Missing [ST]

Eighty Three

For Thursday and Friday, Leah went to work as normal, and both days involved Steven making her late by iron grip hugs dragging her back into bed, and him swooping by on her lunch break to say hello.

Gossip of Steven's fame had delighted her colleagues, and with his lavished presence in the building, there was much swooning. Leah wasn't jealous, but god did she get an earful of how lucky she was when Steven was gone and she was back on shift.

The leaver's do came round quickly on that Friday; Tina was already waiting at the flat with Steven after work, and Leah gave him the offer to join, but he politely declined and told her not to go too heavy on the alcohol because of parent-gate tomorrow.

She was not best pleased to be reminded that she was not only introducing Steven to them, but she was moving to America with him the next day, so it wasn't the most fun message to construct on such short notice.

Aside from leaving her confessions to be awkwardly stammered out in person, Leah promised she wouldn't get drunk, but two and a half hours of food, laughter, and an obscene number of wine bottles and spirits later, she wasn't looking good.

Saying goodbye to her friends involved a lot of clingy hugs, mumbling nonsense, and someone rudely telling her to let go and leave the restaurant.

"Don't wanna go'wuh!" Leah whined, tugging away from the arm around her waist.

It was a lot colder and darker outside, though the alcohol that buzzed through her system helped take away the chill her jacket couldn't provide.

"Yeah, you do. Dreamy Steven is at home."

Leah gasped.

"Stevenz here? Oh god, I love Steven so much."

"As you keep saying," Tina chuckled, staying close to her side. "You should really tell him that."

Concentration was plastered on Leah's face as she watched her feet move one in front of the other, and she was grateful for the boots she wore rather than stumbling around in heels. Still, they began to fuzz if she looked at the ground for too long, and the cobbles that glistened in the street lights made it uncomfortable to walk in a straight line.

"Can't," she replied, rolling her head to her right. "Iz too hard."

Tina sympathised, returned to look ahead, but with a shocking widening of her eyes, took a lunge closer.

"Woahh." Leah was dragged away with an arm around her waist, and fell into a human side. "Wha'the-"

"You almost walked into a lamppost," Tina finished, helping her stand straight again. They had slowed right down, considering she had been forced to step into the, luckily, empty road.

"Huh!?" Leah jarred her head over her shoulder, and by the squint of her eyes, something her drunk brain didn't appreciate. "Well why would someone put it there if...I'm walking?"

There was a drag of laughter, and this time, the arm around her waist switched to loop a protective hold of her arm.

"You are so far gone, I genuinely don't think I've ever seen you this drunk."

Leah begged to differ.

"Naaur I'm fine." A lazy smile partnered her droopy eyes, and when the side of her head rested on Tina's shoulder, she couldn't tell if she was floating or walking. "I'm happy."

They made it to the car, but with a drunk person, it took ten times longer with meanderings and distractions, such as avoiding further lamppost encounters, or people for that matter.

"C'mon, in you get."

Leah was helped into the passenger side despite insisting she was fine, and didn't need help with such a simple task. On the contrary, it took her the same amount of time to get her seatbelt clipped in as it did for Tina to get in the driver's side, start up the engine, and fiddle with a few things for some heat in the car.