The New Butler

Chapter Ten

I slowly open my eyes and sit up against the headboard of the bed. Max sits beside me with his phone in hand, he's fully dressed in a perfect gray suit and he seems to be ready to head to work. "What time is it?" I manage to whisper out with my dry throat, Max looks up at me as in barely noticing that I'm even here.

"It's two in the afternoon" he tells me, I nod and look around. I'm in my room, I don't remember coming back here. I must of fallen asleep while crying on Aeneas chest.

I get of the bed without saying another word and head straight into the bathroom. I start to get ready for the day.

*

"Are you working today?" I walkout the bathroom door, fully changed to see Max sitting on the edge of the bed. He looks up at me and smiles, "Yes, I have to go in to sign some documents" I nod, feeling a bit of relief that he's leaving for a bit.

Max stands, he steps towards me and pulls me into his arms. I'm able to feel a comfort and calmness as he hugs me. I close my eyes and breathe in his scent. "I'm about to say something that might scare you, but I need you to be open minded about it" I hear Max whisper.

"I think it would be best, if you go to rehab" my body tenses up at the mention of rehab, it goes stiff as I quickly pull away from Max. "Rehab?" I question, Max nods. "For your alcohol problem, just until you get better" I start to shake my head.

"Are you trying to get rid of me? Are you that desperate to get me out of your life?!" I find myself shouting at him. Max looks at me without saying a word, after a few seconds pass by he tries to reach out for me but I slap his hand away.

"Get out" I hiss, "will you just listen to me-", "no, get out!" I turn around and after a minute I hear Max walk out and the door close. How dare he even suggest something like that to me. Yes, after my son passed away Max and I drifted apart. I found comfort in alcohol just like he found comfort by sleeping around.

We do deal with our sons passing the wrong way, but how else could I have dealt with it?

I walk towards the door, I swing it open to see the butler standing there. He's wearing a black suit and sadly smiles down at me when he sees me. "I was about to knock, I saw Mr. Arias leaving the house and I thought you were awake so I came to check up on you" he tells me.

I step to the side to let him in, he awkwardly stands by the door. "I'm fine, and I'm sorry for falling asleep on you last night" I tell him as I close the door. Aeneas smiles and shakes his head. "It's alright, I'm quite use to the ladies falling asleep on me" he says. I laugh and shake my head with a smile on my lips.

The room falls into an awkward silence, I take a deep breath and smile as I walk towards my bed. "Do you think I'm an alcoholic?" My mouth speaks before I can even think about it.

Aeneas tilts his head as he walks towards me with a thoughtful look on his face. "I wouldn't say that you're an alcoholic, you might drink a bit too much at times but something tells me that it goes deeper than that. Something must have happened for you to start drinking the way that you do and I don't think it's the problems that you have with your husband" he tells me.

Aeneas sits down beside me on the bed as we both look straight ahead. He doesn't see me as an alcoholic-, "you're not an alcoholic, but you should stay away from any alcohol before your situation gets worse" he whispers beside me.

He's right, I'm not an alcoholic but if I continue to drink like when I did yesterday. I will become an alcoholic in no time, I need to stop drinking when I want to get away from reality, from my reality. I need to stop before I start to depend on it.

"Thank-" as I turn to face Aeneas to tell him thank you, he cups my face in between his hands and smashes his lips against mine. The feel, the touch, the sparks run through my body. It's a feeling that I can't describe. I'm only able to feel and let the kiss do the talking.

Aeneas doesn't break the kiss apart as he slowly pushes me back onto my bed, he gets on top of me and I let him. I let him take full control of me. I let myself get lost in our kiss.

"Athalia" I hear Aeneas whisper my name as he breaks our kiss apart. I come down from my daze when I hear his laugh. I watch him lick his lips and smile down at me, as I open my mouth to speak, he hushes me up by pressing his thumb against my lips. "Don't say a word, just hear me out" I nod.

"I think I'm falling for you, I know you're a married woman but I just can't hold myself back, like right now" he says, I take in what he's telling me and for some reason I start to freak out.

I push Aeneas off of me and stand up from the bed. "You need to leave" I rush out. I walk towards the door and swing it out, Aeneas sits on the bed, he watches me with hurt and confusion in his eyes.

"Just hear what I have to-", "no, don't say another word. I already know what you're going to say and the answer is no, I won't give you a chance. You work for my husband, I'm a married woman and you're just" I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself down.

"I'm just what?" I open them up to see Aeneas now standing in front of me, his eyes dare me to tell him what I was just going to say. "You're just-" I swallow back saliva, "you're just the butler"