The next morning, the first thing I register is the dull pounding in my head, a sign that I had indeed consumed too much tequila the night before. The second thing are the soft sheets surrounding me and the smell of fresh laundry detergent mixed with expensive cologne. I open my eyes slowly, blinking at the dim room around me.

From the direction I am laying in I can see tall windows, a dresser, and the edge of another door, leading to the en suite. My memory of last night after a round of beer pong and two of rage cage is fuzzy at best but it occurs to me then I do not remember how I ended up here.

Shuffling around in the covers I also quickly realize that not only am I wearing a large t-shirt but my jeans, body suit and bra are scattered on the floor across from the bed I am currently laying in.

Panic shoots through me when I start to recognize the posters and jersey hung on the walls I can see, and I sit up in bed quickly.

"Morning sleepyhead."

I gasp, glancing over to Ryder, who is sitting in his desk chair, dressed in grey sweats and a matching crewneck. He's scrolling over something on his computer, wearing a pair of glasses that I'd never seen him in before.

"Wait," I start, putting the pieces together and starting to feel extremely sick. "Wait, we didn't . . . you know, did we?"

"What do you mean?" He raises an eyebrow at me, looking over from whatever he's working on again. There's a smirk playing on his lips that I want to slap right off his face.

"You know what I mean," I hiss, pulling the covers up around my body. "Why the hell am I in your bed?!"

"That's awfully ungrateful of you." He comments, pursing his lips and looking away from me.

"Ryder quit playing around," I snap. "Please tell me we didn't have sex."

He laughs loudly. "No, we didn't have sex Jourdan."

I breathe a sigh of relief, the nausea that had been building just moments before fading slowly and I relax.

"If you must know, Andee threw up on one of the futons so there was only one left and Bex claimed it," He explains. "So Andee went with Tristan and Justin told me to look after you."

"Justin trusted you with me?" I question skeptically and Ryder rolls his eyes.

"Yes, it might surprise you to know that not everyone in our friend group thinks I'm a complete asshole." He says, very matter of fact.

"Where did you sleep then?" I ask and he scoffs gently, gesturing to the floor and I glance over the other side of the bed to see a pillow and several blankets stretched out.

"Oh," I nod slowly. "Well, thank you for letting me sleep here."

"No problem." He grins at me. I reach over to the nightstand closest to me, grabbing my phone, which had been plugged in and check the time. It's nearly noon by now.

"What time did we all go to bed?"

"Uh, probably like 3 or 4." Ryder shrugs and I sigh, falling back into the plush pillows behind me.

"Damn, my head fucking hurts." I groan and he laughs again.

"You did drink a lot of tequila," He comments. "But luckily I thought of that."

I sit up again, raising an eyebrow and he gestures back to the nightstand. There I see the glass of water and an aspirin that I hadn't thought was for me. I turn back to him, smiling slightly.

"Is that for me?" I make a face and he nods.

"Yes, like I said, I'm not an asshole all the time." He offers and I narrow my eyes.

"I don't think you're an asshole all the time," I say. "But you can't blame me for being surprised."

"I know, I know," He nods. "That's why I went out of my way to make sure you were good last night."

"Well, because Justin told you to." I correct and he huffs.

"Fuck you, fine, Justin asked me to because it was his birthday and he was hanging out with Brady," He drawls. "So, I gave up a night with Penelope for you."

"You're still hanging out with her?" I laugh and he rolls his eyes again.

"Well, she always finds me at parties, and I can't say no." He shrugs.

"Fair enough." I agree, reaching for the glass of water and aspirin now. The water helps my headache, though there is still a dull pounding while I wait for the medicine to kick in.

"Lars is making breakfast downstairs," Ryder starts, glancing at a notification that lights up the screen on his phone. "You're welcome to stay if you want."

"A genuine Gordon Ramsey." I joke and he laughs, grinning at me. "I'll come downstairs and say 'hey' but then I think I'm gonna head back to my apartment, my stomach can't really handle food right now."

"Makes sense." Ryder agrees, standing from his desk and then moving to the closed door across the room from me, he pauses turning. "I'll let you get dressed alone, unless you need help?"

