Until Mia (Until Series #1)

Chapter Twelve

The second I walk through the door Celine calls my name. "Mia! Is that you?"
"Yeah!" I double bolt the doors behind me before going to find her so we wouldn't have to yell anymore.
I find her in the living room fully dressed for a change.
Despite her drinking problem, Celine is able to keep her figure, which is out of this world I have to admit.
She was full in the hips and thick in the waist and wore a tight cheetah print dress that shows that off. 
She finish pouring herself something clear in a shot glass and I'd bet my next paycheck wasn't water.
"It's a little early for you to be here?" She observed, swishing the drink around in the glass before she bringing it up to her lips and taking a sip. "You didn't get fired did you?"
I shake my head. "No. Mr. Lyons isn't here tonight so Ms. Nancy let us leave early."
She doesn't know about Drew and I plan on going keeping it that way for as long as I can.
I didn't need her to get any ideas about me getting money or fame out of Drew.
I'm not that type of girl.
"Alright. Well, I'm going to go out," She tells me. "I have a date," Celine announces before she slips on a pair of gold heels that I didn't notice laid at the foot of the couch.
"A date? With who?"
"That nice piece of chocolate man you threw out of here the other day." She holds on to me for balance as she slips on the other heel and finishes just as the doorbell rings.
"Where are you two going?" I follow her to the door and watch as she begins to unlock it.
"What are you- my momma? I don't know child! But don't wait up." She opens the door to reveal the same man I saw a few days ago and thankfully this time he's fully clothed.
That nervousness at the pit of my stomach is there again like the last time he was around. I cross my arms over my chest again when I saw his eyes do a once over me again.
"Be safe," I tell her as she saunters out the door behind the guy.
I didn't like this guy but it's not like I have a say in who she dates.
So I keep my mouth shut and lock up behind them

