Fire Meet Gasoline

Chapter three

After lingering outside for a while, debating whether to go inside or not, I walked up the steps, and slowly pushed opened the door, and see a bar which is half full. I spot Herrmann at the bar, and smile as I arrive in front of him. Herrmann told me Amelia could stay at his house, therefore I could enjoy myself and get to know some people in Chicago.

"Hey Len, its great to see you!" Herrmann says, and I smile.
"You too Chris, what's it been, a whole day?"  He laughs, and smiles.
"So, who's ordering first?" I frown and then look to my left, and notice the guy I asked for help yesterday at fifty one was stood beside me.
"Be my guest, I don't know what I want to drink." I tell him.
"Nah, ladies first. I insist." I smile and bite my lip.
"I'll have whatever he is having, because I haven't drank alcohol for a long time." I state.
"Two scotch on the rocks please Herrmann." He says before turning his head so he's facing me. "Oh yeah? How long?" He asks me, and I shake my head.
"If i tell you, you can't laugh at me, you have to promise not to laugh at me." I tell him, and he promises.
"Well, the first time I drank legally, it was my eighteenth birthday, and my friends and I, we decided to celebrate, and we went to every pub, bar, club we could find. I got that drunk I was rushed to hospital which resulted in my stomach being pumped. That was the first and last time I drank alcohol, and seven years later, here I am." I say and smile.
"Impressive." He tells me.
"Not really, I have never had the time for alcohol, or partying. My life has been pretty hectic for the past seven years, three years of university, getting a job, settling into a routine, etc."

An hour or so later, I'm a whole lot more tipsy than I planned on being, and I learnt that the guy who bought me the drink was called Kelly.
I'm sat at a booth, with Kelly, Erin and Jay.
"You guys ever been to London?" I ask, and they shake their heads.
"But I'd like to." Erin says.
"I wouldn't, it's a bit shit.. well, the touristy bits are good like the big wheel thing, what's that called? Oh yeah, the London eye. That's pretty cool. Houses of Parliament, the river Thames, Big Ben. However, don't go within the next four years if you want to hear Big Ben, because they are doing maintenance work or something and it's going silent for four years.
But, where I'm from in London, you don't want to go there. It's just full of high rise tower blocks, flats, people with knives and guns, and then there's crackheads.." I roll my eyes.
"Sounds a lot like Chicago then." Jay says and laughs before sipping his beer.
I rest my head against Kelly's chest, and laugh.

"Chicago seems lovely, especially if you compare it to where I was born and raised. My mother, was a prostitute, and my father a drug dealer." I state.

"my father probably isn't my father, as soon as I turned sixteen, I was out of that dump. I got a job, and now I'm here. Last time I saw them was nine years ago. Good riddance to them if you ask me.
I barely even saw them, they were in and out of the flat now and again. My brother and I, we were a team, but he goes and abandons me. Haven't seen him since. Good riddance to my family, they all a bunch of arse holes." I say and prise the bottle of beer from Kelly's hand and take a swig of it.

"Right, I think you've had enough alcohol." Kelly tells me.
"I think you are right." I say and laugh.

"Come on, let's get you home." He says, and I wave good bye to Erin and Jay.

"Len, give me your keys, you too Severide." Herrmann calls out. I stop and pull my keys out of my pocket, throwing them to him.

Kelly frowns. "Herrmann, I've barely drank anything, besides, we're on shift tomorrow." He says. Herrmann mutters, wishing us a good night.

As we get arrive on the steps of the bar, I stop, holding onto Kelly's arm and I pull my heels off, and exhale slowly.
"You don't understand the struggle of heels." I say and begin to continue walking.
"I can't let you walk without any shoes on." He says and picks me up in his arms, carrying me bridal style.