by Misty Walker
“Yeah, babe?” she calls out loudly over the music.
“We need the check. Lawrence over here is going to go get his girl.” He smiles mischievously.
“Yay! Please come back and tell me what happens.” She places her hands in a prayer pose, begging me.
“I’m not, I mean, no. I’m not gonna go there. I can’t, right?” I slur out. Why do I keep asking for advice on this?
“You have to! She’s obviously into you and just feels like you were judging her.” Crissy tries to reason with me, and maybe she’s right. There’s a common thread in all the tragedies of my love life, and that’s me.
“Okay.” I slam my hands down on the table and stand up. “I’ll do it.” Mark and Crissy clap enthusiastically. I’m sloshed, but I manage to stumble out the door, leaving Mark with the check. I’ll have to reimburse him tomorrow.
I may be drunk, but I’m not stupid, so I take an Uber to the dead end before the dirt road leading to Theodora’s place. I’m still hyped up on all the encouragement from Mark and Crissy, so this still feels like a good idea.
I turn on my cell’s flashlight to prevent falling on my face, but with the way the world is spinning, that might happen anyway. I stumble down the dirt road, noticing lights still lit on most of the trailers. A large rock trips me, probably on purpose, to warn me about what a terrible idea this is, but I regain my balance and shuffle on.
That’s when I think I see her, or maybe there’s two of her. I pause long enough to lose my double vision. She’s sitting at a wooden picnic bench with two young girls, maybe her sisters? There’s a row of candles down the table and the illumination is enough I can make out her face. Her hair is being held back by a scarf, the ends of it going over her shoulder along with her long hair. She’s smiling hugely while throwing cards down on the table. The two girls are laughing at something Thea has said, and while I can’t make out what it was, just hearing her raspy voice makes me smile.
I flip my flashlight off as I get even closer, but still under the cover of night so she doesn’t know I’m here. Near enough to hear their conversation, though. I’ve never been a creeper, but it seems to happen frequently with this girl.
“You’re fucking cheating!” The smallest one accuses Thea. She can’t be more than ten. A potty mouth must run in the family.
“Did not! You just suck at poker.” Thea gathers all the cards and starts shuffling.
“When you get married, will you still play cards with us every night?” the third girl asks. It takes a second for the question to register, but I definitely heard the word married. If Thea’s going to marry anyone, it will be me. What the fuck am I thinking? She and I aren’t anywhere near marriage. I shake my head and try to make sense of what’s going on.
Thea smacks the girl on the back of the head hard, judging by the echo the smack made. “Of course, cuntster. Get it, cunt and sister. Cuntster.”
Thea laughs are her own joke, but her two sisters cup their hands around their mouths and yell, “Boo!”
I can’t keep up between the crass language from kids and the talk of marriage, it’s just too much. This was a mistake, a huge fucking mistake. I turn around to leave, but before I can make my escape, another rock comes out of nowhere and trips me. This time I’m unable to catch myself. My phone and I go crashing to the ground, loudly.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” I curse under my breath. I crawl on all fours, searching for where my phone ended. Fuck it, I’ll just get a new one. I stumble to my feet, but before I can get too far, I hear the voice I can’t get out of my head.
“Law? Is that you?”
I slowly turn around, praying for this to not be happening, but it is. Thea is standing there, flashlight aimed directly at me with two smaller versions of herself on either side of her. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. She has on short jean shorts and some kind of lacy cream tank top that ends before her shorts begin, giving me a peek at her flat midriff.
“Oh, hey. Uh, Thea. Weird to run into you like this.” I attempt to come up with a believable story, but my liquored up brain can’t think quickly enough. “I was just, uh, taking a walk,” I say, scratching the back of my neck, and I’m pretty sure I’m swaying. Either that or the earth is moving. Wait, the earth is always moving. That must be it.
Thea smirks knowingly. “Oh, really? At midnight? On a Thursday?”
“I couldn’t sleep?” I try.
