Drunk boys
788 Words
*Blaise*
I sit with my back pressed against the side of the house, watching the sun sinking below the horizon. I move the bottle of whiskey from my mouth, taking a moment to enjoy the burn in my gut before passing the pleasure on to my best friend.
Riley takes the bottle and downs his share before handing it back. "I can't believe you told Chase that story about Callista’s nose."
"I didn't know you'd lied to me when I asked you why she never came to town." I mumble.
"I was only funning with you. I didn't think you would believe it." He says.
I take another gulp of whiskey. All the colors of the sunset seem to be running together. "Why not? You are my friend, and her brother. You ain't supposed to lie to me or about her."
Riley grabs the bottle and takes a long swallow, then wipes the back of his hand across his mouth. "You know what really bothers me, though?"
I shrug and wince as pain rolls through my shoulder. We have already finished one bottle of whiskey. I can't see how Riley could be bothered by anything with the world spinning around us the way it is.
Riley grabs my shirt, and we both waver. "He married her anyway."
I snatch the bottle. "Hell, yeah, he married her. She coulda come to him without a face, and he woulda married her." I hold up the bottle. "'A she-wolf don't need a face to give me a son,' he woulda said. That's all he wants. A son. Reckon he woulda married her if she didn't have a head."
Riley chuckles. "She would a been dead without a head." His eyes brighten. "That rhymes!"
"You're such a poet, Riley." I chuckle.
My gaze jerks around at the sound of the sad feminine voice. Two she-wolves swim before me, then they bump into each other and become my newest sister-by-marriage.
"Ah, hell," I groan, feeling a sickness in my stomach that has little to do with the whiskey churning inside me.
"What are you doing, Callie?" Riley asks, his words slurred.
"I was looking for you. I wish now that I hadn't found you." She spins around and quickly walks away.
Riley struggles to his feet. "Hell, I have better... go after her."
"Think she heard everything?" I ask.
Riley nods, stumbles to the ground, and starts to snore.
Damn! I decide that I need to go after my best friend's sister and figure as soon as I find my legs, I will. Meanwhile, I down the remaining amber brew. Unfortunately, the burning in my throat doesn't ease the ache in my heart.
"There you are."
I hear a voice sweeter than any sound my violin could make. Dusk is easing in around me as I squint at the girl standing before me.
Olivia Littlebeck. Sweet Olivia Littlebeck. With eyes the color of a summer sky. The setting sun turns her auburn hair a shade of red. Her father owns the general store. I start to smile at her and then remember she's the reason I'm trying to get drunk. I tip back the bottle. Two drops are hardly enough to satisfy me.
She kneels beside me, and I can smell vanilla. She always smells like something I would like to run my tongue over.
"You're angry at me," she says softly.
I shake my head, then nod. "You were dancing with Ryan Windscar."
"I would have danced with you, but you didn't ask." She says.
"Only got one good arm," I say as I tap my shoulder and grimace.
She gives me a small smile. "You could dance with one arm."
I shake my head. "Like to hold my partners close. Need two arms to do that."
She works the empty bottle from my grip and tosses it aside. "How many partners do you have?"
I smile crookedly. "One. Just one." I touch her cheek. It's softer than a cloud billowing in the sky. "I wanted to play my violin for you, but I can't do that either."
She lowers her gaze to her lap. "Do you need two arms to kiss me?"
"To do it proper." I slide down the adobe wall. I deserve to have my head slam into the hard ground. Instead, she scoots nearer, and I find my head nestled in her lap, a pillow softer than any I have ever known. I close my eyes. "Gotta kiss you proper the first time."
She combs her fingers through my hair. The darkness swirls around me. I move my good arm around her backside, and promise myself that as soon as my shoulder heals, I will kiss her proper.
- Writer
