To my surprise I found him not with his laptop on the table, all decorations shoved aside. He seemed to watch the crowd as usual. Either that or he was thinking about something. Previous usually made him smile in a wry way, now however, his expression was totally plain. Something was wrong, I decided. I wasn't that late. Seth had suggested saving us a table in our favorite bar when I had to close the bookstore since Doug was out again and Paige was hardly in anymore due to her advanced pregnancy. I even shape-shifted into my evening clothes to save some time so this couldn't be the problem.
"Hey", I said. He didn't look up or made any movements that would have let me know he'd noticed me. Was I invisible? No, I had asked the receptionist where I would find Seth and he had answered without any signs that there was something wrong with me. It must be him. I took a seat in front of him but still didn't get any attention.
"What's wrong?" He didn't regard the people in there. From here I could tell that he was clearly staring into the void. Unusually, he even held a glass in his hands whose content smelled like whisky or something equally alcoholic. I wouldn't spot this as a problem if it wasn't Seth I was dealing with because the truth is that he doesn't drink, ever. Surely, he had his wild times at college but they've been over long ago.
Finally, he moved, bringing the glass to his lips and emptying it. "Seth. Let's go home." He didn't react. Pretending to go to the restrooms I found the waiter who had served him and it emerged that this was Seth's fourth glass of whisky. I couldn't believe this. Not only that Doug had a severe drogue problem, now my boyfriend who rejected any drogues had started drinking. I paid the bill and, literally, dragged him out of the bar. Oblivious to his attempt at heading for his own car, I pulled him on my passenger seat and fastened the belt around him. How this must have looked didn't bother me at the moment. Some people here knew us but neither said something. For Seth, however, it seemed he was paralyzed, not taking in any of what was going on around him, at least, not really. We drove to my apartment and I led him into my bedroom. He nearly fell asleep immediately but I couldn't find any peace next to him so I moved to my couch, turning on the television in order to find some distraction. It wasn't late yet and there were some action movies on but they didn't do much for me. In the end, sleep won over my confusion but, I guess, this is what double twelve-hours shifts do to you.
The next morning came abruptly. If I dreamed something I couldn't remember any of it. Eager to find out about Seth's state, I rushed into my bedroom that was flooded with light. My eyes needed a minute to adapt to the brightness but when they finally did, it was useless. He wasn't there anymore. Panic arose within me and I hurried back into the living room, looking for my cell but then heard a sound from the bathroom. Of course, why would he leave without telling me? I peered through the half-opened door of the bathroom, finding him brushing his teeth. He looked as usual, deep brown, shining eyes; the plain look from last night was gone. I backed out of the bathroom and settled on the couch again. He would come over soon and we would talk about everything. I needed to consider my words carefully lest I didn't offend him. Drinking some glasses of whisky isn't a problem, really. He's an adult man who could take care of his own and I didn't need to act like his mother. Yet, there had to be something truly wrong otherwise he would've told me before. We could have had a drink or two together.