The Cracks In Her Mirror

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ginger shook her head and was just about to turn him away when he started speaking.

"I'm sorry I let you walk away," he blurted. His voice was emphatic and took a step forward, preventing Ginger from closing the door on him.

"You're drunk," Ginger stated.

"I'm not that drunk," he argued. She sighed and flipped on the light switch, which he quickly turned back off.

"That's way too bright," he stated. She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're a mess," she said.

"Yes. I know. But still-"

"Why don't you go to your room and we can talk in the morning," Ginger said.

"No. I can't wait until then," he said, "Plus, I lost my key and I'm pretty sure Kimmy is in our room anyway. It would only make sense that I stay here."

"I think there's a comfy spot in the hallway. I'd be glad to lend you a pillow," Ginger said. Niko rolled his eyes.

"Ginger," he said.

"I'm not going to let you come in here drunk out of your mind and listen to you say a load of shit you don't even mean. If you really wanted to say anything to me then you wouldn't need to be drunk to do it."

"They say a drunk man is an honest man," Niko countered.

"No," Ginger said sharply, "I'm not having it."

"When you said what you said, I froze. I didn't know how to deal with it," he said.

"We're not talking about this right now," Ginger frowned. She thought for a moment.

"Wait," she said, "You didn't drive did you? Dean Barkley's car?"

"No. I didn't drive there," he said, "I almost did but I decided to walk the last second." She groaned. She spent the night panicking at the idea of Niko getting caught with Dean Barkley's car for no reason. When she didn't say anything for a while, Niko took a step back.

"Alright," he said, "I'll come back tomorrow." He gave her another long look and then walked down the hall. She began to feel guilty seconds later and she stepped out into the hall.

"Where are you sleeping tonight?" she asked.

"I'll find somewhere," he said. After some careful consideration, she caved. Ginger took in a shaky breath and put her hands on her hips.

"You can take Kimmy's bed," she said, "But we're not talking about us." He nodded.

"Deal."

Ginger poured him a glass of water and then went back to bed. She had been staring at the ceiling for a while before she accepted the idea that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. Her heart was racing, as was her mind. She hated the affect that Niko had on her. She heard movement in the room and she sat up.

"What are you doing?" she asked him. She saw him lighting a flame in the fireplace.

"I'm just cold," he said, "Go back to sleep." She looked at him for a while. The rest of the room was bathed in darkness but the light of the fire illuminated his face. It made him look kind of surreal.

"I can't," Ginger said. He turned to look at her and then smiled a little.

"I'm not allowed to talk to you," he said, "Right?" The room had a coffee maker and there was instant coffee in the mini bar. Ginger stood up and went over to make some.

"You're not allowed to talk about us," she corrected, "Anything else is fair game...coffee?"

"At this time?"