URGENT (Book 2 of the Soundcrush Series)

Chapter 11: Nice Guys Clean Up Their Messes

Adam

I pace my suite.

Beer in hand.

Fuck.

I want to go back to Mac.

But no good is going to come of it.

Not right now. We both need time to cool off.

So I pace my suite.

Beer in hand.

Four-ish beers disappear, and in that time I have two epiphanies.

The first epiphany is key. What I did—losing my shit like that—I had absolutely no control in that moment. I was only reacting. Not thinking. I fucked everything up, reacting like that, and I didn't mean to do what I did. I think I have a little more empathy for Mac when she loses it, now.

The second epiphany is horrifying: I just threw Mac's right to self-determine out the window. Also...

A half million fucking dollars, in a little blue box.

Fuck.

You gotta fix this situation, Heartley.

I know I have to do at least two things.

The first is the hardest.

I call up Riley.

"Heartley," he answers in greeting.

"Hey, where are you, man?" I ask. I tried drinking these beers in Trace's suite, but he's not there, so I figure Riley might be out-of-pocket, too.

"Kat Ballard's kitchen," he says dryly. "She made me Lipton's tea to drink—which is not tea at all, but something akin to grass in a coffee filter..."

"Oh damn," I laugh. Feels good to laugh.

"Precisely. What's up?"

I chug half of a fifth beer and burp.

"Are you drunk, Adam?" Riley sounds amused.

"Shit. Not. Nearly. Enough."

Riley makes that fucking British twitter-laugh, that makes a guy both admire and want to punch him.

"Adam, if you are calling me because Trace won't answer, he's upstairs in his teenage dream's boudoir, probably fucking the bejesus out of her..."

"No, Riley...I need to ask you a favor."

"Shoot," he says lightly.

"Okay, but I need you to ask no questions."

"No problem. If I need answers, I have other means..."

Fucking little British stalker shit. I have no idea why everyone likes him, but we all do. Including me. "How do I get a prescription for the morning after pill? You know...without the girl seeing a doctor?"

He laughs. "You don't need a prescription, Adam. It's over the counter."

"Are you fucking serious?" That is brand new information to me.

"Mmmmm...yes." Riley sounds bored with my lack of knowledge on emergency contraception.

"Wow, didn't realize. Okay, man—thanks—"

"Heartley, you can't waltz into the drug store and pick up Plan B. TMZ will have it by sun-down. And you will be answering alot of uncomfortable questions to Marcy," He sighs, his burdened British sigh. I grin, cause I know a boy is gonna help me out. "Therefore, I have to go back on my previous statement about not asking questions  and clarify a point..."