What the heart wants

4. The first sip of alcohol

A loud groan awakened me from my little nap. Opening my eyes, I found Alex sitting beside me, his shoulders were slumped. It was not difficult to guess that the dinner didn't go well.

"Hey Cinderella?", I called him but he didn't reply. He was lost in some deep thoughts, a frown was etched on his usually relaxed face.

"Alex?", I started again and this time, he replied with a yes.

"How did the dinner go?", I asked cautiously.

"Superb.", He answered in a grave tone.

Moving closer to him, I patted his shoulder and said, "So what if her parents didn't like you, what matters is what Anna wants. And believe me, she likes you a lot."

"Her parents loved me.", He announced, looking at the wall in front of him.

"Then, what's the issue?", I enquired.

"Her brother. I don't think he liked me, at all. And Anna is so close to her brother, she would never go against him.", he sighed, placing his head on my shoulder.

"What does his brother think of himself? How dare he disapprove my brother? I'm telling you Alex, if he stop Anna from meeting you, I am gonna go over to his house and kick him right where the sun doesn't shine.", I roared with anger.

Alex was my baby brother. Since the time our mother left us, I have been looking after him. I have been there for him when he came home first time after a fight. I was the one who beat the hell out of two boys that tried to bully him in middle school. I was the one who threatened his soccer team mates when they pressurized him into leaving the team. I won't let any jerk hurt my brother, not even this stupid brother of Anna.

"How old is he anyways?", I asked so that I could devise a plan.

"26.", He said, "and don't you even think of confronting him.", He added.

"But why?", I whined. Asking me to back down was like asking Sarah to admit his crush in front of Derek. Im-fucking-possible.

"Because he is one of the best lawyers in this city. He would probably plot a whole fake case against you in a minute.", He cleared.

In that case, he was probably right. I can't afford to go to jail. I have to finish my degree and then get a nice job. Plus, I have to take care of Alex too until he is old enough to move into his own apartment.

"What is the name of her narcissist brother?", I asked.

"Xavier Davis.", He scowled and I made a mental note.

...

"Guys I don't think we should go in here.", Sarah gulped in fear as she saw the crowd outside the club.

"Yeah, I don't want to deal with pathetic, hormonal teenagers in there.", I supported her, cringing at the way girls were dressed up. Most of them were wearing skirts that barely reached their thighs with tight crop tops, leaving very little to imagination. While I was wearing white jeans with loose black tank top, my hair pulled up in a loose bun over my head.

"Come on, you party poopers.", Lily scolded as she dragged us towards the club.

As we entered the club, a wave of nausea hit me when the stench of alcohol reached my nose. Sarah and I had never tried alcohol so when I chugged my first glass, I felt like somebody lit my throat on fire.

After few minutes, the queasiness eased up and I actually felt relaxed. After drinking another glass, I gripped Sarah's hand and led her to the dance floor.

For the next half an hour, we both danced like hippos, moving without any rhythm or pattern. It felt nice to finally be carefree, not thinking about Alex's fee, bills or house rent. Lily was busy dancing with a tattooed guy, who was exactly her type.

After Sarah left to get another glass, I felt a presence behind me.

"You've got some nice moves babes.", I heard a familiar voice whisper in my ear. I might be drunk but I was no fool to let any boy even wander near me.

I turned around, only to see a stunned Derek Archer looking at me.

"You? What are you doing here charity?", He muttered in an angry tone.

"Don't call me charity.", I said with clenched teeth.

"Ok, I won't call you that. But Jokes apart, how could you afford this club? I bet your friends took pity on you and brought you here.", I felt my heart clench at his accusation. It was right, Lily was the one who helped us get in. But not because she thought I was a charity case, but she did this because she won 5k at a poker game.

Not knowing what to say, I turned around and walked out of the club. Luckily, Lily and Sarah were too drunk to notice anything.

Lost in my thoughts, I was walking on the middle of the empty road. My house was at a very little distance from the club, so I decided to walk.

Derek's insults flashed my mind again. The sober me would have kicked him right in his jewels but the drunk me was a mess.

My mind wandered back to the time when our parents were still with us. Nobody would have dared to say anything to me if my dad had been alive. He never let anyone harm us. We never had to worry about money because my father was a successful architectural engineer. His income was more than enough for our small family.

But one night, everything changed. The accident didn't just take him away from us, it took every last inch of our happiness. It changed my mother into a woman I barely recognize.

After he left, nobody loved me the way he used to, they way he spoiled me, the way he used to solve all my problem. Boys like Derek would never understand how hard it was to become the "man of the family".

I was lost in my thoughts when a hand gripped my arm and turned me around harshly.

"You?", I asked, looking into the familiar blue eyes, that were blazing with anger. My voice came out as a whisper as my mind turned into a haze. The alcohol was finally showing its effects.

"Are you crazy? Well why am I even asking, of course you are. But I didn't expect you to walk in the middle of the road like that. Do you want to die?", He growled in anger and I just gulped in return. My vision started turning blurry and my head was throbbing painfully.

"Why are you not answering, woman-", I watched his lips move but I couldn't understand his words. My eyes were growing heavier with every passing minute. His confused expressions were the last thing I saw before the darkness enveloped me.

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