Rescue Me

Chapter 11

"What can I get you all to drink?" The young waiter asked Stefan and I.  "Coke is fine." I answer to the man. "A beer for me." Stefan answers and I look up from the table. He's legal? I thought he was only twenty. "I am going to need to see an I.D." the waiter named Matt clearly does not believe him. Stefan grabs his brown wallet and hands Matt the I.D. His eyes scan over the card and he hands it back to Stefan. "Look at that, legal drinker since yesterday." 

Stefan looks at me and smiles. "Don't worry I didn't tell you, so don't think you forgot." I am relieved. I thought I forgot his birthday and birthdays are really important to me and all other holidays. 

My dad was sober one day of the year. My birthday. He made a promise to me when I was five to take me to ice cream every year on my birthday. It is one of the minimal highlights of my childhood. As time went on though, he was just drunk, but I got used to it, I could hardly tell.

I want to make the best out of birthdays and holidays now. I want to decorate and party, the things I never got to do, I want to do now.

"Well either way, happy belated birthday!" I beam. "I will be right back with your drinks. Feel free to look over the menu."  Stefan nods in reply and Matt walks away. "I am going to buy ice cream as a birthday present and you can't say no." I want to do this little thing for him.

"No way!" He sets both hands on the marble table and glances at me. "I think yes." I retort.

"You're a piece of work you know that Kate?" I playfully touch my hands to my chest and pout. "That genuinely pains me Stefan."  We both fall out in laughter and it is such a good sound. Right now I don't care about the people staring. I just like hearing his deep husky laugh mix with my loud giggle.

When our laughing subsides he speaks,"Don't think that you've gotten off the hook. Spill." he sounds like such a gossiper. Its cute. 

"Okay." I breathe and it comes out shaky and rough. I have never told anyone besides Blake about my father, let alone my mother leaving and how my world came crashing down afterwards. "Hey." Stefan grabs my hand and it immediately relaxes me. 

"Well," I don't know where to start but I know that I can trust him. I look up at him,"My mom left when I was born. My dad started drinking and my Aunt Felicia took care of me as a baby, from what I know. I was told that he was sober six months. Yeah, that's what I think it was. Anyways, when he was sober, he told my Aunt that she could leave and that he could take care of me," Stefan is giving me this pitiful look and it makes me upset. 

"I don't want you feeling bad for me. I am fine." He should know that I don't want his pity, it's pathetic if I did. He nods and ushers me to keep going. "Fast forward ten years. My dad is a raging alcoholic with no job. My grandmother sent us money every month, but it wasn't enough to get by. When I was sixteen, I got a job at the local cafe. I saved up money for when I was going to leave. I planned to leave the day I turned eighteen, but my dad was at his lowest and I couldn't leave him in that state," I should tell him about Blake. How Blake was such a great friend. Maybe it would make him feel a bit better about what happened. Or not.

"Blake was there for me my whole entire life. He was such a great friend to me and helped me through it all. You know, when we were sixteen he had drug issues, well now that I think about it, he still does." I give him a small smile and he returns it. 

"I helped him through it and I even applied to UF for him. He wouldn't do it himself. I guess when he moved to Florida it just started over again." I want to know how Stefan and Blake know each other. It has been itching at the back of my mind all day. "How do you know Blake?" I ask. 

His face falls and I regret asking. "We were college roommates,"  Blake told me about his roommate. He was a 'player' as Blake put it. I think he was mistaken, there's no way Stefan is a player. "We ended up majoring in Biology. We studied together and he became like a brother in those few short months. Then he," He clears his throat again and I assure him he does not have to continue. 

"I get it. He can be a pompous ass." He laughs and its a good mood change. "What are you going to get?" I already know what I am going to get. I get it every time. "Pad Thai." He answers and I shriek a little. "Is everything okay?" He gives me a weird look. "Same coffee and same Thai food. I think you're a stalker." I playfully tell him. 

......

Dinner went very well. We held conversations for a long time and there was no awkward silence. When there was silence, it was comfortable. He listened to when I spoke about my father and I could see he actually cared. It was the first time I have ever truly saw honesty in someone's eyes.

We walk into the ice cream shop and its adorned with pink, green, and purple. We walk up to the counter hand in hand and begin to order. "I will have cookie dough blizzard please." the lady nods and looks over to Stefan. "I am fine I will share with her." She mumbles okay. "Five ninety seven please." she says cheerfully.

I dig my hand into my pocket and pull out a twenty. My arm reaches out to the lady, when Stefan grabs the bill out of my hand. "What are you doing?" I try to keep a serious face, but I can't suppress the smile that etches onto my face.

He hands me my money and pulls out his own. "I told you I was going to pay." he smirks and gets his change back. 

A few minutes later the lady hands me our cookie dough blizzard with one spoon. "I am having a really great time with you." I boast as I put a spoonful of the ice cream in my mouth.

"Me too," He glances at me and draws his eyebrows together. "You have a little something above you lip." I stick my tongue out and swipe it across my upper lip. "No a little to the left." I move my tongue to the left. "Let me just get it." He stands and moves the pad of his thumb above my lip. 

His hazel eyes bore into  my brown ones and God, am I lost in the world of Stefan Smith.

(hey guys! I am trying to make these chapters longer. They will hopefully get even longer as I continue to write. I am learning here and thank you all for coming on this journey of "Rescue Me" It means so much! Don't forget to comment and vote. I love you all!)