The Sullivan Sisters

The Sobering Truth

Between the tears that flooded her viridescent eyes and the heavy words that sprang from Paloma's tongue with such determination and certainty, Ava found herself unable to speak. Her heart sank down into the deepest gallows of her belly, settling in with the meal she picked over during dinner.

She didn't dare face her girlfriend, still, she could practically feel Paloma's retinas searing into the back of her head. The Earth seemed to stand still for an insurmountable time and because of that, Ava nearly startled herself when she peeped out an uneasy "What?"

Paloma's reply was instantaneous and far grittier than ever before. "You heard me."

It was only then that Ava gathered the courage to sit up and take a peep at Paloma who reeked of repugnance and bewilderment. The top buttons of the brunette's baby blue blouse were unlatched and messy, the silk material now faintly stained in liquor. Paloma's forehead was damp with sweat that traced her widow's peak and ambled down the outskirts of her face.

Had Ava not been paying attention, she wouldn't have caught the way Paloma's head lightly swayed. She was so obviously fighting to keep up with the accelerated pace of the spinning room. Nevertheless, her cold expression was one of irrefutable sobriety. The sight alone induced a helpless sense of panic to arise in Ava's chests.

Lunging desperately, she made an impetuous move to take Paloma's hand into her own, hoping the gesture would be mighty enough to reach her. A feeble sigh ensued not a moment later once Paloma unapologetically pried herself from Ava for the second time that night. Paloma stumbled to her feet, the alcohol coursing through her veins forcing her to do so. But her eyes remained focused, frigid, and fierce.

"Well?" She hastily motioned towards the redhead before allowing her hands to coarsely collide with her thighs, producing a smack that was boisterous enough to make Ava recoil further into herself.

Ava didn't allow herself to succumb to her longing to retreat deeper into the confines of their bed, despite her instincts begging her to. Instead, she sprang from the mattress and imposed on Paloma's densely guarded stance by caressing the brunette's cheeks, her thumbs just grazing the space beneath her eyes where her eyeliner was starting to smudge.

"Sweetheart," Ava susurrated, "before you get angry, just listen, alright?"

It'd only taken a few weeks after their relationship had taken flight for Paloma to grow to adore Ava's innocent forms of affection. She'd always considered such acts to be astonishingly delicate and inexplicably intimate.

But now, between the myriad of drinks she threw back not half an hour earlier and Ava standing so close, her eyes filled with what could only be described as deceit, the feeling of the pads of Ava's thumbs against her skin made the brunette want to vomit.

She couldn't break free of Ava's hold fast enough. "I don't have to listen. You didn't deny it, you're still not...which means there's nothing to discuss. I've already got my answer, don't I?" Paloma's words started to slur again towards the end but they were incredibly clear at the same time.

Ava chewed her bottom lip so intensely that it was starting to swell. "You're drunk," she said quietly. "I know you're hurt and upset, you have every right to be, but this really isn't a conversation we should have when you've been drinking. I wish you came home before doing this to yourself. Can we please talk about this tomorrow when we both have a leveled head and can think clearly?"

Paloma straightened her posture and all but growled. "I don't need you, of all people, to validate my anger. Besides, I've never thought more clearly than I am right now."

Ava closed her eyes and sighed softly. "...Okay," she relented with a subtle shrug. "You wanna talk about it? We can. What did you hear...and from who?"