la douleur exquise🌙

34• Drunk and Tempted

It was 1:40 AM and Lou couldn't sleep. Not that restless nights were new to her. She had been through many nights without putting herself to sleep, but that night was different.

She took her phone and reread the text messages and photos Nine sent her.

|"Guess who's here."

"Who?"

|"Your wife. Did you two fight? She's drunk."

"Ex-wife, and she's Therese's sister by the way."

|"Yeah, I heard about that. Look at this."

And there it is: the photo of Debbie smiling so wide while drinking with her unshaven looking like a moron boyfriend. She still wonders why Nine have to send her those photos when she knows that they had nothing to do with each other's business now. Except that she's Therese step sister and they are staying in her villa now.

Lou took a long sip straight from the bottle of vodka she was nursing while sitting at the bottom of the stairs. What am I even doing here? Waiting?... For her? and why? Her mouth twists into a wry smile.

What the hell are you doing Lou? She asked herself internally and stand up. She decided to go back to her room before she lost her mind and do stupid things she was not supposed to do, but she stopped abruptly when she heard the keys dangling sound in the door. Someone's attempting to open the door and failed. Debbie. Lou rushed towards the huge mahogany door and open it and there was Debbie now leaning her head in the door frame. She tossed her keys on the entryway table. "These keys are useless," Debbie hissed making Lou give an amused laugh in return.

"You're drunk."

Debbie hummed in response attempting to walk straight but failed miserably because she almost fell, but Lou was quick to catch her. Before Lou's brain cells could process her arms were already snaked around Debbie's waist holding her protectively and the brunette's hand clutched the shirt over Lou's chest for support.

Lou couldn't help but stiffen when Debbie lifted her head. Their gaze met and she was unable to look away from those brown eyes. The moment for which they tenderly stared at each other was a bit too long, a bit too intimate even for their situation. They stood like that for what felt like an hour but was probably just a few minutes, or seconds? Lou felt the need to say something, anything, swelling up in her chest.

All sorts of things were hanging in the air between them, those unsaid words. It felt like they were seeing each other for the first time after five years apart. Her thoughts were stopped when she felt Debbie's hand on her cheeks, her thumb caressing her lips. So slow and ever so gentle. Did time just stop? She wondered. Then Debbie broke the spell.

"Goodnight Lou." She freed herself from Lou's arms and walked upstairs leaving the blonde still frozen in shock as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

•••

Debbie sauntered into her large shower stall and let the warm droplets of water soothe and calm her. She wanted Lou. She wanted to kiss her. And she was about to when she recalled what had happened a few hours ago. Debbie felt disgusted but at the same time she felt relief because it saved her from doing something stupid.

A few hours ago...

The feeling of disgust and nausea woke her up from her drunken state. She didn't know if it was because of the man kissing her or because she was drunk on an empty stomach. "Stop! Leave me alone now!." As soon as Claude lifted his head off Debbie's neck, the brunette pushed him away. She dashed off to the bathroom, and threw up.