Coming Home(54)

The next thing she knew, her eyes flipped open as a shrill sound echoed in her ears. In her disoriented state, she reached for her alarm clock, swatting to turn it off.

She hit the button, but the sound continued.

Leah lifted her head as she slowly gained coherency, realizing it would be Saturday; her alarm wouldn’t be set. When it finally registered that her phone was ringing, she bolted upright. The room was pitch dark, and she turned to look at the clock on her nightstand.

One fifty-seven in the morning.

Leah leaned over, sliding her hand along the top of her nightstand and cringing when she heard the clink and subsequent splash that meant she had just knocked over her glass of water.

“Shit,” she hissed, reaching to turn on the light. By the time she got it on and spotted her phone, it had already gone to voice mail.

She brought the phone to her face, squinting against the offensive light to see who had called.

One missed call from Danny.

Her hand flew to her mouth as she sat there, cursing herself for taking so long to get to the phone. Why was he calling her? And at two in the morning, no less. Should she call him back? Text him? Maybe he was leaving a voice mail?

As she sat there staring at the phone and contemplating her next move, it started ringing again. Her stomach flipped as she saw the words flashing on the screen.

Incoming call from Danny.

She tapped the screen before bringing it to her ear.

“Hello?” she said softly.

“Leah,” he said, sighing heavily into the phone. “God, I don’t even know what to say.”

She pulled her brow together as she sat up further, running her hand through her hair. His voice sounded strange.

“Danny? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“No. I want it to be okay, but I don’t know what to do anymore. And I’m sorry I kissed you, but I’m not sorry, you know? I just…I wish you knew. God, I wish you already knew, because I don’t wanna have to say it.”

“Wish I knew what?” she asked. “Danny, what are you talking about?”

He sighed softly. “You have no idea how much I want to see you right now, but he took my keys, and this is bullshit because I’m f*cking fine.”

Leah closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Because she realized then why his voice sounded so odd, why he’d called her at two in the morning.

He was completely wasted.

She sighed heavily before switching the phone to her other ear. “Who took your keys?”

“Joe.”

“Who’s Joe?”

“Bartender,” he said. “But I’m fine. He knows I’m fine! Goddamn it, I just want to go home.”

Behind his drunken slur, there was an unmistakable desperation in his voice.

Something was wrong.

Plus, hadn’t he just told her last weekend that he didn’t drink? And here he was, absolutely hammered.

“Where are Tommy and Jake?”

“Not here.”

Leah’s eyes widened. “They left you alone like this?”

“I just don’t know what to do anymore. About anything,” he said dejectedly, his words running together. “All I wanna do is go home.”

“Where are you?” she asked, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

“Outside.”

She huffed heavily, rolling her eyes. “Outside where?”

He didn’t respond, but she could hear a rustling sound, like he was walking quickly.

“Danny, you have to tell me where you are.”