Chapter 8: The Engagement Party
"Are you two on a mission or something?" Debbie enters, eyeing up her auntie as she sips her lager rapidly from a straw.
"Something like that." Chas slurs at her. "You wanna join us?"
"No thanks." She shakes her head. "I'm looking after the kids tonight, just came to say congrats to my cousin here."
"Cheers." Aaron raises his glass to her. "I'll bet Cain's having a fit."
"He's actually alright." She shrugs. "I think he's softening in his old age."
"Ooh, unlucky for Moira." Chas giggles and I nudge her playfully. Debbie gives us a look which implies she didn't understand the joke before collecting herself and leaving.
"I don't know about her." I mutter, pouring myself another glass of wine.
"Only because you slept with her ex!" She exclaims.
"I've slept with lots of people's exes, they don't necessarily hold a grudge against me." I tell her, before pausing. "Well most of them do but..."
"Already making your mark." Chas pokes me.
"Oi, any chance of service around here?" Adam asks, who had been waiting patiently at the bar for five minutes. Chas exchanges a look with me, we were hanging around in the corner, stood at alternative sides of the bar. I take it upon myself to step in, knowing that if she attempted to pull a pint now, it would go all over the floor.
"Yeah what can I get you?" I head round to Chas' side of the bar, and she laughs at me as I gather a glass from underneath it.
"I thought bar work was below you!" She reminds me.
"I never said that!" I object, realising how snobbish I sounded. "I helped Nick out once in his bar when he was low on staff."
"Oh there you go, years of experience then." She grins.
"Do you want me to help out or not?" I jibe, turning back to Adam. "Yes sir, what can I get you?"
"Sir." Chas explodes in fits of laughter and I can't help but laugh myself at this.
"How much have you two had?" Adam raises his eyebrows at us. "Pint of bitter and a white wine spritzer please."
"I've always wanted to get my hand round one of these." I grip the pump fiercely and pull it down.
"Bet you have." Chas continues to make dirty remarks. "Ey, Adam, if you ever want a freebie, she's into lads your age."
"Chas!" I exclaim, as beer floods out onto the floor, around my heels.
"I think you might have missed the glass." He points out as I raise my feet one at a time out of the sticky puddle that surrounded them.
"These cost a fortune!" I huff.
"Maybe you shouldn't be wearing heels on a farm then." She digs at me and I shoot her a look.
"I may as well serve myself here!" Adam rolls his eyes as his girlfriend appears behind him.
"Shift, come on." She clicks her fingers at me, which I find extremely rude.
"Oi, who said you could come behind here?" I ask Victoria as she takes hold of the pump.
"Uh, I work here?" She reminds me. "Unlike you."
"Yeah in the kitchen." I recall.
"Correct but it doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to not know how to pull a pint." She retaliates at me and I turn to see Chas, leant up against the bar with a hand clapped over her excited grin.
"Let her have it." She tells me, passing me another glass of wine. "And you can have this."
"Bit lively in here!" I'm pulled from my daze by the sound of Charity's voice.
"Oh hello." I call over to her, draped up against the table I was sat at with Chas. "Howdy partner."
"She's been telling me all about your latest contact..." Chas chips in.
"Contract." Charity corrects her, sitting down at our table opposite me. "How much have you had?"
"A lot." She slurs, waving her straw in the air in the process. "Boss? Another drink please!"
"You're the boss." Charity points out and I start laughing hysterically.
"Aren't you going to congratulate uh... Your husband, brother, uncle... Cousin... Whoever he is to you lot." I point a finger at Aaron.
"Oh yeah, commiserations and all that." Charity yells over to him. "It sucks, trust me."
"I'll drink to that." Chas raises her empty glass as I pull myself up, making my way behind the bar again. I dose out two shots, before turning to Charity.
"You joining in?" I ask her and she hesitates before shrugging.
"Why not?" She pulls a face. "Could be dead tomorrow."
"Where's the karaoke?" Chas yells, which makes Aaron look even more embarrassed.
"Hopefully locked away." He forces a smile at her.
"Ooh! That's what me and Carla want to sing um..." Her brow furrows in thought for a second. "Locked Out Of Hell."
"Heaven." Charity nudges her.
"Cheers, I suppose I am." She widens her eyes as I come over, placing all three shots down on the table.
"Do you reckon she needs anymore?" Charity asks me.
"I reckon she's a grown woman and can do as she likes." I shrug. "Besides, makes me look sober."
