Take Flight - Josie's journey #Wattys2017

Chapter 12: Drunk mistake

"Is my lipstick smeared?"

Steph turned away from the mirror and looked at me, her mouth pouting. Holding on to the sink, I squeezed my eyes together and tried to focus on her lips. 

"No, looks alright."

I said and nodded enthusiastically. Steph's eyes were narrowed in suspicion. It looked as if she felt a bit unsteady on her feet but I wasn't sure if it was her body spinning or my head. 

"Wait, why are you nodding? Is it smeared or not?"

Her eyes narrowed even more and I wondered if she was still able to see through them. Apparently, she couldn't, out of nowhere, she stumbled upon her own feet. I tried to catch her but she fell like a bag of potatoes, with such a force that she pulled me to the ground as well.

Ungentle I landed on my bottom, my hands still holding on to the sink. I didn't feel any pain, so I looked for my ginger friend.

"Are you okay?"

She answered with a high-pitched giggle. Between her waves of laughter, I heard her cursing. 

"Stupid wine!" 

I joined in, glad that she wasn't hurt.

"Tell me about it!" 

I answered as we sat there on the floor of the women's restroom, laughing like maniacs. Suddenly the door opened and an elderly woman appeared. She wore a fancy costume with jewelry that looked as if it was worth more than I earned in a whole year. She looked at us in disgust, her nose wrinkled. Under her breath, she muttered something that sounded like "absolutely undignified". We had tried to choke our laughter but as soon as she disappeared in one of the toilets, we burst out laughing again. Quickly we got up, grabbed our bags and took flight. 

The others were waiting for us in the lobby. Andrew and Sam spared us an amused look, Mim and Paul were looking at a map. 

"Everything okay ladies? Ready to go?"

Sam asked, his smile impish. Steph and I shared a knowing look before we turned to them.

"Yes, we are!"

Like gentlemen, the men offered us their arm. Steph went straight to Sam who even bowed a little as she stood in front of him. My gaze wandered to Andrew who was smiling at me. 

"May I?"

His brown eyes were beaming and his dimples were showing again. I bat my eyes and nodded sheepishly. I felt flattered as he walked up to me and let me take his arm. As I looked up at him, I noticed how tall he was. I barely reached his shoulders. 

"Okay guys, have a nice evening!" 

I hadn't notice Mim, who was now standing in front of us.  She reached up to kiss Andrew on his cheek and whispered into his ear. Although she spoke in a low voice, I understood every word of it.

"Make sure Josie gets home safe."

Then she gave me a tight hug, pressing the air out of my lungs. I could smell her perfume, a gentle breeze of flowers. 

"It was great meeting you Josie, I hope we'll see each other again tomorrow. Take care!" 

As she turned around, Paul waved at us. Hand in hand they disappeared, leaving the four of us behind. When they were out of sight, it was quiet for a moment.

I felt a bit unsteady on my feet, glad that I had Andrew's strong arms to support me. The fact that he and Sam seemed to be sober, puzzled me. 

We'd ordered two bottles of red wine for the main course. At first, I politely declined as the waiter wanted to pour me a glass. But he insisted on it, telling me that I'd hurt his Italian pride if I'd eat my pasta without a glass of wine.