Chapter 7: The Drunken Mistake
The three of us walked into the bar and saw tons of people, most laughing and having a good time, others arm wrestling or in heated debate. There were many different languages being spoken and even though I only spoke english, I still felt strangely comfortable here.
"Rose, before you do anything here, I need you to do something for me." Zane said urgently.
"Sure, what do you need?"
His expression looked grim. "I need you to call Anne for the last time. Say goodbye."
'What?' I was shocked for a minute. "W-Why?"
"Even with this one night detour, we should reach our destination by tomorrow night. You'll be able to call her less and less from that point on as it is but regardless of that, you'd have to say goodbye to her eventually. It's inevitable. So why not now?"
'Because I don't want to. Because hearing her voice the few times I have kept me sane. Because I love her and don't want to lose her so soon.' I nodded, eyes watering but not daring to let them fall. "Fine. I'll call her."
"Dimitri, go with her. I'll get drinks." Zane ordered, before leaving us and heading to the bar.
Dimitri put his hand on my back and lead me to the payphone by the door. He reached in his pocket and handed me change. "I'm sorry, Rose." He said softly.
"Thank you." I replied, before putting in the change and dialing that number I knew so well.
"Hello?" Anne answered.
"Hey, Anne. It's Rose." I said softly, smiling at just hearing her voice. "How are you?"
"Alright. It's been hectic here and I really miss you. Are you coming home soon?"
I swallowed hard. "No. Actually, I'm gonna stay out here. The culture is really cool and the people are even cooler. I just think this lifestyle is more...me."
It was silent on the other end for a minute and I closed my eyes tightly. 'Please don't see through it...please don't see through it...' "You're joking, right?" She asked.
"I'm not. I'm sorry, Anne. I love you with all my heart, I do. And tell mom and dad I love them for me too, okay?"
"No, tell them yourself. Rose, please, don't do this. Come back to reality. You don't know who you're with. You randomly left and went on this little roadtrip and it's been killing me to not know where you are or if you're being mistreated. I mean I don't know these people, Rose! You hardly do! I just..." She took a deep breath. "I just need you home, okay? You're all I have, sis."
Tears silently streamed down my face. 'I'm so sorry Anne, it's for the best...' "I do know these people, Anne." I retorted, trying desperately to sound angry. "They're my friends. They support me and let me make my own decisions. I was trying to be civil about this but fine. I'm not coming back and I'm not calling ever again. Goodbye." I hung up and just let out the rest of my tears.
Dimitri wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly, gently rubbing my back. I couldn't make out what words he was saying over the sounds of the bar, but his tone was soothing nonetheless. I hugged him tightly and he responded in kind, before we seperated. I wiped my eyes and took a shakey breath.
"I'm sorry you had to see that."
"I'm sorry you had to do it." He said sincerely. "Come on," He grabbed my hand and started pulling me along. "Let's go drink away the pain."
That is just what we did. We met with Zane and took many shots and drank many beers. Zane even started losening up a bit and we all danced. I danced with many strangers, both boys and girls and lost sight of them for awhile. Then the alcohol hit me all at once and I headed back to the bar.
"Anoder dwink!" I shouted at the bartender.
He laughed and slid over a shot. I gulped it. 'Nummyyy!' Dimitri staggered over. "Heeeey I know you!" I hugged him tightly.
He wrapped his arms around me and rocked me back and forth. Which made me dizzy. "Room...st-stop...spinn..." I murmured, watching as everything blurred together.
Dimitri dragged me out like a meany face and brought me to a hotel, which was right next to the bar! 'How come I never saw dis...?'
"Careful." Dimitri said as he steered me into the room. I fell on the bed and watched the ceiling spin. I looked to the side and saw Zane passed out on the floor. "Rose, are you-" Dimitri started when I went 'Shhhhh' at him loudly.
"Be quieet. Zane..." I started giggling. "He's asweep..." I sat up and looked at Dimitri. His dark spikes were messed up and his beautiful brown eyes were glazed. Sweat glistened on his muscular arms and my desire for him hit me out of no where.
"Are you okay, Rose?" Dimitri asked, pronouncing his words carefully like he was struggling not to slur.
I pushed myself off the bed and moved towards him and tripped over my own feet. He caught me before I hit the ground and pulled me up. Without thinking twice, I grabbed his face and pulled his lips to mine. He kissed back with passion and I opened my mouth to invite his tongue in. His arms circled my waist and he held me tightly to him as we kissed.
Then out of no where, he pushed me away and I fell on the bed. He backed up against the door. I held out my hand towards him and he shook his head...
Then it all went black.
I woke up three times to puke my brains out. Each time I stumbled back to bed, I looked for Zane and Dimitri. Zane hadn't moved the entire night and Dimitri wasn't there the first or second time and on the third he was passed out by the door.
After that third time throwing up, I slept like a rock. When I awoke again, Zane was sitting in a chair by a small table with his eyes closed and Dimitri was gone. My head was pounding and the sunlight creeping in through the window did not help. I rubbed my eyes and squinted at Zane. "Where's Dimitri?"
"Getting supplies. Food, water, a rental car and most importantly asprin." He said, his eyes remaining shut. "I'm not fond of these 'guns' humans have created, I find them cowardly and stupid, but right now, I wouldn't mind being shot in the head with one. Anything to make this headache go away."
I giggled. "You're funny when you're hungover."
