I'M NOT YOUR WOMAN. (✓)

19. drowning.

|◁ II ▷|

summer walker — cpr.

HER EYES FLOCKED flocked to the bottle of Patron that was adorned on her marble kitchen top that Ebén had brought over as some sort of parting gift.

With her nimble fingers, she scooped the bottle in her palm — scoping its power as she poured its contents into a wineglass, stuck on what she could do.

Drink me.

She heard that loud blare in her head, wanting to down the damn thing, but she knew she wasn't and wouldn't ever be the type to know her limits.

Drink me, the tug from her conscious was rid of politeness and was way more insistent.

If she wanted to, it had the power to peel back all her layers and numb any feeling of regret but that 'euphoria' was nothing but a stop-gap, a temporary measure — a hiatus from reality.

She unscrewed the cap, taking a winced gulp, as the liquor slid down her throat and puzzled her memory. The tickers on wall clock ticked in the background; trying to keep up with her expert drinking pace.

Her mouth downed another swig. The alcoholic buzz had her so detached from reality; she didn't care that she was about to crash and burn.

She just wanted something to wring out the pain.

"Guh!" She pulled a face at her chaser with black streaks pooled in and round her eyes and used the crew neck of her sweater to wipe her snot.

I'm screwed  — she murmured to herself; continuing to fill her lips with the burning taste. She looked up again at the wall clock, the ticker was ticked to eight, she had a mere 36 hour window to find a resolution.

50,000 racks; to Reginald — that was how much her daddy's legacy was worth to him. Etched in her mind was his face, spry, that stood above his shoulders and stared at her woodenly in his office as though it wasn't his problem to fix.

She had reluctantly begged and pleaded for time; hoping for a sliver of compassion but didn't get it. The only thing she got was the echo of a door slamming shut in her face.

"Maya?" Blaze called out loudly, slinging her bag on the rack meant for coats, "Why aren't you dressed?"

She blew her lips together with a crestfallen face, "Urm, about that — D'you... want a sip?"

Blaze knew that she was smashed, but the pungent stench of P&P confirmed it. She wiped her panda eyes which had now stained her thumb with black.

"What happened?"

"Somethin' bad" Maya's eyes were jutting out.

"K, you're scarin' me. What's wrong?"

Maya hiccuped as she took yet another swig; "Reginald wants me to cough up 50,000 racks" 

Blaze wasn't sure if she heard correctly, "50,000?"

"Yup."

Maya's cheeks deflated as she bitterly swallowed; computing that this nightmare was her real life.

"And is there a deadline when you ha — "

"36 hours" Her eyes lifted back up to the wall clock, "Actually, it's just 28 now. Great" 

"Oh," Blaze groaned, "I'm sure there's something?"

"There isn't"

She languished on the floor, stumped and out of options. Reginald had promised her reasonable time to tide things over as a result of the expansion. He had continued to reassure her that he understood her Daddy's blueprint for Havana — but the land that Havana was built on, recently became a goldmine where potential investors were keen to invest. And Reginald was determined to take advantage.

Blaze rubbed on her shoulders sympathetically, "Maya, I promise you that we'll fix this"

But her optimism didn't soothe her out of her shackles. Instead, it was further proof that she stood to lose out and there was nothing no one could do or say that would help her salvage this mess.

"And, how will we do that?"

Maya wanted know but knew Blaze was trying to sweeten her up so wouldn't be tempted to worry about the likely prospect of her business imploding.

"I don't know... yet but I'm sure we will sort it" Blaze said, plastering a half smile that Maya didn't buy.

"Sure" Maya bossed, unconvinced, and knew that the only remedy available to her was to lose it all. Blaze had uncomfortably watched Maya spiral like this before and didn't have the strength or the guile to bring her out of the other side, "Do you want me to call... Samuel and maybe get him to talk you down?"

She shook her head affirmatively, "No. I don't want him or anyone to see me like this"

As she was about to bring the remaining remnants of the bottle to her parched lips; Blaze snatched it — in an attempt to protect her from her impending hangover she was nearing and brush away the fog that was disrupting her tunnel vision.

"You'll thank me, for this" Blaze entreated, decanting the liquor down the kitchen sink before Maya could even fend her off, "I promise — you will"

"I won't" Maya slumped her shoulders on their cold, tiled floor; and right there, she could have bawled.

She had been defeated and deflated by the events of the day and was heartbroken beyond despair.

She didn't notice when Blaze had re-joined her on the floor, but the one thing she did remember was a full blown pang of grief that agitated her chest and soaked Blaze's t-shirt with a pool of her tears.

Sleep refused to come, but the pounding drum against her cerebrum woke her up as well as the corridor whispers, "Hey. Thanks for coming"

"No problem" said the voice; who had a twang that Maya couldn't recognise but maybe it was the alcohol that had mudded her memory.

Maybe, it was Eve?

But, Blaze couldn't control her composure — let alone her volume when it came to Eve so she chalked it off, certain that it wasn't her. The living room light was dimmed low, and everywhere else was dark.

"You're a saint, I swear you are" She heard Blaze whisper, followed by the shuffling of keys.

Maya crawled out of her bed to investigate herself but the corridor had quickly been cleared of Blaze and this mysterious visitor.

She didn't need saving; she needed time back to undo her ever asking Reginald for money.

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A/N: I wonder who just paid Blaze a visit? Any guesses?