𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

6 | Perfecting the Art of a Poker Face

"Does this mean you're not going to sleep in the spare room without me anymore?" Tom asked softly, smiling to me after we got out of the car and I looped my arm around his.

"No, I'm still angry at you. You're still drinking and you haven't told me you love me in weeks," I said quietly, walking up the grand staircase to the venue Harrison and Robyn had rented for their engagement party.

"I love you okay?" He said exasperated, as if saying those three words was a chore.

"Don't you fucking tell me that unless you mean it," I snap back.

It was lavish as fuck; professionally decorated, professionally catered, it even had live fucking entertainment just to escort you from the valet to the property. I always knew the boys in The Family had a shit tonne of money but events like this just proved it. They'd rented this huge house on multiple acres of land just for one night. Jesus Christ.

"Then why are you hanging off my arm?" He asked, walking with me inside the house and smiling at the usher holding a tray of expensive champagne. His hand was shaking as he reached out to take one; alcohol withdrawals already.

"Because people notice when The Godfather is fighting with his partner. I don't want to take any attention off Harrison and Robyn on their special night, that's not fair to either of them," I said sipping from my glass of champagne and greeting person after person as we passed them.

"Yeah well they can fucking deal with it because I'm their fucking boss," he muttered through gritted teeth, smiling to someone else we barely knew.

"Don't you dare get angry at your best friends engagement party, just fucking pretend to be the old Tom okay? Can you just do that one thing for me?" I said quietly under my breath, squealing as I saw Robyn rush over to us and throw her arms around me.

"He still being an asshole?" She whispered in my ear as she hugged me, pulling away and hugging Tom before I nodded at her and rolled my eyes. Like Tom and I, Robyn knew that she had to keep a poker face today.

He was chewing the inside of his mouth, jittery and fidgeting with his fingers. He's been sober for only several hours, surely he wasn't craving a drink this badly. He's probably not even sober, he's probably just battling the throbbing headache from his daily hangover.

Haz pulled him away shortly after and started to mingle with the rest of the boys whereas Robyn introduced me to several of her friends who weren't dating men in The Family.

I wonder if they know they're surrounded by some of the nations most dangerous people. Do you think any of them ever see something they shouldn't see and think to themselves, 'Oh Robyn's fiancée has some scary friends'. I guess I turn a blind eye to people quickly snorting bumps of cocaine off their phone screens or talk openly about jobs they've executed.

A few of them joined us in a conversation with girls I was friends with from The Family. As innocent as the other girls were, they were nice girls; girls she went to high school and college with.

"Ladies, I want you to get to know each other closely. Because as my new bridesmaids, you're going to be spending a whole lot of time together," Robyn said enthusiastically, garnering a few squeals from the group. Her older sister was her maid of honour and given her reaction I assume she already knew this.

"Okay, now let's fucking drink!" She said holding her glass up and cheering, all of us instinctively sculling the rest of our drinks in unison. I love Robyn, I really do. She's a fucking bad ass and a sweet heart at the same time.

Haz interrupted politely and excused us as he pulled Robyn to the side; talking to her with quiet a serious expression on his face. She looked concerned, biting her bottom lip with her brows furrowed as Harrison ran his hand up and down her arm to console her.

Then they both looked towards me.

And I know why, fuck, what has Tom done now?

"Hey, can we talk to you real quick?" Robyn said walking down a corridor with Harrison and I before telling Harrison to 'tell her what you just told me'.

"I think Tom is passed out in the bathroom. He uh, he went in a while ago and he's locked himself in a stall. He wouldn't respond when I called out to him. I thought he was taking his time because he was dialing lines or taking a shit but uh, it's been a while," Haz said softly.

"Guys, I am so sorry he's been such a mess lately. I'll go deal with him don't worry. Can you guys escort me into the bathroom and make sure nobody comes in? It'll look a bit fucked up if a women walks into the men's room without a man with her," I say forcing a laugh, yet I was far from being in a joking mood. I was fucking furious at Tom.

We've been here for an hour.
How is he this fucked up already?

Robyn agreed to wait out the front to direct any men to alternate bathrooms. Haz came in with me, offering to try and carry Tom to one of the spare rooms on the property to try and sober him up.

"My best man is passed out an hour into the fucking engagement party... How is he supposed to survive the bachelor party?" Haz joked, although you could sense in the tone of his voice that he wasn't so jovial inside.

This is so fucking embarrassing, having Tom ruin their engagement and their engagement party. If he pulls this shit at their wedding Harrison will kill him.

I sighed as I pulled a Bobby Pin from my hair and bent it straight with my teeth, using it to unlock the stall Tom was in.

And there was Tom, sitting on the floor of the bathroom stall, his suit jacket on the floor, eyes closed, his shirt sleeve rolled up, a thick elastic band around his arm and a needle sticking out from one of his veins.

I covered my mouth in shock, fear and a broken heart seeing the man I loved injecting himself with drugs. I was fine with him partaking in the occasional party drug but this, this was different. I turned to Harrison to see what his reaction was like; he looked the same as me.

I'll be honest, seeing Harrison so shocked gave me a breath of relief, knowing that this level of drug use wasn't common amongst their group of friends. I'd only ever seen them use cocaine and occasionally weed. Not this shit. Not fucking needles.

"Shit, he hasn't been drinking every day... He's been hiding a fucking heroin addiction from me."