I winked at the handsome guy with a packed wallet at the other end of the high-class bar. He smiled back and waved his hand, signaling the bartender over to him. After speaking a few hushed words and nodding in our direction, he sent the bartender away with just as quick a wave as had brought him there in the first place. The bar was one of the many extremely fancy (and expensive) Court had to offer, with glass walls and high ceilings. Basically, not wanting to be a mooch and have my friend pay for all my drinks, the only way I could get a little tipsy here was flirting with random strangers, which all were here because they had enough money to blow.
I smiled at my platinum blonde friend seated beside me. "And here comes another round, courtesy of the sucker over there." I gave the gentleman a flirty smile. Lissa rolled he eyes. "I can't take you anywhere without guys drooling over you, Rose." I laughed as the bartender arrived at us. "Being gorgeous is a bad habit of mine," I whisper. "Among many others."
When the bartender arrived he gave us the once-over and nodded his approval, not that it was really his choice who he delivered courtesy drinks to. "Would you ladies like a drink courtesy of the kind fellow over there?" He shifted his eyes to the man I had been flirting with from a distance. I put on a charming smile. "Of course. I'd like a Skittle Bomb and my friend will a Martini." I pointed to the three empty steamed glasses glasses to her right. "She's kind of boring," I whisper to him before tossing a smile to a bemused Lissa. "And she's kind of drunk," She whispered.
"Got it," Said the bartender, heading back to the alcohol to mix our drinks. "This is your last drink, Rose." I turned and glared at Lissa. Her green eyes were sincere and I knew it was for my own good, but the booze in my bloodstream interpreted it other ways. "Your just jealous you can't get as many guys to order drinks for you as I can." I wagged my finger in her face as I swiveled my stool. "Your angry because I'm hot and your just pretty." I formed my red-painted lips into a pout. Just then the bartender brought us our drinks. "Here you are, pretty ladies." I bit my lip as I turned to him. He was a stout, bald man, who while at one time may have possibly been hot, was now old. Like old enough to be my dad. That fact seemed to have been lost upon me in my drunken state. "You think I'm prettier though, right? Prettier than her?" The man shifted his eyes back and forth thinking of how to answer. She was Lissa Dragomir, the last of her line, aside from her daughter, Mary. She was brave and beautiful and honest and kind. I was just Rose Hathaway, a semi-crazy alcoholic, avid drug user, and part-time guardian. I was merely a nice piece of ass.
"Your both pretty, Miss." The panic was in his eyes. If he chose me, Lissa might want to give him a run for his money- and having a mori that powerful on your tail was defiantly something to avoid. Of course, choosing Lissa while I was in my currant state would probably result in a high heel up his ass. A tough choice it must have been. Lissa finally spoke up from beside me. "Just ignore her," she sighed. "She's drunk." Then she turned to me. "Your obviously the hotter one, Rose. Any guy would agree. But we need to go." She drug me off of my stool just as I was taking a sip from my Skittle Bomb, which resulted in a large, orange flavored stain on my new dress. "Bitch!" I yelled at her. She rolled her eyes but continues to drag me from the bar. As I was pulled through the door and saw almost every person in the bar starring at us.
"Well, that was embarrassing," said Lissa with dismay. "Why can't you learn to limit your drinking? Your just like Adrian anymore!" I clenched my fists and my head swam. Maybe Lissa was right... Ever since Dimitri left that night, I lost control of myself. That thought sobered me up. What was wrong with me? I felt the tears burn my eyes. Lissa's features softened as she took a step closer to me and went in for a hug. I stepped back. "No, Liss. You don't understand. I loved him..."
"I know," she said, hugging me anyways. "But it's time to forget, Rose. Dimitri's gone. He's been gone for five years." When I didn't reply she hailed us a cab. Dan, Lissa's guardian sat up front. It still hurt knowing that I wasn't Lissa's guardian like her parents always wanted. Instead I got some asshole Moroi who still, five years later, had trouble keeping his hands to himself.
