A Baby By Bestie

6: Ladies' Man

I watched them silently for a while, trying to find the right time to tell them that I'm leaving. My feet hurt and I was starting to get a headache from the loud noise; upbeat music mixed with shouts and laughter. I tuned out my friends for a while, checking the time on my phone and ignoring the starstruck look in Rick's eyes that were staring at me.

"Isn't she lovely?" Rick slurred his words slightly and leaned some more into monica, his eyes still on me.

"How much did you drink?" I asked, getting concerned. I've only ever seen him drunk once or twice back in college but not recently.

He held up four fingers, then changed it to three before adding the two more with his other hand. "One. I swear. Don't tell mom."

The reason he never drank much is because he wasn't very good at holding his liquor and he knew that. He would go clubbing with a group of us on the weekends because he wished to be included and he was really great company. He was also pretty smart and served as a reasonable voice on our shoulders whenever a crazy idea would pop into our heads. Rick also enjoyed the role of the designated driver and took great pride in it because it means he gets to keep everyone safe. So finding him almost completely wasted at club Nirvana was beyond shocking. Finding him with a pretty woman by his side wasn't.

I looked at Monica and noted the mild panic in her eyes. I guess I'm babysitting tonight then. "Okay, let's get you home, buddy. Where are you staying?"

"Some motel somewhere." Came the mumbled answer.

I sighed. "Okay. Great. That's very specific."

"I know, right!"

A giggle escaped Samantha beside me and I couldn't help the glare I sent her way. This isn't funny. What if I wasn't here? Rachel would probably leave him somewhere... "I'm taking you home with me, okay?"

"Sure, baby!" I ignored that too, clenched my teeth and gave the girls a tight smile. "We're going to leave now, okay?"

Sam and Monica nodded in unison and offered to help me to my car. "Thank you so much." I said after helping Rick into the front passenger seat.

"It's nothing," Samantha said.

"Tell him to call me, okay?" Monica chummed in as I pulled away from the parking space. "Will do, dear." Maybe.

My best friend, Rick wasn't really a womanizer kind of guy. He just loved the company of a lady or two with him. He never broke a heart and always knew what he wanted. One just never sees Rick McNeil all by himself unless he wanted it that way. He's a lady's man by nature. So I could totally understand why Monica seemed a little sad through my rear view mirror and why she asked for him to call her.

If I was being honest, I felt the same way when he left for work all those years ago. And the feeling got worse until I couldn't take it anymore, so I try everyday after that to hurry it. And now he's back. And I'm sure he's not going to stay. Poor Monica.

Poor me.

I got home a little over five minutes and got Rick inside with little trouble. Thankfully he was sober enough to help me out. I wanted to scream at him and ask him what the hell he was thinking getting drunk in a town that he hasn't seen in almost a decade. I wanted to, but I wasn't in the mood to be pissed and he was almost fast asleep on my couch already. I helped him into the guest room and left him slumped onto the bed in a position that hardly looked comfortable.

I woke up Saturday feeling strangely happy and actual excited for the day even if I planned not to do a thing for 24 hours. I guess that was the point, right? I made two cups of coffee and went to wake up my favorite male friend who would most likely suffer from a major hungover as soon as he's up.

I found him sitting up on bed looking confused and very worried with a hint of hysteria mixed together. I swallowed my disappointed as I realized that I wouldn't be able to wake him up by opening all the curtains and letting in the bright sunlight from outside. He had plenty of chances to do that to me back then and I never had one.

I knocked the opened door and let myself in, careful not to startle him. "Good morning. Coffee?"

He visibly relaxed as his tense shoulders loosened up. "Ariadne, boy am I glad to see you!"

"I wonder why." I said under my breath but he heard anyway.

"I thought for a second that I was at... Monique's place."

"Monica." I corrected him, "how are you so sure that you're not there?"

He kicked away the sheets and pulled off his shirt that was stained with sweat. I focused on the cups in my hands. "Because you're here."

I laughed shakily and dared to get close enough just to put his cup on the bedside table. "Smart guy."

"Thank you." He muttered as he took up his coffee and placed it to his lips. He took a sip before he paused suddenly and refocused on me with wide eyes. "Wait, what happened last night?"

I couldn't help cracking up a bit. He was on the brink of freaking out. "You got drunk and I took you home. You also said not to tell your mom. I couldn't even if I wanted to."

Rick smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah." His mom passed away in his senior year of highschool. My mom and his uncle took care of both of us after that. "So nothing happened."

"By nothing I assume you mean no throwing up on my carpet?"

His face reddened. "Yeah, that."

"Nothing happened." We slipped into a comfortable silence as I watched him sip his drink and straighten the bed like he usually does whenever he wakes. We used to be roommates once. On a Saturday, after making both our beds, we'd make breakfast together, study and then take a walk. Just walk aimlessly in the sun or rain with an umbrella, or padded with layers of clothes in the snow. Any weather it was, we'd be walking, it was something about endorphins. It was fun.

I missed it.