The Winner

Can We Skip To The Good Part

Right when I think Julia's been gone too long and grab my keys, the elevator intercom buzzes. I buzz them in without needing to hear who it is. The doors open to James, holding a passed out, whiskey smelling, Julia in his arms. The smell of the alcohol fills the air, and my pulse quickens. It's been so long since I've smelt that scent. My addiction is apparently still very strong because all I want to do is hold Julia and take in the aroma. 

My two addictions - Julia and Whiskey. 

Jonah shakes his head at James like he failed, but I know Julia. She is so damn strong-willed sometimes. There's no stopping her when she gets something in her head. Her mind was set on getting drunk and forgetting life, and that's exactly what she did.

"I tried." James catches on to Jonah's disappointed face. "Believe me, I tried so hard. She wasn't having it. She's gonna be in rough shape when she wakes up."

"Put her in bed, and I'll grab a waste bucket in case she throws up." I follow James into my room, and he gently lays her on the mattress and takes her shoes off. She is so plastered she didn't even budge. I grab the small empty waste bucket from the bathroom and place it on the side of the bed.

"What happened? What did she say?"

James doesn't answer me. All he does is shake his head. I think he's been drinking as well. He kicks off his own sneakers and lays on the recliner next to her, watching her sleep before passing out himself.  I roll my eyes at the two of them but also... I'm fucking envious right now. I'm not gonna lie. I miss that feeling. How the hell am I gonna overcome this addiction?

I don't bother going back out into the living room with everyone else. I strip down to my boxers, close the curtains so the room is pitch black, and climb in on my side of the bed. I pay no attention to the man on the other side of the room passed out in the recliner, facing us. I gently pull Jules on to my bare chest and take in her scent. This is about as close as I'm gonna get to a bottle of whiskey and from the sounds of it, probably as close as I'm gonna get to Julia.

I was wrong.

About an hour or so later, right as I'm finally able to shut my brain off and start to fall asleep, I feel Julia shift a little on me. Shit, she's gonna end up getting sick, isn't she?

I was wrong again.

It's too dark to see her face, or James for that matter. But I feel her. I feel Julia start to wake up and press her body against me. Her head is still resting on my chest and I already had my arm wrapped around her. I feel her inch up a little more as she starts to wake up more. With the arm that's wrapped around her, I gently stroke her arm to see if she'll fall back asleep so she can sleep it off.

Wrong again.

I feel her mouth close to my ear and can smell her whiskey breath. 

"You awake?" Julia barely whispers. I almost didn't hear her. I squeeze her into me a little more with my arm around her shoulder and feel her hand rest on my chest. I don't say anything but swallow hard when she softly kisses my neck. How the hell can she even see anything? 

"Jule. What are you doing..." I whisper just as soft but get nothing in response. Is she still drunk? Is she sober? I'm not sure but when I feel her fingers trail down my chest I tense up and start to harden. All I can smell is the alcohol and any other time, on any other person, that would probably be a turn off. But the soothing scent on Julia has me aching for more.  

I feel her attach her lips right under my ear which drives me insane. She barely touches her soft lips on my skin but it sends a tingling sensation down my body. James is in the same fucking room right now. Granted if I can't see a thing he can't, but God this is risky. This is also Julia. And my addiction will always get the best of me. I tuck my chin in, feeling where her breath is, but missing her lips a little, catching the corner of her mouth.