Head Over Leather #Wattys2017

XXXVIII. Liquor and Lips

""And he had the nerve...the nerve to lie to me. To my face. Right in the face.." I trail off quietly after my long-winded rant, fingers threading through my hair and gripping it in frustration. The glass bottle hangs loosely from my other hand, still half full, and only adding to the weight of heartache I've been carrying around with me for the past week instead of relieving it. With a tired sigh, I move to lift the bottle to my lips again but a large, calloused hand stops me.

"I think that's enough now, little red." Theo mutters gently, arm moving around my waist to steady me and other hand reaching to set the bottle down on the sidewalk. I can't tell if my sudden uneasiness is stemming from the entirety of my stomach contents being alcohol or from the proximity of Theo's body to mine. As if on cue, he pulls me further into him and I'm overwhelmed with the scent of tangy citrus with a hint of musk tickling my nose.

"Y'know when you called me to hang out tonight, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind." He muses, eyebrows quirking up as he briefly glances at me. I'm unsure how to respond and I'm not even sure that I can, so I snuggle further into his side instead. "I mean under normal circumstances I'm all for hitting up the 7/11 at midnight for some liquor and ice cream with my sister's best friend. But I'm worried about you, Maya. Everyone is."

I try to soak up everything he's saying, but my mind is hazy and my gaze just so happens to flit down to his lips that look so inviting. My loss of interest doesn't go unnoticed by Theo and with concern shadowing over his features, he moves me to lean me against the brick wall. "Hey, hey. Are you okay? Do you feel nauseous? Jesus, Maya, what if you have alcohol poisoning?" He continues to fawn over me in worry, one hand cupping my face.

"Theo, stop. I'm fine." I chuckle, shaking my head at his persistence. This wasn't at all how I'd expected this night to go. "I haven't spoken to any of them. Not even Mia. I don't think I can face them tomorrow, especially Ethan." It's all that's been playing on my mind lately and the camping trip with my dad may have helped me momentarily forget the mess that my life is right now but reality checked in.

"Mia's been trying to contact you y'know. She misses you."

"And I miss her. So much."

Theo looks as if he wants to say something but instead purses his lips and raises his arm beside my head to lean against the wall. "Look, I know things are shitty for you right now. And it may feel the end of the world but everything does when you're young. Let's just get you home and you can sleep it off." I open my mouth to protest, but he stops me. "Then in the morning, I'll pick you up and drop you off, deal?"

I sigh in defeat and slowly nod my head in response. "We should get going then." I whisper, but neither of us make any attempt to move. Hesitatingly, I trail my hand up his torso to rest on his shoulder, before making my way to the back of his neck, fingers toying with the strands of hair sticking out. He looks conflicted and shuts his eyes only to open them a second later, refusing to meet mine. "You're drunk, little red. You're my sister's best friend. You're two years younger than me. We agreed to be friends." He's trying to reason and as much as I hate to admit it, they're all right. "...and you're not over Ethan."

"I'm not that drunk." I tease lightly, running my fingers through his disheveled hair and earning a laugh from him. As he continues to prop himself up against the wall with one hand, the other carefully toys with the material of my mini tartan dress. Deciding that I can always blame my impulsive behavior on being drunk off my ass, I push my body flush against his and lean up on my toes to press my lips against his. Despite his earlier protest, his mouth responds eagerly, teeth nipping at my bottom lip and I oblige by opening my mouth with a low moan. He swiftly slides his tongue in, both hands gripping my hips to press me further into the wall with an urgency that I haven't felt since Ethan and that thought alone is enough to make me yank my head back like I've just been burned.