Realistic or Modern Title: Could They Share The Night... MxF

[NewToThis]

He noticed Victoria's eyeing of the alcohol. And he had tasted it in her kiss. Not to mention smelling it come off her skin. Again he had something of a sensitive nose. At least when it came to women. He liked the way they smelled, especially when....

He pushed the creeping thought from his mind as he drove out the image and imagined sensations of Victoria trapped underneath his embrace.

He walked over to the wine on sale. "Hmmm well....I'll probably be pining over you for the rest of the day and until I see you again next. But such is life." He lightly laughed at himself.

"But Sundays I like to spoil myself. Probably hit the store on the way home and get some cream cheese, parmesan, heavy whipping cream, and cheese stuffed pasta and make an Alfredo sauce for the pasta. I want to add bacon and shrimp for the flavor. So I'll probably do that in some vain attempt not think of you."

He smiled with a note of sadness on his. That was the trouble with addicts like himself, whom they liked, they liked hard. Thankfully he had learned to dial it down some.


He was still holding the Cabernet Sauvignon in his hands.

 

[allybanks00]

She smiled slightly."Sounds like a fun time." she said to him. She glanced over at the wine he was holding and looked away. "I'm just gonna run into the bathroom real quick.. do you mind watching the cart?" she asked him.

With that she went into the bathroom and opened up her purse. She had to have a nip in there somewhere. She did, she took the shot and put the empty bottle back in her purse. She had been getting a lot worse the last couple of months.

The woman rinsed her mouth out with some water and stepped out. She had only been gone two minutes. "So where we're we?" she asked him with a casual chuckle.

 

[NewToThis]

He looked back at her. She had been too quick. Her lips were slightly reflective from the water that had just been in her mouth. If she had been sick it would have taken longer.

"We were about to head the cash register and I was going to deliver you home safe and sound before setting off to....well look forward to the next time I saw you."

The grocery store was not the place to have a "Coming To Jesus Moment". He didn't want to be pushy. But sometimes.... sometimes....

He calmed himself down. This was all new... especially to her. He wasn't allowed to care that much yet. He was a stranger.

 

[allybanks00]

"Perfect." she said to him. She walked over to the cashier and checked out. The two of them got in his car and they drove to her house.

"You're welcome to come in if you'd like" she said to him. She had her intake for a while, it would be a while before she had to have another drink. She wanted to spend time with him, she even wanted to be honest with him... but she fully didn't believe she had a problem. At this point, she knew she was drinking more than she should, but she also didn't think it was that noticeable, nor that it was that big of a deal.

 

[NewToThis]

The tone had changed between them. A thickness hung in the air that was not there before.

He was a little more quiet. She fidgeted a little more.

He carried the groceries into the apartment and he kindly helped her sort what was what.

He stood away from her slightly leaning against the counter. After they mutely looked at each other he held out his gently at a low angle.

She took it. Both of them not wanting to lose what they had just found. And he drew her to him gently. Taking her in his arms and wrapping them around her. His scruff threatened her forehead as she leaned into his chest.

"It all can be this simple." He said to Victoria. "You can tell me anything. You can share anything and I won't judge you." He took a deep breath and almost chuckled. "At worst I might want you more..."

 

[allybanks00]

"I know. I've told you a lot already.." she said softly. She did have to go into the bathroom, she needed a few minutes. However she was enjoying this moment with him. She didn't want to move.

She wasn't going to tell him about the liquor. Maybe he'd find out in his own and mention it.. that seemed like a better idea than her saying it outloud. If she said it out loud she might have to admit she has a problem. She sure as hell didn't want to do that.

She let herself sit in his chest. She noticed the liquor bottles tucked in the corner of the kitchen... she knew they were empty. She forgot to throw them out, maybe though he would just think they were full. There was nothing wrong with her having liquor in her house.

 

[NewToThis]

Gently he cupped her chin and kissed her. Letting it linger.

His fingers lightly brushed past her ear as he looked into eyes. Lightly playing with her hair.

Chris could get lost in those eyes he thought. But he saw sadness in them. The fear. He wanted to kiss it all away. But that wasn't how reality work...for the most part.

"Can we take a seat on the couch while we talk?"

 

[allybanks00]

She looks at him. "Yeah of course we can sit and talk." she said to him. She pulls away from him and sits down in the couch. Her green eyes look into his before looking away.

She was gazing all around the room, tapping her foot slightly on the ground. What did he want to talk about? Why is he so serious about talking? What is it that he noticed that now he wants to talk? She wasn't sure. But she'd give him a chance to talk.

