Living Arrangements

Chapter Four: Drunk Admissions

CHAPTER 4: DRUNK ADMISSIONS

Unlike the top floor of the bar, the downstairs club was dark and enclosed. Neon lights shone from the ceiling, giving everyone and everything a pale, wax-like appearance. The four men who'd been sat at the bar turned at the slam of the door, greeting Drake with loud yells. He greeted them all individually and they only seemed to notice Caroline after he'd joined them at the bar.

One of the guys with bleached blonde spiked up hair did a double take, his eyes raking up and down her body quickly and thoroughly. She blushed, suddenly grateful for the lack of light as Drake gestured for her to come forward.

"Not your usual type Drake." One of them said, his green eyes flickering with interest as he looked at Caroline. She waited for Drake to deny it, shocked when he remained silent.

"I like her." The one closest to her said, shooting her a smile which Caroline hesitantly returned. He looked kinder than the others and smiled at her face rather than looking at her body. Caroline slipped onto a stool between him and Drake, ignoring the curious looks she was attracting from the rest of them.

"Maybe I decided I don't like my usual type." Drake said swiftly, making a large show of taking Caroline's hand in his. She resisted the urge to pull it away. After all, it was better than giving any of the rest of them a chance to make a move on her.

* * *

Throughout the following few hours, the club became gradually more crowded and Caroline gradually more stressed. She was going to be in deep, deep shit when Drake finally relented and gave up her keys.

In the meantime however, she had to find some way to pass the time and since Drake had disappeared, she was left at the bar, crowded by hot bodies in tight clothing.

"Your boyfriend left you?" The nice one from before dismissed someone from the stool beside Caroline and took his place, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Carter."

 "Caroline." She replied gratefully, appreciating the company.

"and no, he's just... temporarily disappeared I guess." Carter looked torn for a moment before nodding his head towards the back corner of the room and Caroline glanced in that direction to see Drake leant against the wall.

A tall blonde stood beside him, laughing loudly and stroking her perfectly manicured nails down his leather clad arm. Caroline rolled her eyes and turned back to Carter, who was averting his eyes guiltily. It was then Caroline remembered who she was meant to be here with and tried to compose her face into a sad expression.

"Look," Carter began

"I'm not going to say I'm glad about this, but if you're going to be with Drake... You should at least know who he is."

Caroline nodded slowly, grateful that someone here was actually kind enough to look out for her in this room full of strangers.

"Yeah well, I figure the last year he's spent in jail helps with that." Carter's face was torn again and Caroline averted her gaze, eager to change the subject.

"So what would you recommend?" She gestured along the bottles lining the edge of the bar and Carter's expression immediately became suspicious.

"Somehow, I'm not quite sure you're old enough to be drinking."

"You mean like everybody else in this room is?" Caroline replied amusedly, crossing her arms stubbornly. Carter chuckled,

"Touché. Are you sure though?"

Caroline glanced back to Drake, who was now smiling and had moved closer to the skanky blonde.

"Yep. Show me what you got."

- Five hours later -

"Oh my god," the girl Drake had been talking to gasped, her eyes widening as she looked past Drake. He turned around curiously, shocked to see Caroline dancing vigorously against a boy he'd never before seen in his life.

"Oh crap." He leapt from his seat and pushed through the crowd towards her, reaching her at the same time Carter did.

"What the hell man I thought she was with you?" He stared down his cousin angrily as Caroline continued dancing by herself. His cousin shrugged, trying to hide his smile.

"I gave her one drink man, maybe you should keep better watch on your girlfriend." Drake raised his eyebrows sceptically.

"I think we both know she's not my girlfriend Carter." Caroline whimpered from next to him and he turned to her to see her pouting cutely.

"That's not very nice." She wrapped her hands around his shoulder, clinging to his side. Her body was warm and the clothes she'd been wearing had ridden up and down in all the right places, exposing flesh that Drake was very much pleased to see.

"Can we dance?" She asked, not waiting for an answer before she dragged him onto the dance floor and turned her back to him, rubbing her back against him in time to the music. Drunk Caroline was assertive, sexy and Drake decided he liked her very much. As much as he knew he should get her home now, surely one dance couldn't hurt and with her hot little body rubbing up against his, thinking straight wasn't the easiest thing to do.

He placed his hands on her hips, rolling her back into him and swinging from side to side in time to the rhythm. She lifted her arms, wrapping them backwards around the back of his neck and he did the same around the front of her stomach. He could feel his cock twitch in his trousers and was shocked when she trembled slightly. When she turned, her eyes were dilated and glazed over with lust and she pushed against him, pressing her breasts against his chest and rolling her hips into his pelvis.

Drake caught his cousin's amused look from the edge of the dance floor and returned to his senses, scooping Caroline up in his arms to carry her outside. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, breathing in deeply.

The air outside was warm and a small breeze lifted several strands of Caroline's hair so it was tickling against Drake's cheek.

"You're really nice, you know that?" Caroline mumbled into his neck, her voice slurred and tired.

"Thanks." Drake chuckled, grateful that she was fairly reserved when she was drunk. Sure, she may have gone further on that dance floor if he hadn't stopped her but she wasn't fighting against him now.

"No like seriously. I mean I know you were in juvie and everything and everybody's like really intimidated by you but I think deep down you're kind of a softie."

Drake remained silent and continued walking, reacting only when Caroline lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. The red in her hair was less obvious in the dim light but her eyes shone brighter than ever. Her face lit up in a breath-taking smile and she stroked one finger down his cheek.

"You're really hot too, that probably helped your case for probation you know."

"Caroline, your Dad was in charge of my case, I'm fairly sure my being hot wouldn't affect his judgement."

She gave a small sigh of indignation and rested her head back against his shoulder as they reached her car.

"My head hurts."

* * *

Somehow, Drake managed to get her out of the car without waking her up and she gave a soft little purr as he took her back in his arms. The sheriff's car was parked in the driveway so he snuck around the back of the house, peering in the window to see Caroline's father sat in front of the telly, his gaze purely focused on the screen.

He opened the back door as quietly as possible, finding it ironic how easily he'd managed to sneak into the sheriff's house. Caroline barely flinched as he set her down on her mattress, doing his best to pull the covers over her without waking her.

As he tried to straighten up, her hands clenched loosely around his arm and she mumbled incoherently, rolling onto her side. Drake lay down beside her and she shuffled closer, curling her body into his chest and tucking her head between his chin.

 "Goodnight Caroline." He ran his fingers through her hair and let his eyes flutter shut, surrounded by the scent of alcohol and her shampoo as he drifted to sleep.