Then *Poof* I'm Always There: Book 3 (Final) #Wattys2014

Chapter 16: The Nightmare Returns

A man may be the head of the house, but the woman is the neck; and she can turn the head any way she wants. -My Big Fat Greek Wedding

I woke up the next morning, my arms empty of the woman who occupied them last night. It was odd, quite frankly, since she usually liked to sleep in late after staying up late, which she did last night. I'd tried to calm her down and comfort her after we read the test and found out she was having a baby again, only this time it wasn't mine. I swear, she could get pregnant if you just looked at her! It's crazy how one simple mistake can change so much. But she couldn't sleep after that and neither could I. I took her into the office and showed her how to play Goat Simulator, to which she enjoyed very much, but still seemed down.

"What do you want to do?" I'd asked her, hoping to find a way to cheer her up for now.

"Get rid of this thing," she bluntly replied.

The rest of the night we lay in bed talking about the most random of things that had nothing to do with her situation, which had turned into mine as well. I know it's not my business, really, but in a way it is. She was my girlfriend again and I was not about to let her convict ex get in the way of us. Maybe that sounds a bit like him, but at least I'm not the one trying to take advantage of her. I was trying to protect her, not hurt her.

I got out of bed and checked everywhere upstairs. Nothing. The office was as we left it, humming alive but the screen turned off. The bathroom had a sickly smell that was poorly covered up by air freshener. (I couldn't blame her for being sick, right?) She was obviously up, but where she was I had no idea. I went downstairs, almost expecting her to be on the couch at least laying down. But no, she was not.

A familiar smell drafted in from an open window, or so I thought. It wasn't a window, but the door to the balcony outside. Alexis was leaning on the railing, watching the city below and around her in a baggy black t-shirt and her mint-green pajama bottoms. Her black jagged hair was swaying in the breeze with the excess clothing on her, and she was holding something in her hands.

"Hey, babe." She turned around surprised and gave a weak, sad smile.

"Hey."

"What are you doing?" I looked at what she was holding in her hand, and her face went bright red. "You should really put that out."

"Why? You aren't the boss of me."

"No, I'm not." I walked up next to her and took the cigarette out of her hand. "But this isn't good for you. Or the...what are you drinking?" She took a chug of whatever was in her cup before replying, her breath sickly sweet.

"Wine. You want some?"

"It's almost seven in the morning! It's way too early for any alcohol," I stomped on the cigarete bud and took the cup from her as well. "This isn't good for you either."

"Look, I'm a grown woman. I can do what I want." She stumbled over her own feet trying to take a step back.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"That's only my first cup." She was a horrible liar when she was drunk.

"Okay, now the truth." She looked down and away from me.

"That...may or may not have been my third glass."

"Oh my god! Are you serious?!"

"Well what do you expect me to do?!"

"Be a sane person!"

"But I'm not sane, am I?" I sucked in my breath and took the glass back inside. She didn't follow.