THEIRS TO KEEP

I DIDN'T STAY

~MIA~

I woke up to sunlight.

It was too bright. My head was pounding, a dull throb behind my eyes that made me want to bury my face in the pillow and never move again. My body ached in places I hadn't known could ache, a deep soreness that reminded me of exactly what had happened last night.

Someone was breathing beside me. Slow and steady. And someone else behind me, their arm draped heavy across my waist.

My eyes flew open.

Adrian was in front of me, his face relaxed in his sleep, his hair messy against the white pillowcase. Cole's chest was pressed against my back, his breath warm on the nape of my neck. And when I turned my head slightly, I saw Nate on the far side of the bed, one arm thrown over his eyes, the sheets pooled low around his hips.

Oh God.

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

I had slept with them. All three of them. My brother's best friends. In the same bed. At the same time.

The panic hit me like a wave. My chest tightened, my heart slamming against my ribs so hard I thought I might be sick. What had I done? What the hell had I been thinking?

I hadn't been thinking. That was the problem. I had been angry and hurt and drunk, and I had let myself do something reckless and stupid, and now I was lying naked in a hotel room with three men who were going to wake up any minute and expect... what? I didn't even know.

I had to get out of here.

Moving slowly and carefully, I slid out from under Cole's arm. He stirred but didn't wake up. Adrian's hand twitched on the pillow, reaching for the warm spot I had left behind, but his eyes stayed closed.

I found my clothes scattered across the floor. My jeans were crumpled near the bathroom door. My shirt was draped over a chair. My bra was hanging from the lamp on the nightstand, and I grabbed it quickly, my face burning.

I got dressed as fast as I could, my hands shaking so badly I could barely button my jeans. My phone was in my jacket pocket. When I pulled it out, I saw twelve missed calls from Daniel and a string of text messages that I didn't bother reading.

The screen also showed the time. 8:47 a.m.

I had been here all night.

Nate shifted on the bed, and I froze. His arm dropped from his eyes, and for a second I thought he was waking up, but then he rolled onto his side and his breathing evened out again.

I exhaled slowly and crept toward the door.

My hand was on the handle when I stopped. The three of them were still asleep, tangled in the sheets, looking peaceful in a way that made something twist in my chest. They had been kind to me last night. More than kind. They had listened to me, made me laugh, made me feel like I was worth something for the first time in years.

And I was sneaking out like a thief.

I stood there for a long moment, torn. A note felt stupid. Waking them up felt worse. And staying meant having a conversation I wasn't ready to have.

So I made a choice.

I opened the door and slipped out into the hallway.

The elevator ride down felt like it took forever. I stared at my reflection in the mirrored walls and barely recognized the woman staring back at me. Smudged makeup, messy hair, swollen lips. I looked exactly like what I was. A woman who had just spent the night doing things she couldn't take back.

The lobby was mostly empty. A few businessmen with coffee cups, a woman in a suit checking out at the front desk. Nobody looked at me twice.

I walked out into the cold morning air and kept walking until I found a cab.

It wasn't until I was halfway home that I realized I had left my underwear on the hotel room floor.