"You're funny." I dismiss him easily and he shrugs.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." He laughs, shaking his head and then exits the room. I roll my eyes heavily, falling back into the pillows and stare up at the ceiling for a moment. Ryder is almost insufferable at times, but he does make me forget the new person I am almost all together when I'm around him. I'm so busy being irritated I barely have time to think about anything else.

Now, somehow with a heavier head than before, I lift myself out of bed and strip off his t-shirt, getting dressed slowly. On mornings like these, it's best to take it slow at first, if not all day.

In the hallway I can smell pancakes, and after swishing with water some and mouthwash in Ryder's bathroom I feel a bit more refreshed. My mind prods at me to brush my teeth for real when I get home though, the stale flavor of tequila haunting me even though I know it's gone.

"Ah, the lady has risen." Lars comments upon my appearance into their open kitchen. There are two large windows which look over the backyard, flooding the room with light and a kitchen table pushed beneath them. Ryder sits at the table, sipping a mug of coffee and nodding when he sees me.

"Good morning." I offer, smiling slightly at both of them and Lars steps forward, hot griddle in hand.

"Can I interest you in some pancakes?" He asks, a few strands of his soft, dirty blonde hair falling around his eyes as he looks down at me. 

"Thanks," I smile for real this time. "But I think I just need to go home and . . . I don't know, have some water and crackers."

"Oh," Lars lets out a bark of laughter. "Someone's hanging."

"Yes." I nod and Ryder chuckles from across the room.

"Still, you slept better than I did." Ryder adds and I raise an eyebrow at him, he's scrolling on his phone.

"Says who?" I retort and he smirks, turning fully in his chair to face me and putting the phone down.

"Says the guy who spent a night on the floor while you laid on my Tempur-Pedic mattress." He states matter of factly and for the hundredth time just this morning, I find myself rolling my eyes.

"You put me in your bed, I never told you to sleep on the floor, you did that all by yourself." I insist. "Plus, I was so gone by then I don't even really remember going to bed, so that's all on you."

"Oh yes, my generosity is all on me." He mocks and I purse my lips. Lars just laughs, head moving back and forth while Ryder and I bicker.

"I'm simply pointing out that it was your decision to sleep on the floor."

"Hmm, but it wasn't really," He corrects me. "I couldn't have slept in the bed with you, it's just not the gentlemanly thing to do."

"Oh, so the gender norms of our society forced your hand?" I giggle and now he's rolling his eyes.

"Would you rather of laid down on my dick?" He sneers, like he knew that would get to me, but I just shake my head and gasp, pretending to be shocked.

"I dunno, is it a Tempur-Pedic?" I question, holding back a smile and Lars busts out laughing.

"That was pretty good." Lars grins, holding up his hand and I high-five him.

"And on that note, I am off." I sigh, giggling again before waving.

"See ya later Mathews." Ryder calls as I turn my back, walking towards the front door with Lars, who gestured that he would see me out. He really does look like Gordon Ramsey, especially with his white apron and pancake griddle still in hand. The door swings wide as he opens it, turning to me while he leans against it.

"Drive safe, send one of us a message when you get there, okay?" He asks and I am tempted to refuse but then I remember these guys are my friends. Have been since freshmen year, and part of me flickers with contentment to think that I still had some good people around me.

"Sure." I nod and then, with a quick side hug, I'm out the door and down the front lawn to my car. Usually, Justin and I spend hangover days getting McDonald's for breakfast, smoking a joint and watching movies, but with Brady there, I'm sure Justin's morning plans are very different.

I don't really mind, since Miles died, I've enjoyed being alone. There's less pressure and I can just exist again. A night out quiets my mind and in the mornings these days, I'm usually still enjoying the silence. 

* * * 

Hello lovely readers, 

So, that's all for now! I will be updating again with two more chapters next week on Monday, June 6th and am planning to follow a Monday-update schedule for the duration of this story. Let me know your thoughts, I always love to see what people have to say about the story and characters. What do we think of the dynamic between Jourdan and Ryder? And the other characters? Otherwise, I hope you're all enjoying the day today and are looking forward to the week! 

See ya later! 

x,

- Rose