Chapter 11 -Drunk
1243 Words
Nikita
“Give me another bottle.”
The bartender set down her third bottle onto the table in front of her. She grabbed it and took a large drink of it, as she started to feel the buzz of the alcohol. She never allowed herself to get drunk. That was when she became vulnerable. But tonight was different. She didn’t want to feel, didn’t want to think. She looked around as she took a sip of her drink. The lowlights of the bar masked many of the people sitting in corners faces. A live band played at the back of the bar where some people were dancing and others were sitting around the tables. A neon light blared through the glass outside of the bar.
“You look like you're in need of some company.”
She looked at the man who seated himself next to her. She recognized the man as Cal. She knew him as Kace’s best friend. She had never met him until now, but had seen him from a distance.
“It’s a girls’ night tonight.”
He looked around. “I don’t see any other girl with you.”
“I didn’t say there needed to be. I was saying that you are not one. Leave.”
He twisted himself into the chair. She looked at him annoyed, then turned away intent on ignoring him as she took another drink.
He said, “I’ve seen you around.”
“Maybe just keep it that way.”
The alcohol was beginning to make her head feel fuzzy. She set down her bottle.
“What do you want?”
“Maybe I just wanted to come over and talk to you.”
“I told you, it’s a girls' night, so you aren’t invited.”
Cal scooted closer. “I’ve never been one to give up so easily.” He leaned in closer. “You look like you had a rough day, come over to my place and I’ll relax you.”
Her head was getting fuzzier and she started seeing Cal in a bit of a blurry haze. Her three bottles were kicking in apparently. She started to feel warmer.
She took off her black leather jacket to her short sleeved dark blue shirt. The live music blasted through the bar and suddenly Niki kinda liked the rhythm of it. Not sure where her sudden boldness and energy came from, she stood up grabbing his hand.
“Come dance with me.”
He grinned as they walked towards the dancing. She lifted her arms and began to sway her hips to the music. Cal stood close to her with his hands on her hips, swaying close to her. Her body temperature seemed to spike with the movement. Her head felt clear and fuzzy at the same time, like she knew what was happening, but she didn’t fully register the events. She continued to dance to the rhythm of the music and Cal got closer to her, rubbing his body against hers.
His close proximity continued to make her feel warmer. Unable to handle the heat in her body, she took off her shirt, exposing her bare skin and black sports bra.
He whispered low, “Let's go, baby.”
“No.” For some reason she had a strong craving for something sugary and sweet. “Not until I get chocolate.”
She walked over to the bartender. “Can I…” she suddenly seemed to struggle to get the words out. She tried again, working to form the words. “Can I have some…choc…chocolate?”
The bartender gave her a weird look and shook his head.
Irritation flooded her. How dare that man deny her chocolate.
She pounded her fist on the table. “Chocolate. Please.”
He spoke to her, but the words sounded quiet in her mind. Something about no, or not any…
The man, Cal, she thought his name was, took her hand and whispered, “Come with me. I have chocolate for you at my house.”
But she didn’t want to wait until his house, she was craving it now. Her sense of direction was beginning to feel off and she couldn’t quite figure out where the bartender was.
She pushed the man’s hands away. “No. No.”
Goodness, she was burning up. She lifted her hair up and turned around. She was about to tell this mean bartender what she thought about him when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.
She twisted her neck and looked at some red mark on her shoulder blade. Niki tried to wipe it away, but it remained there. She scrubbed at it harder with her hand. Still the mark stayed. What was wrong with this? What did this guy put on her shoulder?
Niki turned around and saw Cal looking very serious at her, eyes narrowed.
“Why such a serious face? We were having fun.” Cal was not fun anymore. She gave him a pouting face.
“You need to come with me.” Cal grabbed her upper arm.
“But what about my chocolate?”
Suddenly, a loud crash made her jump as a brick got thrown through the window. Then she saw a swoop of black and Cal was falling to the floor. She just stood there watching him fall to the floor, trying to figure out how he got there. Someone else grabbed her by her arm and began pulling her towards the back of the restaurant. She noticed the music had stopped.
“Hey, what happened to the music?”
She followed him out into the warm summer air. Niki looked around, not recognizing where she was. The man continued to escort her. The air was toasty and it was a beautiful night. Why were they rushing?
“Hey, slow down. It’s so nice outside.” She jerked her arm away and looked up into the sky.
The man walked back with fury in his eyes. He had a rugged, sexy look about him that she liked. He grabbed her arms.
Niki said, “You don’t look so happy, and that’s a shame, shame, shame.”
In one quick moment, he threw her over his shoulder and continued down the street.
“Hey. I can walk.”
He ignored her. She bounced along with his stride until her stomach started to feel sick. She gagged, and the man quickly threw her off his shoulder. She landed on her knees and crawled towards the building. In a disgusting moment, she hurled all of the contents in her stomach onto the brick building. After two more hurls she fell back and the man caught her.
Niki looked up at the rugged man who looked great with facial hair and she noticed his hazel eyes. He looked kind.
“I don’t feel so good.”
“Come on.”
He lifted her up and walked a few more steps to his vehicle where he opened the door and set her inside. Her head fell back against the seat as it continued to spin. The world had become less decipherable and she just wanted to close her eyes into the peacefulness of sleep. To forget why she was in pain, why there was some weird red mark on her shoulder, and why she felt safe in this car with a man she didn’t even recognize. In a grateful release, blackness consumed her.
- Writer