Thea looks at each sister. “Indiana, Charity, give me a minute.”
“No fucking way, we’re not leaving you here with this gorger,” the smallest one says. Quite the little sailor, that one.
“I’ll be fine. Now get lost.” Thea points back toward the trailers and the two girls march away, both cursing and kicking dirt. When they’re out of earshot, Thea turns back to me.
“Wanna try that again?” She places a hand on each hip and tilts her head. Her lips are pursed and I just want to be kissing them again. I blow out a breath and decide the truth is all my drunken mind is capable of right now.
“I had a bit to drink tonight”—I hold up my thumb and forefinger, spacing them apart an inch to prove it was only a little—“and somewhere between sobriety and this”—I motion up and down my body—“I decided it was a good idea to confront you.”
“Confront me?” Her brows furrow in confusion.
“I kissed you and you disappeared, like vanished. Into thin air. I mean not literally, because no one can really vanish, but—”
“Law! Focus!” She cuts me off. “How much did you drink? You smell like a distillery.” Her nose wrinkles up.
“It doesn’t matter. I just came to find out why, but then I find you here, talking about getting married. Why are you goin’ to get married, Thea? You could marry me. Don’t marry anyone else.” I stumble forward a little and Thea grabs hold of my arm to steady me.
“You really are drunk, huh? And for the record, that wasn’t how I wanted you to find out.” Thea releases my arm and looks at the ground.
“So, you are getting married? And not to me?” I’m an idiot. This whole night has been a mistake. I need to get away, but my stomach decides this is a good time to revolt against all the alcohol I drank. I get a few steps in before I bend over and spew the entire contents of my stomach.
As the last of the retching hits me, a hand is on my back and another is on my arm. I try to shake free. I don’t want her hands on me. She has utterly turned my life upside down and there is nothing I want more in this moment than to go back to before Thea.
“Law, you need help. You’re too drunk. Let me get you home.” She doesn’t touch me again, but she stays with her arms out, I’m assuming in case I trip again.
“I don’t need your help. I need the opposite of your help.” It comes out as one long, slurred word. My body feels heavy and my head is foggy. I need my bed. I spit out the last of the vomit and look around. Trying to decipher the direction I need to go to get home.
I must have chosen poorly, because Thea calls out, “You’re going the wrong way.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll find it on my own.” I’m acting like a child. Apparently, that’s what I’ve been reduced to tonight. I look around and pick a different direction and try going that way. I only make it a few shaky steps before Thea ducks under my arm and forces it over her shoulders.
“Let me get you home. After that, I’ll leave and I won’t come back.” Her arm is around me and she has a hand on my chest. I’m too tired and worn out to keep fighting, so I nod in acceptance.
Thea turns me in the correct direction, only stopping for her to crouch down and pick up my phone. She alerts me to rocks I need avoid and when I drag my feet, she reminds me to keep moving. I know she can’t be having an easy time holding some of my body weight, because she grunts and groans and curses a few times before I recognize my street.
We struggle through the last bit of the walk and up at my front door. “Where’s your keys?” Thea breaks her hold on me and I lean my body against the doorjamb.
&n
bsp; “Pocket.” A one-word answer is all I’m capable of.
She reaches in and when her hand gets close to my dick, I jump and yank her hand out.
“I’ll get the key.” I pull the key free and attempt to unlock my door, but the damn thing won’t fit in the hole. Thea reaches for the key. “I’ve got it.” I shove her hand away, but the fucker just won’t fit. Maybe it’s the wrong one, or the wrong house? I look the house up and down. Looks familiar.
Thea takes advantage of my momentary distraction and snags the key. “Just let me do it.” She shoves my shoulder slightly with her own and I barely catch myself before I fall. “Sorry,” she squeaks out when I’ve righted myself.
She must have chosen the right key because the door opens up with no problems. She reaches over and forces me to lean into her again as she gets me inside. The room is dark, so I flip a light on as we pass the switch. The clean lines and modern furniture of my living room and open concept kitchen come into view. She tries to walk farther into the room, but I stop her.
