Paisley was oblivious to what was happening. “What’s wrong with you, Paxton? I can stand on my own.” But as she tried to move forward, she began to sway once more before tripping over her own feet and stumbling. Braxton worried this would be the moment she’d fall, but she managed to catch herself and stand tall. A murmur of astonishment came from the others as they continued toward the exit.
Paxton followed behind his sister, and when they were safely outside and away from any additional patrons, he grabbed her arm. He obviously wasn’t going to let go of her earlier comment. “What’s wrong with me? I should be asking you that. You’ve had a stick up your ass all night, and you’re fucking drunk off your butt.”
Braxton knew the twins all too well; a heated argument was about to ensue in the middle of the parking lot. He didn’t want this conversation to escalate into a full-blown argument.
Braxton reached out, taking hold of Paisley by the waist and pulling her to his side. “I’ve got you, caterpillar.” It was a term of endearment he had used over the years with Paisley and never once had it seemed out of place. Not until tonight when she looked into his eyes and smiled.
Something was different. As she stared at him, her eyes locked with his, a longing in them, something he had never seen from her before. He stood there holding her, trying to make heads or tails out of what was happening, but then her body began to jerk and he knew the vomit would soon follow.
Without hesitation, Braxton reached out, swooping her into his arms, and rushed toward the bathrooms. With one swift move, he pushed the door to the lady's room open. He wasn’t concerned one bit if anyone was in there; his only concern was for his best friend.
With quick reflexes, he shoved through a stall door and placed Paisley on the floor in front of the toilet. With just seconds to spare, he pulled back her hair as she began to vomit into the bowl.
Alissa had followed and Paxton too. “Do you need me to do anything? Like, get a paper towel or something?”
Braxton knew Paisley well enough to understand that she wouldn’t want anyone to bear witness to her current state. He needed to get Alissa and Paxton away from her. On cue, Paisley started flailing her arm around, trying to signal for Alissa to leave as the next wave of puke made its way out her mouth.
“She’ll be fine, Alissa. Give us some space, please.”
Without even questioning Braxton, Alissa turned, leaving him to attend to his friend. After a few moments, when it appeared that the worst was over, Braxton helped Paisley to her feet. Slowly, the two of them made their way to the washbasin so she could rinse her mouth out. Braxton waited patiently as she rinsed her mouth not twice but three times before she righted herself and looked at him.
“You are going to be alright, sweet—” Braxton stopped, catching himself, remembering the look he’d gotten last time he used a term of endearment with her.
“I’m fine, Brax.” Paisley was fast to respond.
Even though she said the words, she looked anything but fine. Her black mascara was smudged under her eyes and her face had red splotches all over it. Braxton couldn’t help but feel bad for her. “Come on. I’ll get you home.”
Paisley wobbled to his side so that he could tuck her under his arm against him. It was going to be the quickest way to get her out of the restaurant and to his car. It was a good thing that she had taken a Lyft there. As he reached for the bathroom door, Paisley looked at him. She obviously had something on her mind.
“Brax,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I love you.”
Braxton froze, he hadn’t expected to hear those three words from her. He had two choices, make a big deal of them and potentially hurt their friendship or play them off as if they were no big deal and figure out how to handle the repercussions once Paisley was sober. Without hesitation, Braxton replied, “I know. Now let’s get you home.”
As Braxton pulled open the door, he was shocked to find Alissa standing in the hallway with a few girls behind her. Several stood with their legs crossed and irritation clear on their faces.
Sheepishly, Alissa looked back at him. “I thought you’d want privacy. Plus, it was safer than having you thrown out for being in the lady's room.”
Her simple thoughtful act only solidified his need to be with Alissa. Her beauty was more than superficial.
Braxton assured Paxton that he would get his twin home and into bed safely.
Paxton moved in closely, hugging his sister while whispering in her ear, “We’ll be discussing this tomorrow.” Leaving a peck on her cheek, he pulled away and stared at his sibling.
The Snack Shack was just outside of campus, so Braxton didn’t have far to go to get everyone home safely. First stop: Alissa’s place. As Braxton pulled up to the curb, he turned off the ignition and glanced into the back seat. Paisley was passed out, so he didn’t think it would matter if he walked Alissa to her door.
As he reached for the door handle, Alissa’s hand grasped his shoulder. The heat from her touch ignited something inside of him.
Alissa’s smile was earnest, her eyes full of compassion as she spoke. “You should get her home. I’m perfectly able to get myself to my door.” She started to turn in her seat but stopped.
“Let me walk you Alissa.” Braxton reached for the key in the ignition.
“I appreciate that you’d want to make sure I got there safely but it’s not necessary.”
