Sacrifice: Beyond Series, Book 2

Chapter 4

Allie

I hear my mom's voice. She's chattering away about something, but the wine has got to me. I revert to answering her with quick responses in hopes she doesn't catch on to my drunken state. I've become a lush. It usually takes me over two glasses of wine to be this lightheaded. I don't feel right, not even for having too much to drink.

Eve returns to her seat and pushes her plate away from her.

"Are you not hungry?" I ask.

"I can't eat right now. I'm sorry." Her voice is abrupt.

"Maybe you should've stayed home then," I say.

"I can send it with you, Eve. It's no problem," mom says.

"Thank you, ma'am," she says.

"Whatever." I roll my eyes, but I can feel Eve glaring at me.

"Allie, I think you should drink a little water," mom says, handing me a cup.

I stand and knock it out of her hand.

"I don't need any damn water. I need my girlfriend to stop treating me like a basket case who couldn't possibly understand anything beyond her own suffering." My voices cracks from my raised voice.

"Baby...," Eve's voice is soft. "I think you need to calm down."

"Calm down? I guess you always know what's best for me, don't you, angel?" Eve reaches for my hand, but I stumble away.

"Allison," my mom says.

"Allison. Allison. Allison. You know, mom, I can play about a million different scenarios in my head every time I think about coming over here?"

"We've moved past that and you know it," she says.

"Maybe you have, mother, but I haven't. All the shit I went through growing up has only made me feel more incompetent and unworthy. I can't enjoy life's simple pleasures because I'm always terrified I'm going to mess up." Tears sting my eyes, but I keep them back.

My mom hangs her head down and fights back her own tears. "You don't have to tell me I was not a wonderful mother, Allie. I did the best I could. I'm trying to better. That's all I can say."

"That's all you can say?" I laugh.

Eve strides over to me, holding my head between her hands. Her fiery eyes glare into mine. "Baby, I need you to look at me."

"I don't want to look at you, Eve. Every time I do, I'm reminded of how worthless I am. I can't even have sex with you without worrying about letting you down."

"I'll wait in the other room," mom says, leaving us alone.

"What has gotten into you?" Eve asks. "You know your mom has changed."

"Well, good for her. I guess she deserves a prize."

Eve looks at me in disbelief. I wait for her next lecture, but it doesn't come. "I think it's time for us to go."

I roll my eyes as she lets go of my head. I stumble backwards. Eve scoops me in her arms just before I fall down.

"As you wish, my angel." I mumble, as I pass out.

X X X X

I awaken in the apartment with a splitting headache. The scar on my arm from the night the creator came for me throbs along with it. It's never done that before. Maybe I just slept on it wrong. I sit up in bed, shielding my eyes with my hand.

"Eve?" I groan.

She walks into the room and leans against the doorway, glaring at me.

"What happened?"

"Which part?" she sighs.

"Did I do something to upset you?" I ask.

"I don't know how you can't remember. I'll get you something for your head," she says, heading to the kitchen cabinet. I hear her pour pills out of a medicine bottle. She fills a cup with water from the faucet before returning to me. "Take these."

I swallow the pills with a big swig of water. Eve sits on the bed beside me and takes the cup from me, putting it on the nightstand.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. How did we get home? The last thing I remember is eating lunch and talking with mom while you went outside for some air." I squint my eyes to look at Eve.

"You said hurtful things to your mother." Eve's look of disappointment stings. "What you said about me, I can forgive. But your mother took your words to heart."

"Eve, I didn't mean anything I said. It wasn't me."

"The words came from you. Yes, you were drunk, but they still held venom."

"However, something you mentioned about me needs addressed," she says.

"What is it?" I ask.

"You said you felt like I treat you like a basket case who couldn't possibly understand anything beyond her own suffering." Eve places her hand on my knee. "Allie, have I truly made you feel that way?"

"I shouldn't have said that," I say.

"But you did."

"I know you try very hard to protect me, but keeping your own worries and struggles from me only makes mine worse. I want to help you just as bad as you want to help me." I keep my gaze at her hand on my knee.

"I need to stop treating you like that. It isn't right of me to keep my emotions from you. I know your mind is always going, baby. I didn't realize how perceptive you are to my feelings."

Eve scoots closer to me and lays down. "Come here, it'll help your head." I slide back down into bed and rest my head against her. She kisses my forehead, tracing invisible lines across it with her fingertips.

"I'm sorry, angel. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Shh now, baby. We will talk about it when you're feeling better." She whispers.

I count Eve's steady breaths and focus my attention on the gentle touch of her caressing fingertips. I want to explain myself better, but I don't know how badly my comments affected her or my mom. I can only hope that I can repair the damage I've caused.