Kicking Off the New Year
Who Kaitlynn Wilde OT Tyler Lockheart, Jace Lockheart, Emily Lockheart, Kit Lockheart (and lingering guests from the Movie Night thread) What Morning After/Tyler’s Return Where Lockheart Residence When January 1 @ 7AM Rating TBD Status In progress
Ugh, she was stiff. That was the first thought that popped into Kaitlynn’s mind as she twisted and shifted about in the large, overstuffed armchair where she’d fallen asleep. Her feet were dangling over the side of one arm and, somehow, her head had gotten lodged between the seat cushion and the opposite arm. She felt like a pretzel as she tried to straighten herself out, wincing at a sharp pain in her neck from sleeping like some kind of circus contortionist. She stifled a groan, though, as she opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by other slumbering bodies.
It only took a second for it all to come back to her. She’d driven Jace home because he’d actually celebrated the New Year hard enough that he’d gotten himself fairly intoxicated. She suspected it might have been about a girl, but had been wise enough not to ask. He’d been kind of a bear when he’d realized the party downstairs had turned into a sleepover and while he’d wanted to toss the boys out on their asses in the cold, she’d tried to reason with him that it wouldn’t be the best idea. She’d muttered something about child abuse and had pushed him up the stairs, grateful that he wasn’t the type of guy to really fly off the handle. She understood his need to protect his younger siblings, especially Emily and Kit, but he wasn’t even remotely in the right frame of mind to think clearly.
That didn’t mean she was going to go off and leave them all. The Lockhearts were like a second family to her and, while she could try to mitigate the damage with Jace, that didn’t mean she trusted a bunch of boys around Em anymore than he did. She’d decided to spend the night as well, though by the time she’d made her way back down to the family room in the basement, she saw that Kit had beat her there. She’d had to smile as she caught his eye and kicked him out of the large chair. He wasn’t as social as the other Lockhearts, and Kait could identify with that very well. Still, it warmed her heart to see him interested in making sure nothing untoward happened to his older sister.
She wasn’t even sure when she’d fallen asleep, but after checking her phone, she figured she’d gotten maybe four hours of sleep. It wasn’t great...but it wasn’t awful. The idea of finding another position and going back to sleep didn’t appeal to her - not unless it involved an actual bed. Preferably pillowtop with a heavy duvet. Instead, she quietly got to her feet and headed upstairs to put on a pot of coffee. Jace was an early riser, though she expected he’d finish sleeping off his stupor before being lured by the dark, rich aroma of morning.
She was still dressed in her New Year’s Eve apparel - metallic silver jeans and a white sequined camisole. She had no idea where her shoes and coat were. All she did know was that she was dying for a change of clothes, and she’d have given almost anything for a long, hot shower. And a toothbrush.
Luckily, she knew exactly where to find those things, and so while the coffee percolated, she headed upstairs to wash away the glitter of the night before.