 

[NewToThis]

For a moment Chris hesitates.

He takes a seat close to her...but not where she might feel obligated to fold back into his arms. Already he misses her in them.

"Pain recognizes pain Victoria." His voice takes on a gravely edge.

"You never have to hide from me." He puts his hand on top of the thigh of her tapping leg.

 

[allybanks00]

She looks at him. "I'm not hiding." she said to him. "Why would you think i'm hiding?" she said.

She doesn't break eye contact now. Maybe if she acts like everything's fine he wont think everything's a mess. She had a feeling he was catching up now, but who knew. Maybe she was just reading to far into him wanting to talk to her. That happened a lot.

 

[NewToThis]

"Ok, when you are ready. I'm pushing too hard." He smiled a small smile.

He shrugs and keeps speaking. "Like I said I like you. And I know I'm strange. And I'll probably be for a while."

He carefully and gently snuck his hand to her back. Gauging her reaction as he gently rubbed between her shoulder blades.

One of his love languages was touch. But not everyone was a fan. And he needed to know if she could relax, after he had misstepped.

 

[allybanks00]

"I'm not hiding anything so there's nothing for me to tell you." she said to him. The woman hesitated when he put his hands on her. Not everyone has been so gentle with her, but she eventually relaxed and let him hold her.

The woman sat with him, eventually curling up in his chest on the couch, eventually falling asleep.

The woman woke about an hour later nauseous, pale and sweaty. She needed a drink now. She stood up from the couch, wiping her face from the cool sweat that had formed in her face.

 

[NewToThis]

Chris had never really fallen asleep. When Victoria curled up into his arms his heart was glad. So gently and quietly held her. Only really taking notice when she started to shake. Little tremors at first. Small ones.

Then she started to sweat....the faint sickly smell of booze perspired forth from her pores. He didn't lick her neck. Now wasn't the time by any reach of the imagination but he knew deep down how it would be. The slight saltiness and faint tanginess that only alcoholics had. He had smelled before he knew it was there.

His heart broke for her. All he could do was gently push the subject a little more at each opportunity and hope she didn't push him away. Addicts never liked to be called out. It was easier to be alone than to have the ones you cared about know your...secret.

When she got up he noticed that she barely knew he was there. She was going through withdrawals. The illness, shakes, and nausea took precedent. It wasn't his first rodeo.

When she got up and went to kitchen he stepped lightly to follow. He watched her open a cupboard and pull a bottle out. She started to unscrew the cap and that is when he spoke up.

"Withdrawals?"

 

[allybanks00]

She jumped slightly. "What?" she said setting her bottle down. "No of course not. What are you talking about!" she said to him. She was getting very defensive now.

"Why would you even think of such a thing." she said to him. In all honesty the woman has forgotten that he was there, and if she had remembered he was there she wouldn't have gotten up, she just would've said she felt sick.

 

[NewToThis]

Chris slowly approached her. Approaching we if she were a dog who had been beaten too much. He knew was in a place few had ever been, or wanted to be. As was the nature of men. More interested in what they could take, rarely caring in any for the woman and who she was.

He gently took the bottle and got a glass. Pouring a little inside and filling the rest with water. He knew it was too little to put her at ease, but enough to take the edge off.

He knew at some point he would have to leave. Leaving her alone...and he hated that. Hated he wasn't in a place to take care of her. Help her. Help her find a way to start heal.

He handed her the glass, watching her unconscious reactions. The way her pupils dilated. The way her breathing grew shallow and short. Her focus on the glass.

"I want you Victoria. As long as you want me." He suppressed his urge to growl. He was odd enough.

"You don't have to be alone." Yeah, he might have come off a little intense.

 

[allybanks00]

She took the glass and gulped it down. "I'm fine, I just feel a little sick that's all... maybe something I ate didn't agree with me.. or uh.. I don't know maybe a stomach bug." she said to him.

She kept trying to make excuses as she didn't want him to know the truth. She knew she wasn't making a whole lot of sense but she was trying. The woman was eyeing the bottle, she knew she needed it. She felt out of breath, and dizzy. She sat down. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest.

 

[NewToThis]

He took the glass back from her and poured half the amount of alcohol this time. Filling it with water the rest of the way. Chris took out his phone and brought up the timer.

"Ten minutes. This time we will wait ten minutes." Chris's tone became more firm and paternal. His baritone voice hardening.

"And the next one will be half an hour. Then we will we see." He tried to keep pity off his face. She needed to feel cared for, but she needed to not to feel in control of the situation. He would take that responsibility for now.