***

There's suddenly a shrill and constant ringing sound next to my ear.
It takes me a moment to realize it's my phone and that someone is calling me.
I blink a few times to find myself alone in the darkness of my bedroom.
After Celine and her friend left I made myself a sandwich then went right to sleep.
What time was it?
  I reach over for my phone to see that it's barely after two in the morning. The call is coming from an unknown number.
Usually, I wouldn't answer but I got a sick feeling in my stomach that told me to make an exception.
"Hello?"
"Hey, baby." It was Celine.
"Mom?" Why was she calling me at this time and why wasn't she using her own phone?
"Listen, baby, I need you to come bail me out."
Bail her out? What?
"Mom, what are you talking about? Where are you?"
"The Tempe County Jail."
"What are you doing there?" I sit up straight and fling the covers off of me.
"Oh just hanging out," She replies casually then there was a pause. "What do you think I'm doing? They got me on a DUI!" She snapped.
"I'll be right there." I hang up the phone and slip on my brown ugg boots that are laying across the floor and shrug into one of my hoodies over my tank top before racing to the front door.
It's not until I'm halfway down the flight of stairs did I realize that I don't have a car since Celine took the car to go out.
How could I possibly forget that? My only way of getting there was the bus and it would take me twice the time to get there.
Just the thought of my mom in a jail cell made my blood run cold. Driving while drunk was beyond stupid but I still didn't want to picture her behind bars.
I didn't have time to waste so I made a quick phone call to someone I hope would drop everything and come to me.
Luckily he came within a few minutes. I squinted against the headlights to see Drew coming my way.
"Are you okay?" Drew demands after jumping out of his car.
"I'm fine. Let's just go." I rush to the passenger side of the Mercedes Benz.
He doesn't ask another question. I think he can tell that I don't want to talk.
We make it to the jail house in no time at all since Drew ran through almost every light on our way there.
We didn't get stop thankfully and I was ID'd then buzzed inside.
"Do you want me to come in?" Drew asks.
No. I don't want him to see Celine, not in this circumstance anyways.
But I knew there was no way around it since he was our ride back home.
"If you don't mind."
Wordlessly Drew kills the ignition and climbs out the car. Once he rounds his way over to me he grabs my hand and effortlessly slips his fingers through mine. I didn't know how much I needed that until that moment.
Hand in hand, the two of us enter the building. Drew and I approach the front desk where there's a lady standing around.
"Hi, I'm here to pay for the bail of Celine Thomas."
"And who are you?" She asked in a snippy tone.
"Her daughter."
"Sign here." She orders me and I have to admit I'm a little surprised she doesn't ask for proof that I am who I say I am.
I do what I am told and sign my name before she tells me to wait so she could look up my mother's information. "Celine Thomas's bail is set for three thousand dollars. How will you be paying? Cash or credit?"
My face pales.
I knew it was going to be expensive but it's  more than I thought it was going to be.
I plan on taking the money out of my savings but that was more than I had. I'm fifteen hundred dollars short.
I don't think I hide my panic expression too well because Drew squeezes my hand before he steps forward.
"Credit." Drew pulls out his wallet from his back pocket.
"Drew no-" I start to object when I see him pull out his black credit card.
"It's done." He ignores me and proceeds to give his credit card to the lady.
"I'll pay you back," I whisper as I watch him swipe his card.
"No, you won't."
"I'll work extra hours." I try again.
"Just worry about your mom." Is all Drew tells me.
"She'll be out in a few. You're welcome to have a seat while you wait." The lady tells us, motioning to the rows of chairs seated back to back on the far side of the room.
"I'm really sorry I dragged you out of bed." I apologize once we're seated.
"Ah, it's no problem. I was up thinking about you anyways." Drew smiles softly.
"I've never had anyone I could ask for help," I admit.
"Well, now you do."
I return his smile, wondering how the hell I got so lucky.
I want to scream that I'm falling in love with him but I know now, in the middle of the night at a jail station isn't the best place to do it.
"So this is what I have to look forward to waking up to in the mornings?" Drew asks, jokingly. I'm grateful for the subject change and his attempt to ease the atmosphere.
I blush and duck my head as I remember what I looked like.
My hair was probably all over the place since I forgot to wrap it up before going to bed. I had showered and changed out of my usual sweatpants and into my flannel pajama pants with the pizza slices all over them and I was braless under my hoodie. It wasn't like I was thinking about makeup and cute outfits when I called him.
"Why, are you thinking of running for the hills?" I joke back.
"It's kind of a relief actually," Drew answers, relaxing against his seat. "Now I know you aren't always so perfect."
Perfect? Was he joking? Did he miss the part where the core of my outfit our sweatpants and a hoodie and my hair was always in an I-don't-give-a-shit ponytail?
"Well, I'm glad you found out the truth now. It only goes downhill from here." I joke.
"You're still the most beautiful girl I've ever met." He threads his fingers through my own and brings my hand up to his lips.
The obnoxious sound of heels clicking against a tile floor interrupts the moment and the both of us look up to see Celine walking our way.
"Well, it's about damn time." She says in greeting, wobbling her way towards me in her gold hooker heels.
"You're welcome mom." I roll my eyes as she slugs her body onto mine.
"And who is this?" She eyes Drew, waving her clutch up and down the length of his body.
"This is Mr. Lyons." I didn't want to introduce Drew as my boyfriend to Celine afraid that she would get ideas.
"As in your boss?"
"Yeah." I wait to see the wheels spinning behind her eyes but they never turn.
"Something is going on but I'm too damn tired to try to figure it out." Celine says. "Come on, let's get the hell up out of here." She brushes past the two of us and heads towards the exit.
"Your mom is..."  Drew begins to say as he watches Celine walk away.
"I know." I agree, because whatever he was thinking about Celine Thomas in that moment- he was probably right.
     Celine passed out in the backseat of Drew's car before we even pulled away from the jail. I didn't get a chance to ask her why she was drinking and driving or what happened to her date. I was hoping that this was the last time she saw him.
Drew was great about the whole thing. He didn't seem phased that my mother was a crazy loud drunk. It didn't look like he was going to run for the heels after meeting Celine and that just made my feelings for him even stronger.
When Drew pulled up to our apartment it was almost four in the morning and the sun was starting to rise. Celine was still passed out even as Drew carried her bridal style up the stairs that would take us to our floor and even when he placed her on her bed.
     "How can I possibly thank you for everything you just did for me?" I demand after leading Drew into the living room, away from Celine's room.
     "What exactly are you offering Mia?" He takes my hand and pulls me close enough that our chest touch then rest his hands on my hips.
     My eyes widen when I realize what he must think I'm offering.
     Not that I haven't thought about Drew in that way because of course I have. What warm blooded girl wouldn't? But I wasn't ready for that yet.
     My facial expression must give me away because Drew laughs. "Go out with me tonight." He replies instead.
     "What?"
     "I want to take you out on a real date." He clarifies. "I think it's time."
     "A date?" I repeat, liking the idea more and more. "Where would we go?"
     "It's a surprise. Just say yes." Drew pulls me closer and his hands hover dangerously above the center of my back.
     "Yes."
     Drew smiles and his entire face lights up because of it.
     "Call me when you wake up." He starts to head for the front door.
     "I will," I promise before locking up behind him.
     After everything that's happened, sleep sounds really good right now. I make sure the door is locked, turn off the light in the kitchen before heading off into my room.
     The second I get in there I throw myself on my bed and within seconds my body gives into the exhaustion and I doze off.

                                          ***

Drew already assured me that I didn't have to worry about work before he left so I wasn't worried when I woke up three hours later than I would have if I had work.
     I call like I promise I would and Drew told me to relax and be with Celine in case she needed anything.
     Even though I had a reason, I didn't like the idea of missing a day of work, especially since I now owed Drew fifteen hundred dollars. He shut me down every time I brought it up in the car but it didn't matter because I was paying him back whether he liked it or not.
     The rest of my day consists of doing as Drew wanted me to. I watch TV with Celine who was unusually quiet. I wonder if she got hurt because of the DUI but she didn't have any bruises or injury. I kept her on light fluids only like water and ginger ale which she hated but drank anyway, then I made us burgers for lunch.
     I stand up to clear the table in the living room now that we were done eating. Celine sits on the couch dozing off so I mute the volume on the TV since she didn't look like she had the energy to move to her bedroom.
     I gather our plates and dirty napkins and carry them with me into the kitchen before walking back into the living room. I just bend over to reach for the cups when her voice stops me.
"Thank you baby." Was all she said in a droopy voice. I knew she was thanking me for much more than cleaning up after her.
I look at my mom to see her eyes half open but she was looking at me.
"Go to sleep mom." I reply beforewalking away.