This is RM. Reviews would be greatly appreciated.
Rebound
Chapter 1
A thick veil of smoke permeated the very walls of the rather vulgar establishment she had just entered. Oblivious to the foul odour, Marissa staggered towards the nearest bar stool, collapsed, and ordered a straight vodka on the rocks. It had been a good day. She mumbled incoherently to herself already fairly intoxicated, only venturing so far as the bar due to her flats current alcohol shortage.
Her drink arrived and she proceeded to drown her miseries in the translucent liquid gulp by gulp. She thrust her delicate digits in to the bowl of nuts and had almost placed them between her lips, despite the slight off-colouring and suspicious smell, when a gruff looking man slumped down beside her, capturing her attention. He was unshaven and his dark blonde hair projected from his head in a most unnatural way. The flame behind his eyes extinguished and the sparkle in his smile dampened. His hands, large and rough, clasped together on the surface of the bar and he twisted his thumbs in an out of his tightly clenched fist. Marissa fiddled nervously with the nut shells scattered on the bar top and downed the remaining traces of her drink.
The man spoke in a raspy, deep voice, "Jack Daniels please, on the rocks." His eyes still boring holes in the surface top.
"I'll have the same." He surfaced from his trance and raised his head for the first time to look at the owner of the voice. He was pleasantly surprised, despite his situation, when his sunken eyes were met with a doe-eyed young woman with long dirty blonde tresses and plump, kissable lips. She, however, seemed to be as equally miserable as he. She fumbled with the drink as it was served to her and then proceeded to knock back the icy beverage in one, the fractured ice cubes colliding with her teeth with faint clashes.
"Sorry. It just sounded perfect right about now."
"Trust me I know what you mean." He, too, imbibed the drink quickly. She, however, was a lot further gone than he, but that was about to change.
"Bad day?" She turned her body to face him whilst ordering yet another drink.
He let out a mordant snigger, "You could say that." His snigger was rapidly replaced with a frown. Raising his eyes to meet the stranger's, "I'm Ryan."
"Hi." Came her short reply, with a not-so-short smirk on her face. She had decided that he would help her feel better and she had also decided that she may return the favour as well.
"Hi." Silence. Such conversationalists they were. "Are you going to tell me your name? I'm not really feeling up to playing games today."
"Marissa."
"Marissa. It suits you."
"I know."
"...OK"
"Look Ryan, I'm gonna be straight with you. I'm miserable, lonely and quite drunk. But, I'd quite like to get to know you. You seem to be all of those attractive qualities and more, no offence, and I think it could benefit us both if we did… get to know each other…if you know what I mean." Marissa slightly slurred.
Ryan sat. Mildly shocked at the heartbroken, now slightly blurred woman beside him who, at least he thought, had just offered herself to him. "Ummm, OK," came his feeble reply. To be honest, he felt rather timid, and this, for Ryan Attwood, was a rare occurrence.
"Good. Would you like to buy me a drink, I'm starting to get my better judgement back, and that, I can tell you, is not good."
After several more rounds of drinks, Marissa back on the vodka now, the flowing conversation had reached a new all-time intellectual low.
"Noooo, I'm telling you. Iss true, iss true! In Auustralia, the toilets, they flush the other waayyy!" Ryan's eyes were glazed and he was now centimetres away from Marissa, who, incidentally, was laughing hysterically at his last comment, resulting in her gently resting her forehead against his. They both had made a mutual but drunken decision that they would not discuss why they so happened to be in the bar, not wanting to surface bad feelings, but enjoy the new ones they evoked in each other. Ryan, whose hand was resting on her knee, danced his fingers further up to relax on her thigh. His other hand clasped around her waist. The moment, in its hilarity, had intensified as they looked into each others eyes.
"Ryan." Marissa breathed. "My apartment's not very far from here, and its late, and I'm drunk. Do you think you could walk me home?" Their lips brushed together as the delicate words were spoken.
Ryan visibly swallowed and cleared his throat, eyes half-mast, "sure. I'll get your coat."
They sauntered out of the bar, albeit not in a straight-line, and slightly stumbled in the direction of Marissa's apartment, touching at every opportunity.
They crashed through the door into the wall adorned with photographs of loved ones and unloved ones. Ryan pinned Marissa against the wall, kissing furiously, tongues mingling and hands everywhere. Ryan, again, danced his fingers up her thigh as she began to nibble on his ear, breathing heavily. They clumsily shuffled towards the nearest door, still kissing. Marissa fumbled with the door handle and the two, still very drunk, hastily entered the bedroom, the door slamming shut behind them.