Save Myself

Chapter 7

"Holy shit," Kiara shook her head, seeing Natalie walk into work the following morning, "Are you seriously hung over?" She asked, recognizing the look on her face.

"Just..." She shook her head, "Shh."

"So you can go out with other people but not with us?" Kiara asked, as Natalie sat down at her desk.

"I didn't go out." Natalie breathed.

"Don't lie to me." She replied, crossing her arms, "Natalie, I know when you've been drinking. I just don't get why you'll go out with other people, but not us. Did we do something, because I-"

"Kiara!" Natalie exclaimed, rubbing her temples as her headache intensified, "I didn't go out with anyone last night. I stayed in, me and Robert were fighting so I just...had a little."

"A little?" Kiara shook her head, "Not what it looks like." She continued, knowing Natalie's alcohol meter after years of being friends.

"Can we just drop it?" She asked.

"No," Kiara answered, "Natalie you're scaring me, all this drinking, you're not eating, what else don't I know?" She questioned, putting all these pieces together she'd been noting over the last few months.

"Nothing is going on." Natalie breathed, "I don't know how many times I have to tell you."

"What did you and Robert fight about?"

"Nothing." She shrugged.

"Natalie." Kiara insisted.

"About tonight." She sighed, "He said I couldn't go."

"Seriously?" Kiara began, almost letting out a laugh, "And why does he get to decide everything that you do?"

"He doesn't, it's just...he is my boyfriend."

"That doesn't mean anything," Kiara began, her eyebrows coming together in confusion, "Come out, please." She said skeptically. "Don't let him stop you."

Kiara was worried. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed all of this stuff earlier. Robert was her problem, and she was the one who pushed her towards him in the first place.

"I'll see." Natalie sighed, picking up her phone and walking to the empty break room.

"Hello?" Robert answered on the other line.

"Hey, baby." Natalie began, sweetly.

"Hey, how's work?" Robert asked.

"Actually, I just called so we could talk about tonight." She sighed, pushing through.

"Sorry, what?"

"I want to go out with my friends tonight." She sighed, trying her best to hold her own.

"Natalie," He said in a lowered tone, "We talked about this already, I said no."

"Robert," She began, "I haven't seen them in so long, it's one night. I'll be home right after."

"Right after?"

"I promise." She assured, "I don't get what you're so concerned about?"

"We'll talk about it later, I gotta go." He said quickly hanging up.

"Well?" Kiara asked as she came back.

"I think I'm going."

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Natalie was actually having a good day,  she sang to herself as she looked for what she was going to wear tonight as she was already late for the game.