirk. I hadn't been that bad. Octavia had seen worse, they all had.
"How's Alicia?" she continued, dropping down into her chair and crossing one leg over the other as she watched me closely. I knew what she was searching for, but I wasn't going to give it to her.
"Hungover as hell," I said, receiving a exasperated eyeroll in response.
"No shit."
Octavia dug around in her pocket to retrieve a small bottle and tossed it over to me. "Here, that might help."
I caught the pill bottle with practised ease, twisting it around in my grip to glimpse the painkillers contained within. Alicia would appreciate them, that was for sure. I shoved them into my own jacket pocket and looked up to see Octavia still staring at me, eyebrows raised in amazement.
"Well? Go and talk to her then!" she exclaimed, exasperated that it hadn't yet occurred to me.
In fact, it had occurred to me, I just wasn't quite sure what to say yet.
I rolled my eyes, pulling myself out of the chair as Octavia mumbled under her breath, words that I barely caught over the steadily growing activity around us as the camp came to life.
"Hell, what would you two do without me?"
A smirk grew on my lips as I ignored the comment and left the gathering of people behind, one hand locked around the pills in my pocket as I walked tentatively in the direction of Alicia's motorhome.
I wasn't walking for long when, to my surprise, I glimpsed her weaving past caravans towards me. She was speeding along with intent strides, kicking up dust when she came to a sudden stop upon glimpsing me, confusion creasing my brow at her expression.
It was difficult to pinpoint the exact emotion, but something was consuming her thoughts, that was clear to see. My initial confusion twisted into concern and I resumed my forwards momentum to close the distance between us.
"Hey, you look better," I began as she did the same, meeting me halfway in front of an unused caravan, the red cross over the door marking its status.
Alicia seemed lost for words, only nodding hesitantly in response as if unsure of what to say.
The painkillers stuffed into my pocket were all but forgotten as I became lost in her eyes, a gaze that was no longer obscured by dark sunglasses. Forest green eyes transported me back to our encounter the previous night, how they had hovered only inches away from me, filled with desire and passion as I had pulled her close.
The memories flashed through my mind unbidden, replaying the sensation of my lips on hers, how we had melted together in a moment of pure desire. It felt as if it had been another lifetime, yet the images continued to assault my consciousness.
For the second time that day I wondered what Alicia was thinking, unable to decipher the thoughts from her expression alone, too overwhelmed by my own thoughts to even consider what might be unfolding behind those beautiful irises.
"I uh, wanted to say that…about last night, we should talk… "
I was rarely lost for words, but this was a situation like no other and I lapsed into uncertain silence, wishing that I had the ability to read her mind, to uncover what was going on in her head. Then I would know what to say, what needed to be said.
"Oh, shut up," the brunette burst, stepping forwards with enough confidence for us both to grip my jacket and pull me close. "We don't need to talk at all."
My initial surprise was soon forgotten when she kissed me with unrestrained passion, releasing everything that should have been said, that we had yet to communicate, in one, single motion. It was breath taking.
Last night had been sweet and beautiful, a kiss tinged with hesitation as we explored new territory.
This kiss was quite the opposite, fuelled by a need and desire to be closer. Always closer. One hand drifted to cup Alicia's cheek as the other strayed to her back, tugging her into me as I rotated us carefully, sweeping her up against the abandoned caravan as the kiss deepened.
Her breath hitched when she bumped against the caravan behind her, our lips parting momentarily as we shared an intense stare with such desire that it sent my heart thrumming in my chest with renewed vigour.
The world was lost to us as our lips collided again, desperately seeking the contact that we craved, that had been neglected for so long. Without alcohol clouding our minds, nothing but certainty resonated within me, a sense of belonging and peace that we were finally giving into what had been brushed aside, unsaid for so long.
I could have kissed her for the rest of eternity, but I somehow managed to resist the urge, resting my forehead against hers as the thrill of her very presence surged through me. Our breaths mingled in the space between us and I couldn't bring myself to retreat any further.
"I think that about summed it up," I murmured, bracing one arm against the caravan as I gazed into the mesmerising eyes that seemed to pierce my very being. Alicia's lip quivered as she drew in a steadying breath.
"Someone might see us," she said suddenly, her eyes widening slightly as she realised the very public display that we were putting on for any passer's by. The spontaneous action hadn't been expected but I certainly had no complaints.
"So what?"
Her eyes had dropped automatically to my lips and I surged forwards to kiss her once more before she could voice another argument, her lips complying eagerly despite her concerns. Let the whole world see for all I cared. What was sparking between us was more important than what anyone else might think and nothing would change that.
Thank you for reading this chapter!
I know it's taken a while, but we're finally here! Bring on the romance!
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