Pursuit of Happiness | Taz Skylar [1]

098. silly man

Just as Taz had anticipated when Jay had grabbed his arm and demanded shots, he was not even remotely sober when he banged on the door to Zoe's apartment. He faintly heard the patter of feet on the other side of the door and then it swung open to reveal Zoe, blinking up at him in disbelief from behind brown hair that had fallen across her face.

Zoe opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but stopped when Taz leaned against the doorframe, smiling at her, all wide and goofy. "You're so pretty."

Zoe tried to keep a straight face. She really did, but she was only able to hold it for a moment before a smile tugged the corners of her mouth upwards, crinkling the corners of her eyes. Taz's drunken grin widened at the sight, and then Zoe took his hand to pull him into the apartment. Taz went stumbling into her, the weight of the muscle on his tall, lean frame almost knocking her off her feet as he leaned into her.

"Fuck," Zoe cursed, locking her knees to help her hold Taz up. "How much did you drink?"

Taz didn't answer. He had dipped his head down, pressing his lips against the soft skin located underneath her jaw. Zoe had showered at some point after coming home, so the sweet scent of the perfume that she sprayed onto her skin every morning was gone, leaving behind only the scent of the bodywash she liked and the cigarette she'd smoked before retiring to bed.

"You smell good," Taz mumbled against Zoe's neck, his voice so slurred that it took a moment for it to register what exactly he'd said.

"Thanks," Zoe said, huffing out a breath. "But I need you to work with me, babe. I'm not strong enough to carry you to the bedroom, so unless you want to sleep on the floor, I need you to walk."

Taz made a noise in the back of his throat that could only have been described as a whine, but he did as she said, straightening up and taking on enough of his own body weight that Zoe could relax her knees without fear of falling over. Breathing out in relief, Zoe pulled one of Taz's arms to drape across her shoulders. Taz had his nose in Zoe's hair, kissing every part of her head that he could reach, but he still managed to put one foot in front of the other until they reached the bed and she could deposit him onto the edge of the mattress.

"You're so pretty," Taz said again, flopping back onto the mattress.

"You already told me that," Zoe said, amusement curling at her lips as she leaned over him, tugging at his jacket until he sat up and she could pull it off him. After dropping the jacket onto the floor, Zoe started on his shirt, undoing the buttons with quick, efficient movements that were far removed from the slow, methodical way that she usually undressed him, but Taz grinned up at her regardless.

"Stop looking at me like that," Zoe said, undoing the final button and pushing the shirt off his shoulders. "I'm not fucking you when you're this drunk."

"You're undressing me," Taz slurred.

"You want to sleep in jeans? Be my guest," Zoe said, but her voice was soft as Taz pulled the shirt off, tossing it onto the floor to join his jacket. As he kicked off his shoes, Zoe told him, "You should have called me. I would have come to get you."

Taz kicked his shoes off until they went skittering across the floor and then he leaned forward, pressing the top of his head against Zoe's chest. "Didn't want you to have to do that."

"You silly man," Zoe said, her tone so fond that even Taz's intoxicated mind picked up on it. His limbs felt heavy as exhaustion began to meld with the alcohol he'd consumed, but he managed to lift his arms and wind them around Zoe's back, holding her to him as best as he could. Rubbing her thumbs across Taz's hairline, Zoe leaned down to press a soft kiss to his hair before untangling herself from his arms.

"Take off your pants," Zoe said, keeping her tone as clinical as she could manage so that Taz's drunken mind wouldn't think that she was going to jump his bones again. "I'm going to go get you some water."

"I don't need water," Taz said, the buckle of his belt clinking gently as his clumsy fingers set to work undoing it.

"Yes, you do," Zoe sighed, disappearing out the door to get the water. When she returned, Taz's pants had joined the rest of his clothes on the floor and he was lying on top of the covers in only his underwear, the rise and fall of his chest steady as he began to doze off. Zoe considered just letting him sleep, but she didn't know exactly how much of anything non-alcoholic Taz had consumed throughout the night, and she wanted him to have a little water in his system, at the very least.

"Taz," Zoe called, stepping around his clothes to reach his side of the bed. After setting the glass of water down on the bedside table, Zoe sat down on the edge of the bed and then placed her hand on Taz's shoulder, shaking it gently. "Hey, Taz, baby. I need you to stay awake for a little bit longer."

"What?" Taz complained, glassy blue eyes opening to look up at her.

"You need to drink some water before you go to sleep," Zoe told him. Taz heaved out a sigh and muttered something under his breath in Spanish, but he let Zoe help him sit up against the headboard and took the glass of water when she put it in his hands. Despite his protests, Taz sipped at the water, getting through half of it before deciding he'd had enough.

"Zoe," Taz said, resting his head back against the headboard and closing his eyes. "I want you."

Zoe smiled at him, taking the glass out of his hands before he could lose his grip and spill it. "I'm yours."

Taz's skin was flushed and his eyes were glassy from all the alcohol he'd consumed, his smile a little too wide, but it was nonetheless genuine. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Zoe replied, laughing a little. "I'll be yours for as long as you want me."

"I'm always going to want you," Taz told her. Zoe was still smiling, but her smile had shifted, becoming more like the way that someone would smile at a toddler who was talking in disjointed gibberish.

"Okay, Taz," Zoe said softly.

"I'm being serious," Taz said, the slurring of his words becoming more pronounced as exhaustion made his tongue feel heavy and clumsy in his mouth. "I think you ruined me for anyone else. Dating anyone else was a waste of time because I could never stop thinking about you. You've been it for me ever since I met you."

Zoe stared at him. She found herself wishing that Taz was sober that she could lean over and kiss him until both their heads spun, but he wasn't, so she didn't. Instead, she leaned close so that she could rest her forehead rested against Taz's clammy one and whispered, "You ruined me for anyone else, too."

Taz's glassy eyes slipped to her lips. "Can I kiss you?"

"In the morning," Zoe said, drawing back. Taz opened his mouth to complain, but the words died on his tongue when Zoe put her hand on his cheek. A contented hum rumbling in his chest, Taz closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"Sleep, Taz," Zoe said, her smile fond. Taz wanted to argue with her more, but couldn't find the words, not when he could feel exhaustion seeping its way through his every muscle, so he simply slid underneath the covers when Zoe pulled them aside. Taz forced his eyes open to watch Zoe carefully crawl over his legs and settle into the empty space in the bed next to him. He couldn't remember making the decision to turn onto his side and curl into her back, as if it was as instinctual as breathing.

Zoe breathed out a soft sigh, shifting back when Taz's clumsy fingers tugged on her waist so that he could press his chest against her back better. As he slipped his other arm under her neck, Zoe pressed a kiss to his bicep and told him, "Do not throw up on me, I swear to god."

"I won't," Taz mumbled, his voice so quiet that Zoe barely heard him. He pressed a sloppy kiss to the skin behind her ear and then he was out, snoring softly in her ear.

And to his credit, he didn't throw up on her.