𝔽𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔽𝕠𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 (𝕒 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝)

4. Don't Touch Just Have A Drink

I'd managed to keep it together the entire drive back to the apartment complex. The moment my purse gets stuck in the car door I lose it though. Why at this exact moment the floodgates chose to open I don't know. "Fuck," I say, as I let out a set of cries as I lean against my car.

"Monica?" I look up to see Sean standing there with a worried look on his face. For some reason that worried look makes me lose all of my thoughts. I don't even know why I do it but I launch myself from my car and directly into his arms. He automatically tenses the moment my arms wrap around him. These past few months have been lonely. I just needed some comfort, maybe not the type this particular man was used to giving but I needed it. After a few seconds he hugs me back but he does so robotically.

"My boss fired me!" I pull away from him because I can sense his discomfort. I let out another sob even though I'm desperately trying to contain myself. "He fired me." He's looking at me blankly like he didn't even hear the words that came out of my mouth. "Did you hear me, Sean? I said he fired me." I sniffle a bit. "What am I going to do?"

"Get another job." He said the words so bluntly. I mean, yeah sure, that's obviously the goal but he just said it like I'm an idiot. I can't help but let out a laugh at that. This man probably thinks I am an idiot.

"If only things were that easy. If only they were that simple." If only my mother didn't die. "But nothing is ever that simple." Thinking about my mother makes me want to cry again and I had just put myself back together. I look over his tall body and want nothing more than to go inside with him. I just want him to hold me. Sean doesn't seem like the type to hold anyone though, let alone comfort them.

"You want to come up to my place and have a drink?" I know what he is really asking though. He's asking if I want to go upstairs and sleep with him. I bite my lip and eye him hesitantly. When he gives me a lopsided grin I feel my entire resolve crumble. I feel myself nod even though just an hour ago I'd been telling myself I would never be one of his conquests. Guess I was wrong.

When he holds out his hand to me I take it. It's large and slightly colder than mine. But his embrace, even this small one, warms me all over. I follow him up the stairs, right up to the apartment that's across from mine. The moment we're inside he tears his hand away from me. You'd think it had electrocuted him or something.

The apartment looks just like mine just flipped around. It's tiny. Also, it's surprisingly clean for a guy's place. I suppose he regularly has women over so he has to keep the place in some type of order. When I see that giant bottle of whiskey a quarter of the way gone I frown. There's also a bunch of empty miniatures there too. There's no way he'd drank that all by himself already. He seemed completely fine. There's no way.

I can't help but ask, "was that all you?" I point over to the bottles.

"I have a rather high tolerance?" He said it like a question, like he didn't know what I really wanted to hear. I nod and walk over to the counter ready for a drink of my own.

I cock my head over my shoulder and wiggle my backside a little bit as I ask, "where can a girl get a glass around here?" I say it flirtatiously but get no response. He's just staring at me with that look again. "Sean?"

"Sorry, what did you say? I just kind of zoned out for a moment there." Great, I bore him. 

"I was asking where your glasses are." There's no flirtation this time because apparently that bored him. He comes up beside me and reaches into the cabinet pulling out four shot glasses.

"You're drinking with me. That means you need to drink like a champ." Oh hell no.

"Uh, that's probably not the best idea. I never drink straight liquor." It's terrible for your liver and my mother died of liver cancer. But I'm not going to bring that up. He rolls his eyes at me like I'd said the stupidest thing. "I'm serious!" I exclaim. "Maybe like a glass of wine or two or a martini at the bar if I go out but that's about it."

"Just take two to start off with."

I sigh and say, "fuck it." It's been a shit show of a day anyway. I'd just lost my job on top of it all too. So, yeah. Fuck it. I take one and knock it back before doing the exact same thing with the next one. You'd think I was a regular at doing this. Oh, maybe not. The taste makes me want to gag. "That was disgusting."

"Eh, you get used to it." He swigs the two back like it's nothing but water. That makes me grab the bottle off the counter and bring it to my lips. I tilt my head back and drink a giant gulp. I set the large bottle back on the counter trying not to grimace. "You trying to black out there, sweetheart?"

"I've actually never blacked out before." And I haven't. I wasn't really a binge drinker. Even at the parties I'd gone to in college I didn't binge drink.

"That makes one of us." The words were matter-of-fact. Which, from the looks of all these empty bottles, I'd say he'd blacked out plenty of times.

"You want to dance?" I can't help but ask. Sean doesn't really look like the dancing type. The liquor flowing through my system at the moment makes me want to dance though.

"I'm not really a dancer, sweetheart. If you'd like to though you can go right ahead. Stereo is over there." He nods his head off in the direction of it and I immediately go over. I turn on the radio and find a station that's playing something I can move to. He takes a seat at the kitchen table and sets the bottle down saying, "dance away."

"Oh I plan too." And I do.