RING RING.
I sat bolt upright in bed, my phone waking me from my sleep. Grabbing my phone from the side of my bed, I pressed it to my ear. "Hello." I grumbled. "Do you realise what time it is?" I asked. I listened as Kyle spoke down the phone; you could tell he was drunk, but he was making sense. The mention of John's name sent my heart racing, and I started to worry that something had happened. I sighed to myself as Kyle explained what was going on. "Ok, I'll be there in fifteen."
Pulling up outside the club, I watched as Kyle and John stumbled across the road. Kyle's arm was draped around his shoulder, heaving him towards my car. He pulled open the door and in John fell. "Alright." I said to Kyle, nodding. "How are you getting home? Want a lift?" I didn't want to be alone with John in the car, in fear it'd be awkward. We hadn't spoken to each other once in the past month and a half, yet here I was - Sophie to the rescue once again.
"I'm gonna go find the rest of the boys." He said. "Thanks for coming to get him."
"Couldn't just leave him like this, could I?" I laughed. I should have, but I wouldn't dream of it.
"I'll see you later." Kyle smiled. "And Fee?"
"Yeah?"
"Be nice."
And with that, he walked away. I looked down at my best friend, who was now fast asleep in the seat next to me. I sighed to myself. Even after everything that had happened, he was still the one person I could rely on, and the one person who was always there to have his back. The past few months had been so hard on both of us, and now he was suffering the consequences. It was only a short ride back to my place, and there I was faced with the dilemma of how to get him out of the car and into my house. He was pretty much passed out in the seat, and there was no way on God's earth I'd be able to carry him into the house by myself. I nudged his arm, trying to wake him from his slumber.
"John, wake up." I said. He mumbled. "John, babe." His eyes slowly flickered open and once he realised it was me crouched down beside him, a smile crept onto his face. "You need to stand up, okay? I'm taking you inside so you can get some sleep. You've had far too much to drink."
"Why are you helping me?" He slurred. "I don't deserve you, Fee." He touched my cheek. "I'm so horrible."
"John, come on." He wouldn't move from the seat.
"I was so horrible to you." I could just about make out his words. "I'm sorry, Fee Fee."
"It's fine." I brushed it off. It wasn't fine; I was still upset, but it was time to move on. "Now look at me. You need to stand up so we can get inside. It's freezing and you're not wearing a jacket." I managed to pull him up from the car and he stumbled up the path towards my house. Unlocking the door, I let the two of us inside and he trudged his way up the stairs. Without any hesitation, he pushed open my bedroom door and collapsed down on my bed.
"I missed you." He mumbled.
"I missed you too." I sighed. I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes. Don't cry, Fee. Not now. "Now get changed."
He sat himself up on my bed and started to try to undress himself. When he struggled with his belt, he looked over at me, a helpless look on his face. I sighed, making my way over to the bed and unbuckling his belt for him. He pulled his shirt over his head and kicked his jeans to the floor; I'd seen John like this many times before, but today just felt weird.
"I'm sorry." He said, pouting. "I'm sorry for being a dick."
"It's fine." I shook my head. "You obviously had your reasons."
"She made me."
My breath hitched in my throat.
For the past five months, John was in a relationship with a girl named Polly. I thought she was lovely, but her opinion of me did not match. About a month and a half ago, John went MIA. I tried to contact him on multiple occasions - of course I did, he's my best friend - and calls were declined, texts were ignored. I didn't know what happened, and then it hit me - Polly. She hadn't liked me from the day her and John met, and now he has confirmed it.
"She made you?" I asked. He nodded. "She stopped you talking to me?"
"Yes, and it killed me." He said. He was still drunk but I knew him; he was telling the truth.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was embarrassed." He said. "So embarrassed. She was ruling my life."
"Why did she end it?"
"Because I said I couldn't do it anymore."
"So she ended it?"
He started to cry. I felt so awful.
"John." I said, sitting down beside him. He looked up at me, absolutely defeated. "Get to sleep." I reached up and pushed his hair from his forehead. "You're going to feel shit in the morning." I chuckled. He smiled weakly, pulling back the duvet and laying down. "I'll be back in a minute. You get to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." I pressed a kiss to his forehead and stood up from the bed, making my way down to the living room. I sat down on the sofa and burst into tears. I had my best friend back and I couldn't be happier.
I must have fallen asleep on the sofa, as the next thing I remembered was waking up in the living room. I sat up and looked around the room, confused for a moment as my eyes adjusted to the light around me. I could hear a noise in the kitchen, and as I stood up to investigate, I remembered John was in my house.
"Morning." I said, tugging at my sleeves as I leant on the door frame. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Rough." He chuckled. "But I wanted to wake you with a cup of tea as a thank you for last night." The look on his face broke my heart; he looked sad. I frowned. "Fee, I really am sorry." He said, for the millionth time since last night. "I really took you for granted and I'll never forgive myself."
"Let's forget about it now." I said, walking further into the kitchen. "Come here." I threw my arms around him and buried my head into his chest. He was significantly taller than me and towered above me. He rested his chin on the top of my head and took a deep breath. "Love you."
"I love you too, Fee."
We stood in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before I pulled back from him. I looked up at him and smiled.
"I'm tired." I frowned.
"Let's go back to bed."
He took my hand in his own and led me back up to my bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind us and we both climbed into bed. He curled up behind me and threw his arm around me, holding me close to him.
"Sleep tight, John."
