Langour ・❥・Joost Klein・❥・

28.

'Hugo, I could kill you, right now.'

Fenne had locked herself around Joost's middle with her face buried in his chest. With a murderous glare, Joost looked over the top of Fenne at his intoxicated brother.

'Your lady sure can take a drink,' Hugo toasted his beer and Joost gritted his teeth. If he wasn't acting as a physical support for the girl against him, Joost would have thrown his brother out of the house.

'I'm assuming she drank all of this?' Hanna held up the empty bottle of vodka. Hugo gave a proud affirmative.

'You convinced my 5ft3 girlfriend to drink a whole bottle-'

'Half a bottle!'

'Half a bottle of vodka, fuck, and you're proud of it?!'

At his raised voice, Fenne looked up from his football jersey and cried,

'Hey! He didn't do anything! I wanted to drink that much!'

Joost looked down and visibly softened at Fenne's red-rimmed eyes. Her attempt to look angry was comedic and Joost had to stop himself from cooing in adoration. But in front of everyone, he couldn't publically condone the state she was in.

Joost was infuriated that his brother had been the one to get Fenne drunk. He knew Hugo's personality was so easy going that Fenne wouldn't have realised how much alcohol she was actually consuming. While he would open another beer and be almost tipsy, Fenne would have poured another hefty drink. Joost should have realised what was happening when he hadn't seen the two for a good portion of the night.

'You're done for the night,' Joost announced and peeled Fenne away from his front. 'I'm taking you upstairs.'

'I'm going to head out. Great party, Joost,' Hugo pushed himself off the counter. He went to slip by his brother, only to have Joost reach out to shove him.

Hugo dodged his attempt and slipped down the hallway, leaving Joost with an intoxicated girlfriend and no beer.

With a sigh, Joost prompted Fenne to say goodnight to everyone as he took her hand. Fenne was giddy at the contact, letting the man lead her towards the staircase without struggle. At the sight of the two, people parted to let them ascend to the top floor, where the crowd thinned. Doors remained shut and it seemed everyone had stayed away from the bedrooms.

'Sit there. I'm getting your makeup wipes.'

Fenne sat on the edge of their shared bed and watched Joost head into the bathroom. He returned with the pink package and peeled the tab, pulling out a fresh wipe.

'Do you want me to do it?' he asked and she hummed in an uncertain reply. Deciding on his own, Joost bent down to start removing the black mascara and eyeliner from Fenne's eyes.

'Mmm thank you, liefje.'

'Liefje? That's supposed to be your nickname,' Joost chuckled.

'It's gender neutral.'

Their bedroom was lit by a singular lamp on the bedside table. Noise from the lower floor was dulled by the door, but the music could still be heard through the floorboards. Judging by Fenne's change in demeanour, Joost was reassured she would have no problem getting to sleep despite the ongoing party.

Fenne's face was clean after Joost's best efforts and it wasn't long until she was in her pajamas. The duvet was pulled back for her, letting her lazily swing her legs to slip beneath the covers. Joost waited until she was lying down before covering her and kneeled beside the bed.

Her drunken antics had ceased once he handed over her toothbrush. Joost stood by as Fenne brushed her teeth, bemused at how she stared at the corner while brushing in slow circles.