Love Drunk

Chapter 4

(Shale^)

Cole

I drove home with a stupid smile plastered on my kiss-swollen lips as I thought of the events that just occurred. Kissing Shale had been the best feeling in the world. I couldn't explain it, but I felt perfect, better than every other kiss I've ever had.

She was perfect. Beautiful in every sense of the word. I can't let her slip away from me. Even though it's only been one night, it feels like I've known her for months.

I look at my phone sitting in the cup holder on the center console of my car. I'll text her when I get back, just to talk to her. I have to talk to her.

As soon as I get home, I throw my suit jacket on my bed and undress, getting ready to slip into the shower. I quickly wash myself off, and step out with a towel wrapped around my hips before dressing in a pair of boxers.

As I hop into my bed, I pull my phone off the side table and turn it on, about to text Shale.

What do I even say? Hey? God, I feel like a teenager all over again! Maybe I should wait until a little later tonight, to give her time to be with her cousin, though I don't think her cousin likes me very much.

Yeah, I'll just wait until later and give myself some time to find something to say...hopefully I can come up with something. I just want to talk to her again.

Shale

"So you sent me out of the house to finish what you started, and then you want...give up! Shale! That man was freakishly hot and you had him wrapped around your finger!" Olivia exclaims as she comes back into the house, locking the door behind her.

"Olivia!" I shriek, my face burning as I throw a pillow from the living room couch at her.

She chuckle and jumps over the back of the couch, plopping down beside me with a mischievous look in her eyes.

"So...was he a good kisser?"

"Ugh!" I groan, grabbing another pillow and shoving it into my face as I flop back into the couch.

"Well?"

"Fine," I say enthusiastically, sitting up with the pillow in my lap. "he was a great kisser. That was the best kiss I had ever had..."

"I'll say it was more than just one kiss. It was..." she's cut off by another pillow hitting her in the face.

"I hope he texts me soon," I say, leaning over for the coffee table to grab my phone, but Olivia smacks my hand away.

'No! You make him wait a day. You need to test people early into the relationship if you want to make sure they stick around. He was hot Shale, but just make sure he isn't going to use you," Olivia warns, suddenly going serious.

"He's not going to use me..." I trail off.

I don't actually know him, though. What if that is his personality? No, I can't jump to conclusions like this. I've only just met the man, but he hasn't shown me a reason to believe he's not genuine.

"I just don't want you to get hurt...mostly because if you get hurt then we are going to have a restraining order and a lawsuit on our hands," she says seriously.

I stare at her confused for a second before realization hits me. Yes, she will definitely beat the shit out of him, or even maybe kill him.

"Oh, yeah, we wouldn't want that," I chuckle, causing her to roll her eyes at my late reaction.

"I'll be right back ,pick out a movie for us to watch...and make it a good one," she says as she gets up from the couch, shooting me a pointed look.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you don't like sappy romances," I sigh in disappointment as she laughs to herself walking out of the room.

I slide off the couch and crawl over to the dresser that out T.V was perched on, and open a drawer, trying to find the movies. I look through it for about five minutes, before finally picking out a movie, the Princess Bride. It was the only exception Olivia had for cheesy romances.

"Ah ha!" I say in triumph as I place it into the PS4, Olivia insisted that we get one so that she could play her video games, and then go to the kitchen to make some popcorn.

By the time I'm done and settling down on the couch with the massive bowl of popcorn in my arms, Olivia emerges from her bedroom in a massive Cardinal t-shirt and a pair of black sleep shorts on.

I catch sight of her left arm and let out a startled gasp, placing my popcorn down and jumping off the couch to see it better. I grab the burnt flesh in my arms and look at it. Her entire arm was burned from her fingertips to her shoulder.

I look up at her in horror and she has a sheepish look in her face.

"What happened?" I ask around the lump in my throat.

I know she's okay and alive, but this could have been so much worse! I may have never seen her again. It could have taken her arm off or what if she was killed! What if...

"One of the troops in my platoon walked over a land mine, one that our dogs didn't pick up one, for some reason. I pulled him away from it as best as I could but..." she paused, swallowing deeply. "His legs were taken off and one of his arms. He can't hear or see any more..." she trails off as a tear slips out of her eyes. "I could have stopped it if I had gotten there faster but..."

"Shh, Olivia, It's okay. You saved him," I say, pulling her into a tight hug.

She returns me hug tightly, before pulling back with a hard look on her face. She was closing herself of from me. I could feel it in the air.

"So what movie?"

"The princess bride?"

"Okay, let's do it," she says, moving over to the couch and grabbing the Ps4 controller, ready to start it.

"Olivia..."

"Shale, I don't want to talk about my time away anymore," she says with a tired sigh.

"Okay, we won't talk about it," I assure her, before dropping onto the couch with her and the popcorn.

She plays the movie and for tonight, I pretend like things haven't changed since we were teenagers. I pretend that we're just pulling another all-nighter, watching random movies. That she isn't a marine and that she just came back after being in a war for over a year. That I haven't found a man that I like and want to kiss again.

I just enjoy the movie with my cousin and push all of my thoughts and problems to deal with tomorrow.