To End That Situationship

Chapter 2D: The Second Weekend

“I’m thirsty. Can you order some water?” I asked, practically parched after all that dancing.

I made my way back to the table and sank into the booth next to Matthew. The moment I sat down and finally got some rest, the full weight of the alcohol hit me. I was definitely tipsy. Nearby, Nikki and the girls were still dancing, their voices occasionally rising as they sang along to the beat.

“How was the dancing? I see you were tipsy enough to finally hit the floor.” Matthew teased, a smirk playing on his lips.

I rolled my eyes at him, which I immediately realized was a terrible mistake. The room spun, leaving me even dizzier than I had been before I sat down. Fortunately, the waiter arrived with a bottle of water a moment later. Matthew twisted off the cap and poured some into a clean glass for me. After a few long gulps, the lingering fog from that ill-advised eye roll began to clear a little.

“Can I try your whisky?” I asked, reaching toward the lowball glass in his hand.

“No,” he said, pulling it back. “You’re already tipsy. I don’t want to be responsible for bringing you home completely wasted.”

Persistently, I kept trying to snatch the glass from his grip. He did his best to keep it out of my reach, finally raising his arm to hold the glass high above our heads.

Stubbornly, I stood up and leaned over him to reach for it. Being tipsy did my coordination no favors, instead of grabbing the glass, my foot slipped, and I pitched forward. I almost crashed directly on top of him, but his free hand shot out, catching me by the waist to steady me.

I found myself standing trapped between his knees, his hand warm and firm against my lower back. Sitting in the booth, his face was nearly level with mine. I froze, staring directly into his eyes. He didn’t break the contact. In the heavy silence of our sudden closeness, my gaze drifted down the bridge of his nose, lingering on his lips for a heartbeat, before rising to lock with his eyes once more.

I definitely knew now that it was the alcohol talking, because I leaned forward and kissed him.

I felt his hand drop from my waist as he placed his glass down on the nearest table. But just as he reached up to cup my face, panic set in. I immediately pulled away, snatched the whisky glass off the table, and downed it.

I heard him sigh deeply.

“Let’s get you home.” He didn’t ask. He made it sound like a definitive statement, leaving me no choice but to oblige.

He tapped Adam’s shoulder, telling him that we were heading out and that he needed to drop me off. I looked around and realized I could no longer see Nikki on the dance floor. Glancing over at the booths, I saw her sitting with Cyron; the two of them were huddled together, laughing.

Matthew reached for my hand to help me stand. I almost fell over again, so he settled to wrap his arm firmly around my waist to keep me steady.

“Man, we’re heading out,” Matthew told Cyron as we passed them.

Cyron nodded, saying they would probably leave in a few minutes too, once Nikki had rested for a bit. The next thing I knew, we were out in the parking lot, and Matthew was leaning over to buckle my seatbelt for me.

“Can you open the window? I need air,” I requested, my head spinning slightly.

“Do you want me to just roll down the windows, or should I drop the top?” he asked.

I was too tipsy to even process the question, so I just nodded my head. Matthew pressed a button, and the roof of the car smoothly folded back. I hadn’t even noticed his car was a convertible.

“Baby, I need you to tell me your address.” I managed to sit up and type my aunt’s location into his navigation app.

Once we were finally on the road, the cool night wind rushing past us began to sober me up. I looked up at the glittering lights of the towering skyscrapers, mesmerized by how beautiful the city looked in the dark.

“Hello, brother.”

I was jolted awake by a guard's voice outside the car window. I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep on the drive over.

“Can you please confirm the block and unit number?” the security guard asked Matthew.

Matthew glanced over at me, a subtle wave of relief washing across his face when he saw that I was awake.

“Block E, Room 2701,” I supplied, leaning over slightly. The guard checked his monitor, likely scrolling through the resident logs.

“Ms. Grace didn’t leave a note stating she was expecting visitors tonight.”

“She’s my aunt, and I’m staying with her,” I explained, hoping that would make a difference. The walk from the main gate to my aunt’s building was pretty far.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. Could you call your aunt so she can approve the car's entry?”

In the end, Matthew had to park his car outside the gate. My aunt was almost certainly fast asleep by now, and I didn’t want to wake her up at this hour just to let a car through.

“I’m sorry we have to walk,” Matthew apologized as he turned off the engine. “I’ll walk you all the way to your block.”

I looked at him and shrugged.

“It’s not your fault. Why are you apologizing?” A soft laugh escaped my lips, and he chuckled along with me.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?” he asked, as we lingered inside the car for a moment.

I nodded in response. I reached down, about to press the red button on my seatbelt, when he spoke up again.

“Do you want to grab some coffee? Just to help us sober up a bit?”

I glanced at my phone screen, 2:45 AM. I looked back up at him, and he must have caught the quiet reluctance in my eyes.

“It’s totally fine if you’re not up for it,” he added quickly, not even waiting for me to voice a 'no.' “It’s late, I know. You probably just want to get some rest.”

I knew I was mostly sober by now, but for reasons I couldn't quite explain, I unbuckled my seatbelt, leaned across the center console, and pressed my lips to his.

It wasn't a quick, clumsy kiss like the one in the club, it was intentional. When I pulled back, I looked straight into his eyes.

“You’re drunk,” he whispered, his tone a mix of caution and awe. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

I kept my eyes locked on him, refusing to look away.

“I’m Riri,” I said, extending my hand toward him for a formal handshake—as if we were meeting for the very first time.

“What?” he asked, genuine confusion lacing his voice.

“The version of me who kissed you earlier in the club? That was the alcohol. But the version of me who just kissed you now? She’s Riri. Right now, I am Riri, and I am completely sober.”

Understanding slowly dawned on his face. He nodded, reaching out to wrap his fingers around mine, completing the handshake.

“Hi, Riri,” he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. “I’m Matthew.”

After the handshake, I looked back into his eyes. As if our bodies were running on the same hidden frequency, we both leaned in for another kiss.