"So what are your favorite movies?" He did everything he could not to sound ridiculous.

 

[allybanks00]

"Stop fucking around with me. Seriously." she said to him. She stood up and swayed over to the counter where she had her liquor.

She tries to open a new bottle with shaky hands but can't manage because she's shaking so terribly. "You have no right to be treating me like a criminal.. I'm not doing anything wrong, and before you say a word I don't have a problem." she said to him. She was panicked, almost like a deer in headlights

 

[NewToThis]

Chris slowly walked up behind her and hugged her nuzzling his mouth being her right ear. He would take her barbs and arrows. He knew where they came from.


"I'm here as long as you want me Victoria." His tone was gentle like his hug. As he could feel her on the edge of tears he just hugged her. "Come on...sit with me."

"So movies weren't your thing. We could talk about foods. It took everything i had not to offer to cook for you while we were shopping. Maybe we should change that. You can sit while I make you dinner. Take our time..."

 

[allybanks00]

She shook her head. "No i'm not hungry. I'd like for you to open this." she said to him fiddling with the top of the tequila bottle. "I need you to open this." she said.

She was asking him, pleading him at this point. "Stop, I need a couple glasses. So just open it and it'll be fine. Then we can move on like this didn't happen." she said to him impatiently.

She was tapping her foot on the ground sitting on the couch now, she was still pale and sweaty. Her eyes were glassy. "You gotta give me something stop putting water in my shit that's expensive and that's rude." she was muttering.

 

[NewToThis]

Chris complied and kept the hug as he opened the bottle. He couldn't have his way. He could only put the options in front of her. She had to choose.

For now he would be satisfied with her knowing he would be see her at amongst her lowest and still wanting to be there, with her.

"You don't have to move on. It happened and it's ok. I still want to be here." He said softly into the nape of her neck.

Still she gently pulled free and went to sit on her couch. Too many things were happening at once and he was being unfair. Even a good thing at wrong time could become unwanted.

She tapped her foot repeatedly and said how he needed to stop adding water to her good booze.

He smiled. "So if I bring cheap booze over we can try it my way with the water? Not tonight but maybe next Friday?"

He poured her a conservative glass. Two fingers he thought, and and went to her and offered her the glass. Nothing good came easy, or quick.

 

[allybanks00]

She rolled her eyes. "Good booze... cheap booze.. bad booze... it's fucked up to waste it." she said to him with a shrug. She chugged the glass and set it down. "More." she said quietly

She was nauseous, "I need to have some more please." she said. She was still shaking. As she reached for the bottle she dropped her glass on the floor, landing with a shatter. "Fuck.. mother fuck.." she said angrily pushing the glass away with her hand cutting her hand a little as she swiped the glass.She got angry when she started withdrawling... which is why she didn't withdrawal. She wiped her bleeding arm on her pant leg. "Fucking shit." she muttered.

 

[NewToThis]

He grabbed her hand, carefully examining it for any glass that was stuck inside. That meant letting blood pour out but the last thing they need was debris in her wound.

He dragged her...gently to the sink to rinse it out. She reeked of booze and knew her getting sick wasn't far behind.

The slightly cold water caused a sting that had her grit her teeth and growl out a curse. And still Chris held.

He touch brow gently to feel how warm she was. She would hate him or forgive him for what he did next.

He wrapped his arms just below her solar plexus and squeezed down. Knowing what would happen.

They had shared some firsts today. And Chris seeing her puke was one of them.

 

[allybanks00]

The woman tried fighting against him but she was to weak to so. She puked in the toilet. She slowly pulled away from him and her legs buckled. She laid down on the floor holding the toilet.

She puked again. Her face was dripping sweat, she was heavily shaking. "Fuck" she said to him. Her words were barley coherent. Her eyes shut as another wave of nausea racked her body and she dry heaved, and then puked. Throwing everything up in to the toilet.

 

[NewToThis]

Chris gently rubbed her back as her body convulsed and spasmed with each heave. This was familiar. For a multitude of reasons. To a friend who lost a fight to cancer after chemo. To the ghosts of his past.

All he could do was be here for her. Help her. Care for. And let her sleep in peace. When she finished, he would pick her up and carefully put her bed, on her side. With pillow and stacked up behind so she couldn't easily roll on her back. Chris hated sleeping in his clothes but it was better that way given the circumstances. He would have to raid her linen closet hoping for an extra comforter.

He would need to get water, and bucket with a garbage bag in it just to be safe....so many checklists to go through.