Coffee Boy (Dallas Liu FF)

8

We were sitting in a cocktail bar, and I had already downed five Sex on the Beach drinks. The problem with this cocktail? It was so sweet that you couldn't taste the alcohol, and, my friends, that's how you unknowingly get wasted. Sophie ordered another round of the sweet drink, and just to top it off, two vodka shots.

"You know, Sophie, I thought we agreed to take it easy tonight," I chuckled, eyeing the array of drinks before us.

She flashed a mischievous grin. "Well, plans change, especially when you've got someone eyeing you like a midnight snack," she quipped, nodding toward a dark-haired guy a few tables away.

Unable to contain my laughter, I raised my shot glass in agreement. "Liquid courage it is, then!"

I chuckled softly. "You should totally talk to him,"

"I haven't hooked up in forever!" Sophie groaned. We clinked glasses, and I downed the burning liquid. I grimaced for a moment, then immediately took a sip of my new cocktail to suppress the burn.

"I think I need to pee," I said, getting up. I held onto the edge of the table for a moment, trying not to tip over. Sophie giggled. I had clearly underestimated how much I'd already had to drink. When I returned, Sophie was sitting at the table with the young man, laughing. I sighed and walked over to her.

"Hey, Sophie? I think I wanna go home. You good?" I eyed the guy skeptically but smiled back when he smiled at me. Or was it two smiles? I wasn't quite sure; everything seemed to be doubling. Somehow, I was seeing everything in duplicate.

"Yeah. Don't wait for me; I think I'll be busy tonight," she replied, grinning knowingly at the guy. I nodded and left the bar after somehow managing to pay the bill. Confused, I looked left and right. Which way was home again?

I think I should ask Dallas. For some reason, I missed him terribly, even though I'd seen him just yesterday. I dug my phone out of my purse and tried to find his number, but the letters were all just flying around the screen.

Frustrated, I sighed. "Hey, Siri? Call Dallas," I grumbled, breathing a sigh of relief when I heard the familiar ringtone. "What's up?" Dallas asked as he answered. He seemed to be chewing something. Was he eating? "Hey, um, do you know which direction I need to go to get home?" I asked, confused.

"What?" Dallas asked, bewildered. "I don't remember, and I also don't remember how Google Maps works, and I'm also not feeling really well," I mumbled into the phone. "Cara, are you drunk? Where's Sophie?" he asked, concerned. "She's hooking up with a guy. You know, I've never hooked up with a guy? That's strange because I'm old enough, right?" I said, walking in the direction that felt right at the moment.

"Where are you, Cara?" he asked, and I heard him moving. "Oh, I was at the Monkey Bar. It was pretty funny there. But now I'm walking," I told him. "Okay, stay where you are. I'm coming to get you," he said. I stopped and giggled. "Can we hook up then?" I asked. "We'll talk about this later. I'll be there in 10. Stay where you are, and if something is wrong, call me immediately," he said before hanging up.

I'm gonna hook up for the first time today! I sat down on the ground and waited. "Cara!" a voice called after what felt like an eternity. Dallas stood over me, leaning down to help me up. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my body against his. "Dallas! I missed you so much!" I said happily. He returned my hug briefly, then gently pushed me away.

"Come on, let's get you home, honey," he said, putting an arm around my waist to support me. My ability to walk straight was somewhat limited at the moment. "We can go to my place to hook up!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Cara, I'm not hooking up with you," Dallas said, laughing.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "You don't like me?" I asked, hurt. "I really like you, Cara. That's the problem. I'm not hooking up with you when you're drunk as hell. How much did you drink, anyways?" he asked. "Like six cocktails and a few shots, I guess? I stopped counting after the third," I admitted.

Then it hit me like a truck. "You really like me?" I looked up at him, surprised. "Yeah, we should probably have this conversation when you can look at me without being cross-eyed," he laughed. "So you think I'm ugly now?" I asked, hurt.

"No! That's not what I meant!" he said, concerned. "Dallas?" I said, feeling a strange sensation in my stomach. "Yes, darling?" he said, practically carrying me down the street. "I think I need to puke," I said, turning away from him. Barely had I managed that when the nauseating feeling hit me, and my stomach contents landed on the street.

I felt Dallas gather my hair in his hand and place his other hand gently on my back. "You will have the worst hangover tomorrow," Dallas said, a smirk in his voice. I coughed and wiped my mouth. "I think something got on my shoes, but they were-" I was interrupted by another wave of nausea. "Are you good now?" Dallas asked, gently stroking my back.

I sat up and wiped my mouth again. "I think so," I murmured. Dallas released my hair and gently brushed the strands falling into my face behind my ears. "I'm so tired," I murmured, leaning more into Dallas as he gently guided me through the streets.

"We're almost home, don't worry," he replied. I nodded and tried to keep my eyes open. "Where are your keys?" Dallas asked as we finally arrived at my doorstep after what felt like an eternity. "I don't really know. Maybe in my purse?" I said thoughtfully. Dallas had taken my handbag from me at some point because I kept dropping it.

He rummaged around in it now and pulled out my keys. "We need to walk the stairs now, okay?" he said calmly. I shook my head. "I hate stairs. I hate walking up to the fifth floor. I want an apartment with an elevator!" I protested. Dallas sighed, and with a gentle impulse, my feet left the ground.

One of Dallas's hands was under my knees, and the other supported my back as he gently carried me up the stairs, as if I were as light as a feather. "You're like a prince," I murmured, resting my head on his shoulder. "Well, this would make you my princess, so I'm fine with it," he replied. I giggled.

"I wish it was true. But we're just friends, right?" I murmured. "We'll talk about this another time, Cara," he replied. "No! Don't call me like that. I like it when you give me stupid nicknames like before," I said indignantly.

Dallas chuckled. He unlocked the apartment door after gently setting me down again and led me to my room. "Okay, where do you keep your pajamas?" he asked. "First drawer," I replied, starting to grin as Dallas opened the drawer, took a brief look inside, and closed it again.

"That's a whole lot of lingerie," he remarked. I laughed. "I just pranked you! It's in the second drawer!" I said amusedly. He pulled out my cozy pajamas with little ducks on them. "No! I can't wear this in front of you!" I protested. He shook his head. "Come on. I'll wait outside," he said, tossing me the pajamas before disappearing from the room.

I tried to pull my dress over my head, but it just wouldn't work. The zipper! Where was the zipper again? "I can't get my dress off!" I exclaimed frustratedly. Dallas slowly re-entered the room. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he said finally. "Please, just help me. I'm not the first naked girl you've seen," I grumbled.

"No, but the first one that I care about," he murmured and walked over to me. Carefully, he unzipped my dress. "Now you should be able to get it off yourself," he said. I shrugged and easily pulled it over my head. He immediately turned around. "Cara! At least give me a warning!" he grumbled. I giggled and struggled to put on the pajamas.

"My makeup," I muttered. Dallas grabbed the makeup wipes from my small vanity table and sat down across from me. "Here you go," he said, holding out the pack. I crossed my arms irritably over my chest. "No, I hate taking my makeup off!" I complained. He sighed and finally took one of the makeup wipes out of the pack. "Close your eyes," he said. I did as he instructed, feeling him gently wipe my face. My eyes grew heavier, and I didn't want to open them anymore. "Come on," he said finally, gently pushing me onto my mattress before covering me up. "Dallas?" I murmured as sleep slowly overtook me. "Yeah?" he asked, turning off the light in my room. "Can you stay with me? I don't want you to leave," I asked. There was a brief silence, then I felt the mattress sink next to me, and two strong arms pulled me close. Then, finally, sleep washed over me.