To Do List (gretson)

(Drunk) sleeping beauty

...

"Hello, Carson. What time do you want me to kiss you?".

Carson almost choked to death on her beer.

Greta tried to help her out by rubbing her back, which only made Carson choke and gasp for air even more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was kidding! It was just a joke, the-the thing I said earlier if somebody asked a song from another era-", Greta quickly tried to explain it.

"It's ok, it's ok, I choke on liquids all the time", Carson said and regretted saying it right after it was out, what the hell was that supposed to mean? She blushed and coughed again.

"Jesus, I almost killed you".

"It's fine, really", Carson smiled and Greta was silenced by that smile, she just stared at Carson's face for a minute.

"So... you're new to town or something?", Greta found out how to use her words soon after.

"Just passing by, needed a place to stay the night, I'm heading to New York, had to get away from home for a while", Carson blushed when she realized she was oversharing (as usual), "sorry, I talk too much".

"Oh, I totally understand the feeling", Greta smiled and Carson stopped breathing for a second. "So you going to Taylor's concert in New York?"

"I am, yes", she answered.

"Maybe we'll see each other again then", she beamed and Carson bit her lower lip, "ok, I have to get back on stage and sing a little more for these people... and for you", she winked.

Carson swallowed hard the last sip of beer and let go of the empty bottle, putting it on the counter, to stop twisting it in her hands. Greta was queer, definitely. And Carson had never kissed a woman before, at least not in her adult age - she loosely remembered a girl from kindergarten... she had never really felt like that about a woman that wasn't a celebrity, never about a woman in her real life, and the swoop Greta had caused in her lower abdomen with that wink was something new to Carson. She'd never felt something like that, not even with Charlie when they first started dating.

Greta was now back on stage with her wingman, Joey, singing something from Lady Antebellum, a beautiful song Carson had already heard but didn't really remember the lyrics to. After that, there was more Taylor Swift and Carson sang along one more time. One more beer, then Gone West came and Carson was already super dizzy. Her mind was drifting, her eyelids were heavy, so she lay her head on the counter and let go of everything. She let go of her troubled-mind issues and all her doubts and fears.

Carson had been replaying her life, her reasons to escape, all the things she wanted and needed to change, she'd been replaying them between the notes and lyrics from each song and while she sang along with them that night. She'd been holding onto all that to stay awake, but she was too tired and too drunk to keep fighting sleep. And Greta's voice was so beautiful... so beautiful that it shut the voices in her head, calming her racing thoughts, and it lulled her into a deep slumber.

...

"You don't know her", Joey spoke up, trying to keep Greta from approaching Carson.

"I told you I've met her, she's a Taylor Swift fan, she's heading to New York, she's here to stay the night, she's alone and she said to me she had to leave home, and I can relate to that, so yes, I'm going to help her, Joey", Greta freed herself, "she's drunk and asleep in a fucking bar counter, Jo, I'm not leaving her like that".

"I'm sorry", Joey felt bad about telling Greta to leave Carson there, that was no gentleman's behavior, "let me help".

"Not now. Let me try and wake her up and talk to her first".

"Hey", Greta said in a hushed voice, stroking Carson's arm up and down, "Carson... wake up, the bar is closing, we need to get you to someplace you can sleep in... Carson...".

Carson slowly opened her eyes, everything before her was a blur, but Greta's voice sounded soft and clear in her ears.

"W-what?" Carson tried to ask, "I need- need to go, f-find a motel, my- my car- parked- out front".

"You're definitely not taking your car", Joey was the one to tell this, they sounded annoyed by the mere thought of having that drunk woman driving a car.

"She's drunk, she doesn't know what she's saying", Greta gave her friend a pointed look. "C'mon, Carson, come with me", Carson tried to stand on her own and almost fell, so Greta held her up and Carson widened her eyes at her when she felt her body so close, "it's Greta, ok? We met earlier, you're safe".

Greta looked at Joey, now ready to let them help, and together they took Carson outside and into their motorhome.

Inside, there was a very small kitchen and a very small bathroom, and double sofas they used as beds. There was no TV, but there was a radio. It was all very clean, but messy at the same time. Over the table, the cigarette butts lay on a small pot, and the covers were twisted on the sofas, and there were old CDs scattered all around the place in every little spot, but apart from that, the place was clean.

Greta laid Carson on her bed, took off her Converse, and tucked her below her lesbian-flag-colored duvet. Carson fell back asleep as soon as her head reached Greta's pillow. Greta heard her purr against it and smiled watching how comfortable Carson looked laying on her bed.

"You can have my bed, I'll sleep inside", Jo pointed to the bar, "mom will like it", they added, "make sure she has a bucket she can puke in when she wakes up... and lock the door".

"Thank you, Joey", Greta took their friend's hand and kissed it, "I'll see you in the morning".

Greta locked the door after Joey left. She set a bucket by the sofa and then sat on the floor facing the sleeping Carson on her bed. She looked beautiful and peaceful and Greta felt weird about noticing that on a person she'd barely even met, how could she possibly know how Carson looked when she was peaceful?

Carson's words I had to get away from home kept Greta awake for a while. She seemed so troubled before, but so peaceful now. Greta closed her eyes and let her head fall back on the sofa behind her, Carson's smile from earlier appeared inside her eyelids, and Greta shook her head, "I've smoked too much pot, that's it, that's why".

...