Twilight Imagines

31. Guardian (Riley Biers)

(Published May 31, 2024) 

   To say that I had gotten myself drunk would not be an exaggeration.  The earth seemed to sway beneath my feet and my brain felt like it was floating away on me.  I never got drunk, and even my intoxicated self knew that this was going to end badly.  I let out a small gasp as I reached for a nearby lamppost to keep myself from falling over.  Giggling for a reason that escaped me, I glanced up to attempt to find my car.  Not that I could drive like this, but the backseat would be a good place to lay down and not fall over anymore.  

   My slightly unfocused vision spotted a small blue car across the street.  Had I parked over there?  I must've.  Cautiously releasing the lamppost, I managed to stumble off of the curb and make it to the pavement without falling.  

   Just a few more steps, I thought to myself as I carefully placed one foot in front of the other.  Unfortunately, my eyes were on the pavement and not the oncoming traffic, which I found out there was when a horn blared loudly at my shuffling figure.  I barely had time to gasp as I felt myself being yanked backwards quickly.  Stumbling again, I found myself turned around and pressed against a solid chest.  Blinking twice, I glanced up at my hero.  My drunken brain was playing tricks on me, because the guy I saw was Riley Biers, my boyfriend who had disappeared long ago.  

   "Well, that's how I know that I'm really, really drunk," I stated with a shake of my head.  "You look just like my boyfriend." 

   "Oh?" 

   He sounded just like my boyfriend, too.  I pushed at his arms, trying to free myself from the hug that wanted to feel familiar, but wasn't.  

   "Yeah.  I have a boyfriend, so you just keep yer hands to yerself and nobody has to get hurt." 

   "Let me take you home, at least." 

   I squinted at the man before me, but the face was still Riley's.  Well, almost.  There was something off about him.  Something different.  

   "Nope, I can get there myself.  Thank you for the rescue, but I'm a fine person.  Definitely not heartbroken and intoxicated." I waved him off, turning back to the now silent street. 

   "Why do I not believe you?" 

   My eyes squeezed shut tightly, trying to make his voice go away.  Willing the stupid memories to go back to the walls I had tucked them behind.  If I was just going to hallucinate him every time I got drunk, I wasn't ever going to drink again.  It hurt too much.  My heart had started aching inside my chest, causing my hand to cover it to make sure it was still intact.  

   "You must be smarter than me.  I believed he was alive for months." I paused, my hand still pressed against my chest where my heart was squeezing inside of me.  "But he's not.  He would've come back by now." 

   I stepped back out into the street, suddenly feeling the urge to get away from this stranger who would likely take advantage of a drunken idiot like myself.  Sadly, he followed me.  His hand found my elbow, keeping me from tipping over again.  He was nice, at least.  

   "What if what happened to him changed who he was, and he can't ever come back?" 

   Stopping mid-step, I turned to face him.  He looked down at me with dark eyes that held a look of regret in them.  Dark eyes that weren't his.  That's what was different.  His eyes.  

   "Then he's a loser.  We're a team, we can work through anything.  Either he gave up on me or he gave up on himself.  Either way is failure." 

   I blinked back tears as I turned away from him once again.  I wasn't going to be able to get away from him, especially not in the state I was in.  So, I walked over to the curb in front of my car and flopped down on the small patch of grass separating the sidewalk from the road.  Lying on my back gave me a beautiful view of the stars.  The big dipper shone brightly despite the street lampposts, bringing back another memory.  A memory of our first camping trip together where we sprawled out on a blanket on the beach and traced constellations with our fingers until our hands bumped into each other.  That was all it took for him to entwine our fingers and hold my hand for the first time.  Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I let them.  I hadn't cried over him in a while, and it wasn't like anyone could judge me for it right now.  Not with how many drinks I had downed.