The Beating of Our Hearts

By the end of July I considered the guys practically family. They were at my apartments most evenings seeing as I was considered ‘the good cook’ of the group. I loved it, it made me feel wanted. We had a good routine down; they would bring the food they wanted to eat, I would cook it, they would clean up. It was perfect. One evening, when the boys were due to arrive, there came a knock promptly on my door. I smiled expectantly, knowing exactly who would be on the other side.

I opened the door and looked out, noticing something odd.
“We’re two men short.” I said dumbly.
“I know.” Jared laughed, letting himself in. At least he was carrying what look like bags of food.
“Shannon and Tomo decided they wanted Pizza Hut tonight.” He added.
“Oh. And you didn’t?” I questioned?
“Nah. Plus I knew you wouldn’t have any proper food in since we always bring it over. So I thought I could help you cook tonight. What do you say to some Mulligan Stew?” He proposed, pulling random foods out of the bags.

“I don’t know how to make Mulligan Stew.” I confessed.
“That’s fine. Mulligan Stew is made with anything you’ve got. And I got a whole bunch of good stuff.” He smiled, continuing to pull out various vegetables and sauces.
“Can we add ramen?” I asked hopefully.
“Most definitely!” Jared exclaimed.
We spent the next half hour chopping up all the food Jared had brought and adding it to the pot. It smelled quite good in the end. I gave it one last stir and pronounced it ready.
“Can you set the table while I serve up?” I asked Jared, pulling a ladle out of a drawer.
“Sure thing.” He smiled, moving to grab the place mats and cutlery to place it on the table.
The stew was gorgeous.
“So can you remember what we put in this? Cause I wanna make it again!” I said between mouthfuls.
“Nope, sorry. But it just means next time we make it, it will be another taste adventure!” Jared proclaimed, waving his bread roll in the air.

We finished off the whole pot of stew between us. Full and sated, I leaned back in my chair, patting my distended stomach.
“That was mighty fine eating.” I sighed.
“Excellent, in my opinion. My compliments to the chef.” Jared toasted.
“The chefs. We both made it.” I corrected.
“And now, for one last surprise.” Jared said, reaching down to the last food bag.
“No, Jared, no more food. Someone might think you’re trying to fatten me up to eat me!” I exclaimed.
He just laughed at my reaction.
“No silly. I though instead of dessert, we could have alcohol.” He said, and produced my favourite spirit.
“Southern Comfort! Dude, I actually love you!” I joked. I leapt out of my chair and over to the refrigerator.
“Lemonade, SoCo and TV. Let’s go!” I said, grabbing the bottles and making my way to the living room, Jared following close behind.

-2 Hours Later-
*Jared’s P.O.V.*
Riley was hammered, which was quite funny actually. She was doing well until I brought out the second bottle of SoCo.
“OK, OK, OK. Let’s play a drinking game!” Riley exclaimed, waving her empty glass in the air.
“OK, what is it?” I asked. I wasn’t anywhere near as drunk as her, but I was definitely feeling the vibe.
“It’s called ‘I Drink, You Drink’! The rules are that I take a drink, then you take a drink, then I take a drink again!” She slurred.
“Sounds easy enough. Let’s do it!” I opened up the half empty bottle of SoCo and refilled our glasses, topping it with lemonade.
I knew I shouldn’t be letting her drink anymore, but I was just drunk enough to think she’d be fine. One more glass wouldn’t hurt.
One more glass turned into the rest of the bottle. Now I was pretty drunk, but still able to talk properly and stand up. Riley however, was way gone. She couldn’t stand up; and even though she was talking quite clearly, her words were complete nonsense.
“I think...that I’m gunna call Tomo. And see how he is. I feel like I’ve not seen him all day.” She slurred, trying to look for her phone.
“Sweetie, its 1am, I don’t think Tomo is gunna answer his phone.” I reasoned, sitting next to her on the couch. I placed my arm around her to keep her steady. She leaned up against me and bored her big blue eyes straight into mine.

“But I miss him. I miss Shannon. I miss you too.” She whispered.
I had to swallow a lump in my throat before I could manage to answer her.
“Miss me? How can you miss me? I’m right here.”
“Cause even though you’re right here, you’re a million miles away.” She said sadly. Now she really wasn’t making any sense.
“That makes no sense.”I chuckled.
“It makes perfect sense!” She slurred, sitting up awkwardly. “It means that even though you’re right here and we’re so close, I can’t touch you the way I want to, I can’t say the things I want to.”
What was she saying? My inebriated brain was working much slower than usual, even if my heart was working ten times its normal pace.
“You’re heart is drumming like a hummingbird.” She murmured, laying her head against my chest.
I couldn’t think of anything to say, how do you react to something like what she just confessed. It was probably just the drink talking. Yeah, she was drunk, she couldn’t actually mean it. We lay on the couch for a few immeasurable moments and everything seemed perfect. Her head resting on my chest, my fingers sliding through her silky, dark hair. I half expected Riley to have fallen asleep.
Without warning, Riley suddenly pulled herself up, away from my body and twisted herself so she was sat upright and looking straight at me.
“What’s up?” I asked drearily, the alcohol was starting to make me a little sleepy.
“You look tired.” She commented softly, suddenly sounding much more sober; although I highly doubt that was the case. She reached out and cupped my face, her thumb running over my slight stubble.
“I guess I am a little.” I agreed, letting my eyes droop. “But I’m in no state to drive. Can I crash on your couch?” I asked.
“The couch is way too lumpy to sleep on. You can share my bed.” She told me, grabbing my hand and trying to pull me up from the couch, which only resulted with her losing her balance and falling on top of me. I placed my hands on her hips to steady her.
“Still drunk?” I smiled, trying not to let her position on top of me affect me.

“A little.” She giggled, rolling off me and attempting to pull me up again. This time I helped her out and actually stood up. She kept hold of my hand while, stumbling, guiding me to her room. Since she was already in her pyjamas she simply crawled under the covers, patting the covers next to her as an invitation to join her. I pulled off my shirt, left on my sweatpants and crawled in next to her.
As soon as I was lying down, she snuggled up to me and placed her arm around my waist.

“Nanight Jaybird.” She mumbled, already half asleep.
“Sweet dreams Riles.” I whispered, kissing the top of her head.
I lay there for a few minutes, savouring the moment. The sound of her soft breathing, how it floated across my chest when she exhaled; her warmth pressed against me with her head resting on my chest. I closed my eyes contentedly and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.