“Shoes.” I kick my own off and point down to hers. Her nose pinches, but she removes her shoes.
She helps me to the couch and deposits me there. I lie down and throw an arm over my eyes. The lights are just too bright and I have a massive headache already brewing behind my eyes. I vaguely hear her opening and closing cabinets, turning water on and off, and then I feel her sit next to where my body is lying prone on the couch.
“Law, sit up for just a second to take some painkillers and drink some water.” I open my eyes a sliver and can see her holding the water and a closed fist around the pills.
I pull myself to sitting just long enough to swallow the medicine and guzzle the entire glass of water before I lie back down and pull a pillow over my face. I fall asleep to the sound of Thea humming a song I don’t recognize. Her husky voice lulls me deeper and deeper until I’m gone.
I wake with a jolt, sitting up quickly only to be struck with a massive, sharp, shooting pain in my head. I lie back down and moan. After the blinding ache subsides enough for me to try again, I sit up. Slowly this time. Noting I’m on the couch and not in my bed. I scan my surroundings and try to get my bearings. What the fuck happened last night?
I remember going for drinks with Mark. I ended up drinking his disgusting, blue—my stomach lurches. I jump from the couch and run to my bathroom. Bile and saliva are all that’s left to come up while my stomach twists and squeezes. A hand on my back startles me and I sit up.
“Theodora?” I take one look at her and the memories of last night flood back into my mind. I moan and lean back over the toilet. The clusterfuck of events turns my stomach even more.
“Do you need anything? Can I bring you some water?” Her hand gently pats my back.
“Just go. Please,” I say into the toilet, making my words echo. Her hand leaves my back and the bathroom door clicks shut. It’s only then I feel safe to pull my head out of the bowl and flush. I shakily stand up and spend a long while showering and brushing my teeth.
Half human again, I leave the en suite with a towel tied around my waist and come face to face with the girl I can’t escape.
“I told you to leave.” I don’t give her a chance to respond before I’m inside my walk-in closet. I grab a pair of gray sweatpants and a T-shirt. Letting my towel drop, I quickly dress. Back in my room, I find Thea fucking sitting on my bed. “Why are you still here?” I know I’m being gruff, but especially after last night, we have nothing left to say to each other.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. You were such a mess last night, and I was worried you’d get sick again in your sleep.” Her head is down, her fingers are in her hair, and her body droops.
“Well, thank you, but as you can see, I’m just fine.” I walk out of my bedroom and into the living area. A quick look around tells me she must have slept in the very uncomfortable chair next to the couch because a blanket from my closet has been tossed on the floor next to it. I feel like an ass to treat her this way when she went out of her way to get me home and make sure I was okay.
I sigh and go into my kitchen. I make a pot of coffee and while it’s brewing, I take more painkillers and down a glass of water. I hear a stool scrape along the tile. Why won’t she leave? She made it very clear last night nothing could come of us because she’s getting fucking married.
“I was hoping I could talk to you.” Her voice is so small and un-Thea-like.
“I think you said enough last night.” I reach for a coffee mug and hold it up to her, my eyebrows raised in question. She nods, almost imperceptibly. I remove a second mug and pour two steaming cups of coffee. The aroma sharpens my hazy mind. I set one mug in front of her and prop my hip against the counter, the other mug in my hand.
“I need to explain a few things to you. About me. About my family.” She wraps her hands around the mug and takes a sip. She smacks her lips together and mock gags, her normal dramatic self returning and despite my efforts, I smile slightly. “I’m sorry. I thought I could be a grown up and drink this black, but I can’t. Where’s your sugar? And do you have cream?”
I point in the direction of the sugar bowl and open the fridge, pulling out a quart of milk. “Milk will have to do. I don’t have cream.”
