A dull ache inside my head greeted me as I woke up with sun streaming through an opening in the ugly, dijon mustard yellow motel curtains. I smacked my lips together making the cotton mouth worse. Oof, my face hurt. I threw back the covers and grabbed a bottle of water that was conveniently on the night table. I kicked my feet over the edge of the bed and froze as I saw someone out of the corner of my eye.

Cade.

Cade was sound asleep in the patched up armchair, head craned toward his shoulder, legs stretched in front of him. His unruly hair was even messier than usual after what looked like a restless night’s sleep.

I quickly glanced down and gave a sigh of relief. I was still fully dressed in what I had worn the previous night. My mind racing, I sagged down onto the edge of the bed. What the hell happened last night?

Scattered memories from the night before rushed through my mind. The bar door smacking me in the face, Cade catching me, puking… oh no, did I puke on him?

A soft murmur escaped his lips. I studied him more closely. He looked mostly the same as he had at 21, although his body had filled out in an easy on the eyes kind of way. He was broad shouldered and toned – he obviously took care of himself and worked out. I bet he had a nice set of abs underneath that t-shirt. His face looked peaceful as he slept and I longed to see those beautiful hazel eyes.

At that moment, he stirred awake, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He stretched his arms and legs with another groan.

“Cade,” is all I said.

He blinked and gave me a soft smile. “Hi Kenz.” My heart fluttered in my chest. Only Cade had ever called me Kenz.

Reality kicked in as my phone chirped with an incoming message on the night table. I ignored it as I crossed my arms and glared at him. “What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“What am I doing here?! I picked your drunk ass up and brought you back here to make sure you were safe and didn’t choke on your own vomit.”

I felt my cheeks burning red with embarrassment. “Oh my god. Did I puke on you?”

“Thankfully not, but the tree outside of the bar took a few hits.”

I buried my face in my hands in embarrassment as he continued. “You’re going to want to put ice on that face by the way. I tried to get you to ice it last night, but you passed out as soon as you hit the bed. I was worried about you vomiting in your sleep, so I stayed.”

“My memory is pretty spotty. Did I… did I say anything, er, questionable?”

He smirked and bent down to tie his shoes. “You may have.”

I stared at him impatiently, but he didn’t elaborate. He stood up and walked toward the door. “I’m going to grab us some coffee and you a snack to soak up any booze that’s left in your body. I’ll be back to pick you up.” I looked at him questioningly. “To take you to your car,” he clarified.