"Which categorically you are not." Charity points out. "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"
"They ran away... I spilt beer on them." I mutter, clinking my shot glass with Chas' before raising it to my lips.
"Fruity." Chas gurgles.
"It's vodka!" I cackle as she falls back against her chair, which dangerously tips back onto its hind legs before returning to its original position.
"I think I'm drunk..." Chas mutters, staring down into her empty glass. "I wanna go on the karaoke again."
"Well I don't think that's a good idea." Charity mothers us, as I lean my head on Chas' shoulder.
"Why not?" She frowns at her.
"Because the microphone wasn't to be used to make erotic gestures." She points out.
"But you found it funny." I remind her.
"Course I did!" She exclaims. "But I would, I've got lower maturity levels than Noah."
"Than Moses." Chas adds and she nods in agreement.
"I think it's bedtime for you." Charity claps her hands, helping Chas up.
"No, I don't wanna go to bed." She groans. "I want that bottle of whiskey that I hid behind the sofa."
"Ok well I'll bring that up to you for a midnight feast." Charity suggests.
"Will you really?" Her eyes widen.
"Yeah." Charity lies, nodding her head enthusiastically.
"My beautiful baby boy." Chas stumbles over to Aaron, squeezing his cheeks before falling into his chest. "I'm so... Happy..."
"Seems it." Aaron mutters, as she's pulled off him by Charity. I watch as she is carted away, her arm draped around Charity's shoulder.
"Goodnight..." She murmurs as she leaves and a few people wave in recognition.
"Right!" I exclaim, glancing across at Paddy, who was sat looking depressed with a glass of whiskey in his hand. "You and me, on the dance floor."
"I'm not... Really a dancer." He mumbles, so quietly I could barely hear him.
"Ah come on, it's not every day you get an offer from someone like me." I poke him in the arm, pulling myself up and attempting to sit down on his lap.
"No it's not... Luckily." He sighs, trying to force me off him.
"Ross get your girlfriend sobered up yeah?" I hear someone ask and my head instantly turns to the doorway, where Ross was raising his eyebrows at my drunken state.
"'Scuse me." I point at him. "Who gave you permission to look at me?"
"Ok let's get you home." Ross comes over, pulling me up off Paddy and noticing I had nothing on my feet. "Where are your shoes?"
"They'll be shoved in your gob if you don't get your hands off me." I snap, fiercely and he holds his hands up.
"Ok, not touching you." He says, with a grin on his face. "But it would be a lot more dignified, if you came with me now."
I glance around the room, at the faces staring at me. I could tell that I had made an impression here, and probably not a good one.
"Ok." I raise my voice, forcing myself to stand and falling back against the wall.
"Woah, ok, I've got you." Ross grabs me from behind, his eyes focus on mine, deep and meaningful. He tears them away from me, momentarily, lifting me up in a swift movement and carrying me out the pub.
"Oi!" I yell, as several episodes of laughter erupt from the punters. He carries me outside and the cold air hits me immediately. "Where we going?"
"Home." He tells me, firmly.
"Clubbing?" I negotiate and he shakes his head, a wicked smile on his face.
"Not tonight sweetheart." He grins.
"Don't call me that." I mutter, now allowing him to carry me down the path without fuss. "My heart is most definitely not sweet. It's icy."
"Could've fooled me." He sighs, as we reach the flats. "You got your key?" I indicate to the bag that was gripped in my hand and he puts me down, leaning me up against the brickwork and searching my bag. Once we were in, up the stairs, and safely in the flat, he carries me into the bedroom and lays me down on my bed.
"Thanks for that, emergency services, you can go now." I mumble, before my eyes meet his again, and as they do, I lean in. I don't know why, but I was drunk and stupid and at this time of night I needed some form of security. His lips are warm, passionate. But I don't get to determine this any further, as he has pulled away. "What are you doing?"
"Letting you sleep." He smiles, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.
"But I just threw myself at you." I point out, as if he was unaware.
"I might be a criminal, an attempted murderer, a cheater, a lousy father..." He tells me. "But I don't take advantage of women when they're drunk. Especially not you."
"How very big of you." I sigh, my eyes closing as my head rolls to one side and I feel the soft duvet entwined between my fingers. A sudden warmth encases me as Ross lays a blanket over my frame, his breath warm in my ear.
"Goodnight." He whispers, before the light goes out.
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