. wild out a little

[dolly weathers]

"You're not! I've had the dress picked out since you pumped my stomach." Truthfully, she's too drunk and sloppy to even maneuver. Standing up makes her feel dizzy, she'd probably vomit all over him if they were to try anything. She listens as his voice becomes stiff and her face wrinkles with concern. "Relax," she inches closer into him, "you can stay if you want. And if you don't want to you don't have to. I know it's weird."

[theo lovett]

"You sure you don't want to wait until my hair grows out? The pictures will be ruined." He thinks about what she's suggesting. Part of him would love to have access to this place for a day, a whole day where he could shower without having to check his roomies' schedules, watch what he wanted, sprawl out on the couch... but it also felt weird, like trespassing. What if someone stopped by? He would feel so embarrassed, he already felt like an intruder in her life. He's too drunk to disguise this thought process, his face pulled tight with concentration. "Let's see how we feel tomorrow."

[dolly weathers]

"Absolutely not," she shakes her head with assurance, "to be married we have to be our most truthful. And I believe your most truthful is someone whose gone full Britney." She reads his face as he absorbs. His eyes are hazy and slow, so full of wine and much like hers. She nods when he makes a decision, "okay." Her hips lean into his with exhaustion, her gaze begins to get heavier but it's hard to let go of the moment. Her forehead presses against his and her breath breathes his, "I think I'm going to fall asleep now."

[theo lovett]

"I'm the most stable guy ever, but sure, it'll make our kids laugh one day," he says, pulling her in close. He can see that sleepiness is taking over, her eyelids drooping and that characteristic wit fading into sleepy submissiveness. He kisses her forehead and he gives her a little nod. "Night beautiful. See you in the morning."

[dolly weathers]

The smell of burnt hair fills the air and Dolly pulls her blonde strands out of the curling iron. On one side of the bathroom counter is a coffee so strong it was bound to pull her through her hangover. The otherside is piled with make-up - enough to disguise the fact that she spent the night before drinking enough wine to drown California. She's dressed with Weathers' friendly apparel, a long sleeved dress that compliments her figure but not too much to suggest anything. She unplugs the curling iron and leans into the mirror to blot her fig coloured lipstick on a napkin. When she leaves the bathroom, she sees the coffee she's put out on the bedside table for Theo is untouched. She sits on the bed and crosses her legs, her fingers run across his bare torso. "Good morning," she says softly, "I made coffee."

[theo lovett]

Theo wakes multiple times in the small hours of the night, and each time his hangover has progressed. He cannot face a day of feeling like this, and so he continually forces himself back to sleep, urging the hangover to pass before he's forced to confront it. Eventually the smell of coffee wafts towards him, mingling with a vaguely familiar voice and a soft sensation across his skin. He stirs, his head throbbing, his throat like sandpaper. "I hate wine," he grumbles, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. He props himself up, leaning over and taking a sip of the murky liquid. "You look good."

[dolly weathers]

Dolly's head nags her with a hangover and sudden movements fill her with nausea. But she's used to working through her hangover - as bad as they are. As she sits, she begins to finger comb her hair into a low updo, and pinches a few stands of hair out to frame her round face. "It is the darkest flavour of hangover," she nods, the wine still sits at the back of her throat - threatening to spill over at any second. "There's nothing fifty pounds of make up can't fix," rosebud lips perk upward and she takes a long sip of coffee. "You don't have to get up. But I have to leave in an hour, and I have breakfast on the go," her shoulders lift into a shrug, "when you act desperate enough for bacon, the grocery store really delivers."

[theo lovett]

He groans, simply not wanting to have to deal with his body's revolt against him. His head is pounding and he cannot fathom how she could look so put together, it's almost offensive that she was functioning on this level when they had been drinking together. He takes a long gulp of coffee. "Aren't you going for brunch? Honestly I don't think I can eat," he admits. He doesn't think he can do anything. "Fuck, I was gonna leave but I seriously feel so rough," he says, guilt creeping over him. "Give me ten, I'm sure I can drag myself into an Uber."

[dolly weathers]

"Yes," she frowns and laughs, "I am going to brunch, where my family will bicker and pick at food." She cradles her coffee on her lap. She so used to pretending to be put together while her insides fall apart. She could guarantee that her brothers would be recovering from a sore night before, much rougher than the one that she had. "Oh my god, Theo," she places her hand on his head and massages his scalp slowly, "honestly, you can stay. There's no one here and you're welcome to anything. I'm not trying to sugar daddy you, but seriously! Sleep it off and make the most of it."

[theo lovett]

He reaches for his phone, turning it back on. He ignores the fresh flurry of texts, "ok, my turn to order in that case. What do you feel like?" Her hand feels soothing on his head, like he's a sickly puppy. He sets the coffee down and lies back, the plush bed enveloping him like it was made out of cotton candy wrapped in silk. In truth it would be impossible to make himself leave this level of comfort. "Only if you're sure. I guess it'll give me a chance to root through your stuff, maybe sell your underwear on eBay." He reaches for her hand, lacing his fingers between hers and giving it a squeeze. "I'd fucking kill for an IV right now," he says, thinking wistfully of his stealthy hangover cure when on the clock.

[dolly weathers]

She shakes her head, "it's really fine. I find cooking therapeutic, I've already had groceries delivered." As fair as she tries to be, Dolly has a slight edge this morning. She's slowly shifting her mindset from fairytale to reality and it stresses her out. "No, absolutely stay," she smiles and shakes his hand from hers. As she stands, her hands press the wrinkles from the skirt of her dress. "I've no IV, but have at that coffee. I'll put together some breakfast."

[theo lovett]

He looks at her, his eyes ever so slightly narrowing. It was difficult to tell through the haze of his own suffering, but there was a distinct difference between the Dolly of last night and the Dolly he was looking at now. It wasn't just that she was up, dressed and perfectly presented, though that did make her seem less like the girl he knew. There was a stiffness between them now. It's confirmed by her hand slipping away. He nods, pausing for a moment before heaving himself up. "That's sweet, thanks, but I'm gonna head. Before Elyse has a search party out. I'll just grab my stuff from downstairs and be on my way."

[dolly weathers]

"Yeahhhh," she gives a sharp nod. She's overwhelmed. It had moved too quickly and now she wishes she could take it back. She should have listened to him when he said it couldn't go anywhere, it felt too late now to slam on the brakes. "Mhm. That's probably a good idea. She's probably flipping," she sips her coffee, trying to act casual, "I'll be just collecting bits from my office.. unless you want me to.. do you want me to walk you out? "

[theo lovett]

He feels as though he's woken up in an alternate reality. Actually, no, that's not quite true - last night felt like an alternate reality, one where Dolly Weathers was excited about him as he was about her, and everything had been unbelievably easy. An awkwardness settles between them and he hates it. "No," he says shortly. He'd usually make a joke about her place not being that big, but he feels too weak and exposed to do so. "Thanks," he says again, glancing at her and hesitating for a moment before he leaves the room, opening up his phone and calling an Uber as he goes.