“Anything will do, thanks.” She dumps at least two tablespoons into her cup and then enough milk to make the coffee a light tan shade before bringing it to her lips and taking another sip. She puts away the milk and sugar and goes back to the stool, sitting down.
“Better?” I question before sipping more of my black coffee.
“So much better. I don’t know how you drink that.” She wrinkles up her cute little nose and points at my cup. “Anyway, like I was saying. I need to explain.” She sighs and takes a deep breath, letting it in through her nose and out through her mouth. “My family has certain customs that are outdated, and one of those customs is arranged marriage.”
I shake my head. Of all the excuses, an arranged marriage was never one I considered.
“Are you serious?” I put my mug down and place my hands flat on the counter. Needing the stability to hold me up.
“Very.” She cringes. “Very serious. I realize it’s strange to outsiders, but to us? It’s just normal. Most of the time, girls are even married before they’re eighteen, so I’m actually lucky they let me and Wen wait.”
“Wen? That’s the name of the guy you’re marrying?”
“Yes. Wen and I, we grew up together. He’s part of our band. Our families believe they’re doing us a favor by matching us so I can stay with them.” She shrugs her shoulders.
“Do you want to marry this Wen guy?” I still can’t believe arranged marriage exists these days in America. I assumed it was reserved for places like India.
“No.” Her voice is brittle and I think she might cry, but she takes a steadying breath instead. “Wen is a friend, my best friend actually. Or he was. Before the whole marriage thing. Now, I can’t even bring myself to look at him.”
“You’re eighteen, Trouble. Why don’t you just tell them no and do your own thing? You’re young, but you’re an adult. No one can make you do something you don’t want to do.” I walk around the island she’s sitting at and take the stool next to her, spinning her stool to face mine. I tip her chin up to look at me.
“You don’t understand.” A single teardrop falls down her cheek, leaving a dark streak behind. “If you denounce your marriage, they kick you out. I have no choice. They would shun me. I wouldn’t be able to see my sisters and brothers anymore, let alone my mom and dad. My family, they’re everything to me.”
I cup her cheeks in my hands and wipe away the tear streak with my thumbs. “I could help you. If you wanted to leave, I would help.”
“You couldn’t give me my family back,” she whispers, pulling my hands off her face and standing up. “I need to go. I’m probably in a lot of trouble for last night.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” I stand up too and follow her
to the door. “I could explain what happened.”
A small smile appears on her sad but beautiful face. “No. Nothing you could say would make it better. You’re a gorger to them and not to be trusted.”
She steps into her shoes and then wraps her arms around my neck. I return her hug and squeeze her tightly to me from around her waist. I pull back slightly.
“I want to kiss you. Just one more time.” I feel her warm breath on my skin. She nods her agreement and then my lips are on hers. My hangover disappears as endorphins flood my body. We’re so close, I can feel her heart beating from her chest through mine. Our lips nip and suck at each other until her tentative tongue peeks out. I accept it greedily into my mouth before it swirls with my own. I can taste her sugary coffee and it makes me smile against her lips. Only for a split second, though, because I need more.
More of her and me together.
More of this lie.
More of everything she gives me.
I gently bite down on her lower lip and give it a slight tug before placing my forehead against hers so we can catch our breaths. This only lasts for a moment before we devour each other again. Thea gets brave and sucks my tongue into her mouth, making me moan. She wraps a leg around my hip and I catch it with my hand, holding her in place. She grinds into me and I can feel the heat of her pussy through the fabric of our clothes. It makes me wish for all the things I can never have with her.
One of my hands goes into her hair, tangling the strands between my fingers as our lips and tongues move together. Her own hands move up and down my back, her fingernails dragging with each movement. I regret having a shirt on. I want to feel those fingernails digging into my skin. I want her to write her desire into my flesh so I have something to remember her by.
All too soon, she removes her thigh from my hip and pushes herself out of my arms. My head falls down, my arms drop to my sides, and my eyes close. Thea and I are a paradox. There isn’t a world in which we make sense.
