Coasting

Chapter 4

Day 11

I woke up at 8:47 exactly and felt betrayed by my body. I was hoping I would sleep in so I didn't even have to deal with the minor guilt of consciously missing Fletcher's request. I tried to go back to sleep but failed miserably due to the small pounding in my temples By 8:52 I was downstairs chugging down some Advil and a large glass of water.

I set the glass of water down and took a few deep breaths when Monica walked in, deep bags underneath her dark eyes. She looked at me before her eyes landed on the Advil. She sluggishly walked over and took the bottle before popping two of them down her throat without any liquid to help. I physically cringed watching it.

"I'm glad you made it home safe," she said, running her fingers along her hairline.

Well, I'm not Rory, I thought.

"By the way," she said. "Some boy is standing on our porch staring through the sliding glass door." She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Might want to check that out."

And then she disappeared from the kitchen.

What the fuck?

I quickly left the kitchen into the living room and stared right in Fletcher's eyes as he stood directly on the other side of the glass door with that dopey smirk on his face. He was wearing nothing but his swim trunks, his hair a disheveled mess.

I crossed my arms over my chest since I was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and some pajama boxers and went over, sliding the door open.

"What the fuck are you doing here."

"Good morning to you too," he said, still smiling broadly. "Maybe I overestimated the whole Sleeping Beauty thing. You are the worst person to deal with in the morning."

"Fletcher," I said, my head pounding.

"I knew you weren't going to meet me at nine," he said, stepping up to the threshold so we were only inches apart. I took a hasty step back as he leaned against the doorframe. "So I decided to meet you instead."

"My phone number and now my address. You realize this is stalking right?"

"What are you going to do, sue me?" he said sarcastically, then a look of hesitance crossed his mind as he whispered, "Probably shouldn't have said that to a future lawyer."

"Ya think?"

"Well, until you file a restraining order, I'm going to stay right here until you go upstairs and change into your bathing suit and then come with me."

"Now you're kidnapping me?"

"No. I'm simply giving you a choice."

"Ah," I said, running a hand through my tangled hair. God, I probably looked like shit. "So my choices are, one, go and spend the day with your annoying self or, two, you creepily stand outside my aunt and uncle's house."

"And my annoying self will be extra annoying," he smiled mockingly sweet. "I'll bother your aunt and uncle too."

"Jesus, alright!" I said. "I'll go change and meet you on the beach. Now get off my porch I'm pretty sure you seriously freaked my aunt out."

"I'd say she was more pleasantly surprised. Most people are when they see me."

"You're delusional," I said, placing a hand on his chest so he was forced out of the doorway. As I shut the door, he shouted, "Nice shorts!"