Following Me by Linde, K.A. (best books to read in your 20s .txt) 📗

her thin nightshirt.  His eyes followed themovement, and for once, Devon was glad for the cover of darkness.

She pulled up the sheet.  “Whyare you back already?”  She yawned as she read the clock.  Midnight. “Aren’t you supposed to be out with your parents or something?”

“Change of plans.”

She could tell something waswrong by the set of his shoulders.  Her brain hadn’t caught up with her body.  Shehad crashed as soon as she had gotten home.  Waking up in the middle of thenight made her groggy.  She couldn’t figure out why he would be home or whatcould be wrong.

“And you woke me—”

“Come drink with me.”  He grabbedher hand and tugged lightly, prodding her out of bed.

Devon yawned.  “I’m really not upfor a drink.”

“You’re never tired this early.”

“I worked my ass off all day.”

“You can sleep in tomorrow.  Comehave a drink with me.  I brought a bottle back,” he said with a boyish grin,his hand running back through his hair.

Devon sighed and nodded.  Hewouldn’t be asking if something wasn’t wrong.  “Alright.  It better not betequila.”

“Would I do that to you?”  Hechuckled.

“Only if you hated me.”

“Which I don’t.  So, let’s go.” He stood and padded out of the room.

When he left, Devon kicked outher feet from the bed and stood shakily.  She couldn’t believe that she wasactually going to get out of bed to have a drink right now, and she didn’t wantto face why she was doing it.  All of it hurt too much.

How long could a person gowithout sleeping?  She would do that if she never had to dream again. Alcohol sounded like a better option than closing her eyes and living thatdream all over again.

Still in her nightshirt andsleeping shorts, she slung a cardigan on and walked out into the living room. Crashing down on the couch, she cuddled up with the throw pillow and tried tohold back her yawn.

Garrett walked out of the kitchenwith two full shot glasses.  He set them on the table next to Devon.  Shestared at them warily as he walked back into the kitchen.  He returned a secondtime with two whiskey glasses full of a dark brown liquid.

“You weren’t joking,” Devon said.

“Did I sound like I was?” heasked, staring at her.

“Guess not.  I’m going to getfucked up.”

“That’s the point.”  He handedher a shot of bourbon.

Garrett held out his glass, andDevon raised hers to meet his.

“To living the life,” he said.

Devon cracked up, thinking howfar from that she felt, but when she looked up to his face, she could see thefeeling was mutual.

“To living the life,” sherepeated, taking the shot back.  It burned like a bitch, but she was fromTennessee.  She would have gotten nowhere if she didn’t know how to take down agood shot of bourbon.

Garrett slammed the shot glassdown on the table.  “Fuck that.”  He returned to the kitchen and reappeared asecond later with an expensive-looking bottle of liquor.

Devon’s eyes widened when she sawthe label.  She had seen people drink it, but it was usually served neat out ofa fancy crystal decanter.

Who did shots off of atwo-thousand dollar bottle of scotch?  Apparently, they did.

Not being able to help herself,she asked, “Where the fuck did you get that?”

“I told you.  I got a bottle.”

“From who?”

“My parents,” he said with ashrug.

“Should we be drinking this?”

“That’s what it’s meant for.”  Hepoured another shot and handed it to her.

She stared at the liquid with anewfound sense of appreciation.  Her shot alone was probably worth a couplehundred bucks.  As the liquid slid down her throat again, she was glad that shehadn’t choked on it the first time.  Were people allowed to choke on reallyexpensive scotch?

When Garrett started pouringanother, Devon shook her head.

“No more for me unless you wantme throwing up.  I need to stagger.”  Her head already felt heavy.

He shrugged and took the shotwithout her.

“So, why are you home?” sheasked.

“Got into a fight with my dad,”he admitted.  The alcohol was clearly loosening him up some more.

Devon sat up as his head lolledbackward.

“Tell me about it.”

“He hates Hadley.  He thinksshe’s a waste of time and a waste of space.  He thinks I can do better.  Hethinks I stay in the job that he helped me get with no ambition and nomotivation to move up in the company.  He refuses to see that I hate the joband would do anything to get out of it.  But the thought of disappointing himany further kills me,” he said in a rush.  “He’s just a selfish bastard whohates his only son.”

Devon didn’t know what to say tothat last part.  Her parents had expectations for her life.  How could theynot?  But everything they did was out of love.  They would never push herso hard that they pushed her away.  Even now, when she was lying to them on adaily basis, she never thought that they would try to force her into anything.

“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you,”she said softly, touching his hand.

Garrett scoffed.  “You don’t knowthe man.”

“But I know you.  I don’t knowhow anyone could hate you.”

“Well, I think you’re the onlyone left who doesn’t.”

“Garrett, what happened?” sheasked.  “It can’t be as bad as you say.”

He offered her another shot, andshe took it from him only because he seemed so desperate.

“Hadley and I show up at myparents’ house in the suburbs for the holiday.  Everything is going fine.  Webarbeque, play football in the yard, and the girls are laying out by the lake. Right before the fireworks, it all goes to shit.  My dad asks me about my job,and I say one thing that he doesn’t like.  One thing!  He flips out and starts lecturingme.  We start yelling back and forth loud enough for all of the guests tohear.  I wouldn’t back down.  I was tired of him always trying to assert hisdominance over me.  I’m a grown man!  I told him I was going to quit.”

Devon gasped.  “Quit?”

“I’m really thinking about it.  Ihate the work.  But it gets worse,” he said miserably.

How could it get much worse?

“When I refused to take his shit,he brought Hadley into it.”

“Oh no,” Devon whispered,imagining Hadley hearing all the things that Garrett’s dad thought of