When we reached my apartment Lissa got out of the cab and walked me to the door. "No more alcohol tonight," she told me, hugging me goodbye I nodded, though not really meaning it. I mean, there was really no harm drinking at home. It's not like there was anyone here to worry about being an asshole too.
"I'm sorry about tonight," I told her, trying to get the guilt off my shoulders for ruining our Girls Night Out.
She shook her head, releasing me from her arms. "It's my fault. I should have kept a better eye on how much you had to drink." Like a mother, I though with disgust. It was directed at myself. Why couldn't I be a better woman? Why did I have to drink? I knew the answer though; it makes everything better. For a little while, at least.
We finished out goodbyes and Lissa pulled away in the bright yellow cab, heading back to her own house to see her husband and kid. And what was I going to do? Probably open up a bottle of Jack Daniels and cry myself to sleep for the fifth night this week. The saddest part? It was Friday.
I closed the front door behind me and stripped of my dress, throwing it a the pile of dirty clothes piled up near the computer desk. I really needed to do laundry. Later though. Still in my bra and panties, I walked into the kitchen and threw open the doors to my liquor cupboard. I decided to be classy, though. Instead of a glass of Jack, I got out a wine glass and filled it with Apothic Red.
Calling Adrian was the next thing that had to be done. He was my trusted drinking buddy. I knew he wouldn't tell Lissa. The way he felt about it was that 'he had his problems. I had mine. When we indulge in those problems, there's no point in the Perfect (Lissa) knowing about them.' That's how we referred to her during our drunken rendezvous. Perfect. That's what she was. She was skinny and pretty and classy and nice. She didn't have the bitter memory of her first true love leaving her for some raven-haired slut. She didn't have to drink to fall asleep at night.
Adrian answered on the first ring. "Ah, Rose. What ever could you be calling me at this hour for?" He said in a light tone. I knew he had already had a few drinks. Probably more than that too. He really liked Speed. And woman. And the two at once.
"Want to come over?" I needn't add anymore. He knew what I meant. I was drunk and wanted to drink more. It's no fun to drink alone though.
"Be right over," he replied before hanging up, giving me no time to reply. I sat on the couch, throwing back a glass or two (or three) of the wine, waiting for him to arrive. Ten minutes later my doorbell rang.
I got up and answered. "Hey, Little Dhampir," Adrian said. He looked his usual disheveled, sexy self. His hair was made up in that 'bedraggled' look. Like he just took a tumble in the sheets. This time, though, I doubted it was caused by twenty minuted of careful styling.
"I hope I didn't tare you away from anything important," I told him as I moved aside so he could enter.
"Trust me, Rose; nothing could be better than seeing you like this." His eyes drifted down the course of my body. I looked over at the dirty clothes and saw my red dress sitting on top. I glanced down at my body. The tiny black undergarments hardly covered anything. I felt a little bit of a blush rise to my cheeks. I didn't really care all that much though. It wasn't like it was the first time Adrian had seen me like that. You do crazy shit when your wasted.
"So did you call me over to drink... or other stuff?" Adrian asked, walking closer and wagging his eyebrows. I simply shrugged. It was all in the same anymore. One almost always led to the other. Adrian smiled and kissed me. I couldn't help but kiss back. Even if I hadn't wanted to- he was a freaking amazing kisser. But I did want to. As with alcohol, sex was a good way to keep the pain off my mind.
We broke apart. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, bringing his hand up to brush a strand of hair off away from my face. Right then, I didn't even care he had already been with who-knows-how-many women already over the course of the night. All I knew was that he could ease the ache in chest where Dimitri ripped out my heart. Even if he couldn't fix it, he would help. At least a little.
Neither of us said we loved the other over the course of the night. We didn't talk about plans for the future. We didn't give titles. We just drank and pleasured each other. The same as every other night. And for the moment, that had been all right. Until my doorbell rang again the next morning.