He opened one green eye at me. "Not in the mood, giggles."
"Don't call me giggles." I said, trying my hardest not to laugh. 'Giggles...what a funny name...'
"Someone's still a bit buzzed." He closed his eye again and let out a big breath. "Did you have fun last night?"
The memory of Dimitri and I kissing came to mind. I layed back down and stared up at the ceiling. 'Don't be awkward...don't say something stupid...' "Yeah." I said quietly. "When do we leave?"
"Soon as I take some asprin." It was quiet for awhile and I struggled with my guilty thoughts. Zane was my fiance and I cheated on him last night with his best friend after all. 'But I don't remember being engaged...or Zane at all...'
But Zane does. He sees me just as Leliana. His old friend and fiance. And he's been a total gentleman and gave me space so I could cope with things and this is how I repay that kindness? 'But...I don't want to be Leliana. I want to be Rose. I want to be with Dimitri. I have strong feelings for him, I can't help it. He feels it too, doesn't he?'
It doesn't matter. It won't to Zane and it wouldn't to me if I were in his position. 'So what do I do?'
"Are you nervous?" Zane asked, breaking the silence.
I sat up slowly so I wouldn't get dizzy and his dark green eyes were staring directly at me. 'He knows. Play it off, don't let him think he's right.' "Me? Psht, no. I have nothing to be nervous about. I'm so far from nervous, I might as well be on the moon." I rambled stupidly.
He tilted his head to the side a bit. "You look nervous. You have the past ten minutes. I've been patient Leliana...Rose, I think you know you can trust me. I'm not going to hurt you. What's bothering you?"
'It's not me who should be worried about trusting you, it's you who should be worried about trusting me...' I shook my head. "I just...shouldn't have drank so much last night." I answered lamely.
Zane sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Fine. Don't tell me. It's your choice."
It was quiet again. Painfully quiet. "So...how long is the drive going to take?" I asked.
His eyes twinkled mischieviously and he shrugged. "I don't know...probably shouldn't have drank so much last night..."
"That doesn't even make sense." I complained.
"Neither did your answer to my question."
It was quiet again. I sighed frustrated. Then said brattily, "Fine. Don't tell me. It's your choice."
Zane chuckled. That's right, chuckled at me. 'Well...I deserve worse...'
Dimitri came in through the door and handed Zane some asprin. "Come on, let's move. I'll drive since I'm the least hungover between the two of us."
Our group gathered our few things and checked out of the hotel and got in the car. Dimitri didn't look at me once. The radio played and filled the car, Zane was in charge of the songs. He fell asleep and I started poking him, he didn't stir. I did it a couple more times and nothing.
'Good. I have to talk to Dimitri about last night.'
"Dimitri, can you turn down the radio?" I asked. He did as I asked but said nothing. "Hey can we talk a moment? About you know what?"
Dimitri glanced at me from the rearview mirror, then looked back at the road. "There's nothing to talk about. Nothing happened."
"That's not true and we both know it."
It was silent a moment. He looked over at Zane who still hadn't stirred then pulled over, turned up the radio a bit and got out of the car. I got out too. "You want to do this?" He asked, anger evident in his voice. "Fine. Last night should never have happened."
I chose my words carefully. "I know it shouldn't have, but that doesn't change that it did. And...I don't want to hurt Zane..."
"I don't either."
"But that doesn't change mean it'll change how we feel." I blurted out.
Dimitri looked conflicted a moment then he looked down. "Rose...we can't..." He sighed frustrated, then stared me straight in the eyes. "That was cheating what happened last night. That's a crime where I come from. One that people get tortured for."
'That's...a bit harsh...' "Dimitri, I didn't ask to be engaged to Zane. I don't have any feelings for him. I mean I know we use to be friends, but I don't remember that, and hey I'm sure I'd like being his friend again. But just a friend."
"What are you suggesting?"
"That...we talk to him. Tell him the truth. Tell him I don't have any feelings for him. That I like you." I explained.
He stared at me for a moment and his expression darkened. "Last night was a mistake. We were both drunk and weren't fully aware of what we were doing. It shouldn't have happened and we will tell him that after the oracle figures out what's wrong in that head of yours. Hell, maybe that even has something to do with it."
My eyes watered a bit. "But...Dimitri, I really like you. And...I think you like me too. I mean we-"
Dimitri cut me off. "We, this me and you, doesn't exist. You, Leliana, belong to Zane and Zane alone. I'm not going to lose my only best friend in the world over a drunken mistake. And don't being so willing to throw away a good guy like Zane over nothing either." He got in the car.
I got in after him and looked out the window. There was...nothing I could say.
'Dimitri doesn't feel the same after all I guess...'
I tried not to cry at the rejection and I suceeded for the most part. Only a few lonely tears escaped, betraying the fresh scars on my heart.
The drive went by in a blur. Zane and Dimitri took turns driving. I offered to drive but they both agreed I shouldn't since I don't actually know where we're headed. I slept on and off for the trip. When Dimitri was driving, and it was just us awake, we never spoke. When Zane was awake or when he was driving, small talk was made about weather and how close we were getting, to both the oracle and eventually home.
'Home. The life I had seems like a distant memory now...'
The car stopped at a resting spot and the guys got out. I followed, a bit confused. "Why did we stop?"
"For the rest of the trip, we walk." Zane said, a small smile on his lips. "Try and keep up, giggles."
'Great.'