Before us...

Chapter Twenty Four

The glass in his hand was heavy, weighing down his wrist as he sat sulking on the couch alone. It had come from nowhere, his desire to jump down Jensen's throat was something that had surprised even him. As he thought about it now, he knew deep down in the back of his mind that he had ruined what could have been a rather enjoyable evening. But that knowledge was near silent, pathetic against the louder and booming tones of his anger that had managed to infiltrate his body as he sat there with the annoying man opposite him. It was not even a case of not liking the man, in fact he rather enjoyed his company, but it had been the wrong time to push, Jensen had pushed.

However it was not Jensen's face that haunted him, the look of sadness and worry he had shown him as they departed did not matter to him. No, it was the disappointed gaze of Lila and the knowledge that he had ruined everything. Milo felt that he may be a bit dramatic in thinking such things but with the alcohol still swimming through his boiling blood it was hard to ignore a message that was being hounded into his seizing brain. She had never seen that side of him before, because he had never wanted her to see it. He did not want her to view him in the same way that his father did or the way his mother had; as the disappointment that he was.

Jensen had been collateral damage. The feeling of such anger was a constant in Milo's life but in recent days he had become a lot better at controlling his basic instincts. His need to hurt others or himself were taken out on inanimate gym equipment whenever he felt the urge to punish someone for his actions, his need to vent or yell had been vanquished by his newfound confidence in Lila whom he knew would listen without judgement. And yet tonight he had acted like a feral dog about to snap someone's head off for satisfying their own curiosity. And he knew Lila would not thank him for it. She was too kind. She had not appreciated the way he had treated her friend and Milo was well aware of it.

The glass found its way to his damp lips, tipping the hot liquid down his throat, warming him inside, making his skin prickle in agitation. Staring blankly at nothing in particular, he knocked back glass after glass of the substance, refilling the vessel over and over again until the bottle was nearing empty. It felt like hours but was no more than a few minutes. It was terribly silent as he did so. The empty space felt small and tight as he sat there listening to nothing. His knee began to bounce up and down in the way Lila detested, allowing the rattling of his keys to sound from within his pocket causing his ears to twitch from the jingle.

And he jumped out of his skin when the jingle transformed into a bell from outside, informing him that someone wanted in. Milo hoped that it was not Jensen, because he was not in the mood for apologising. He staggered to his feet, catching himself as he leaned to the side clutching onto the arm of the sofa to steady himself. The bell sounded again. He grunted at it before making his way to the door. It was Lila.

"I said not tonight okay." He groaned and rested his aching head against the cool wood of the door. "What are you doing..." She slid past him and into the living room forcing a drunken Milo to face her.

"I didn't like how we left things; I was worried I... I wanted to make sure you were alright." Lila informed him sweetly. It sickened him in that moment how good she was.

"I'm fine- as you can clearly see... now, now leave." He hiccupped and raised his glass to his lips once more to wash them away, opening the door wider for her.

"I'm not leaving. Not until you explain what happened earlier." She was anxious he noted. She wrapped her slim arms around her slight body to protect herself from the harsh air that raced through the open door.

Milo huffed, moving from the door he stalked toward her leaving it open behind him. Lila cautiously took a step back as he reached his empty hand up to her chilled cheek, resting his forehead against her own.