Urgh…. I was so not looking forward to when we stepped outside…. The fresh air is going to hit me like a freight train. Man, why did I have to get drunk? And why is my body still acting like an idiot? God. It was only a matter of time when my logical part of my brain went ‘bye bye’ too.

“Want to go home?” Nocte asked me as he was observing me.

“Yisssshhh. However, help me?” 

I went to stand up but I half stumbled. But, as I stumbled, I felt hands help me to stay sturdy. 

“Thankish.”

“Maybe a little less sparkly next time?”

“Oh… Shhh….” I placed my finger on his lips. “Stop talking, walking sexy lamp.”

“Walking lamp…. Huh.”

“Yesssshhh. Walking lamb….”

I moved from his arms and tried to walk, but I wobbled and someone caught me by my arm. 

“Oh…. It’s the walking lamb.”

“Ok. Well, for your own safety? I’m doing this…. Please excuse me.”

I don’t know what he was doing but, all of a sudden, I felt like I was flying. Then we started moving. I had no idea about anything else, since everything was extremely fuzzy, and the whiff of fresh air went right up my nose. Shortly after, I felt my body being lowered down. Coming back to some sense, I realised that I was in a car. 

“Wait, you're drunk! No drive!” I mumbled out. 

“Trust me, I’m not drunk….”

I reached out and grabbed something. It kinda felt like fabric and I realised that I could yank on it. “Drunk driving. No.”

“Driving, yes.”

I felt my hand being peeled off of what I was holding onto. What was that? But then everything went off again, and the next thing I could point out was a familiar looking building.

“Oh looksh. Home.”

And then came the end of the night, which would have a sober me slap a drunk me to Timbuktu!!

Somehow, I don’t even remember how, but we managed to get to where I live. I don’t even remember leaving the Bard!

“How did we end up here?” I asked the man, who called himself Nocte.

“Do you just get flat out drunk, on a first….?”

Sadly, I didn’t exactly catch the rest of what he mumbled.

“I’m not drunk!” I firmly told him, and I turned and tried to get out of the car. But, for some reason, I felt like I was tumbling forward, until I felt the sensation of getting pulled back. “Your car is hard to get out of….”

“I really can’t leave you like this, do forgive me…. I wouldn’t do it unless it was totally necessary….”

“Hmmm?” As I rolled my head around again, I heard what sounded like a door being slammed and then what felt like hands touching me. Then, in a daze, the world felt extra spinny and I swore that I heard a door slam and a beep. As I looked up, I could actually make out the night sky. “The sky is pretty….”

“Yes, the sky is pretty….” I heard Nocte’s voice, but it sounded really close.

“Moo is also pretty….”

“The moon is pretty, I agree….”

“Mmmm….”

Sadly, the sky disappeared and all I could see was a roof? At least I think it was a roof, but one thing I knew was that the sky was gone. I’m not sure what happened to it but, later on, I felt my feet touch the ground again.

“This door is hard to get into, where are your keys?” That man’s voice was still close.

“... My keys are keys….” I lent back and hit something warm.

“May I have your bag?”

“My bag is a bag….”

“Don’t moan at me for going into your bag when you’re sober.”

“I am sober.”

I felt something leave my hands, which was followed by a jingling sound. In front of me, I saw a door open and I kicked off from the warm thing that I was leaning against and stumbled into the room. As I walked in, I felt like I was missing a shoe.

“Cinderlexi? You dropped your shoe.” That man’s voice was still in my head. Have I ever told myself that he kind of has a sexy voice?

“Mmmhmm….” I mumbled as I just kept walking and I ended up hitting something soft and just tumbled forward. “Oh…. This must mean this is my bed….” Of course, what else would it be?

“That is not a bed….”

“Totally is….” I started to rub it gently. “Good bed.”

“Why do humans insist on getting like this?”

“Did you say ‘humans’?”

“No.”

“Oh, it must’ve been ‘hummus’. Makes sense. I never understood hummus either.”

“Yes, it was hummus….”

“I don’t like hummus….” I mumbled.

As I lay on my ‘bed’, I felt something touch my leg, and then my other shoe left my foot. 

“Honestly, I’m just going to apologise for the entire night, so excuse me….” There was that sexy voice again.

After the sexy voice said that, I felt something around my waist and I felt myself being pulled upwards, into that warm sensation from earlier again. 

“Ahh, you’re a sweetie….”

As I turned around, I could feel something dangling in front of my face, and I had this urge to pull at it. As I grabbed hold of it, I started to pull on it a little.

“Please don’t pull on that.”

“But it’s very pulley.”

“Yes, it is. But no.”

Sadly, my hands were removed from the pulley thing. Awww….

“Boo….” I drunkenly pouted, and stumbled away from the thing that I wanted to pull. But, for some reason, when I took a few steps, the floor seemed to be coming right at me, until it stopped moving. “My word! The floor…. It’s moving!”

“It’s not, but please stop moving.” That sexy voice was behind me again.

“I wasn’t walking….”

“....” That voice sighed. “I’m going to take it that your bed is up there?”

“My bed? My bed is somewhere?” Wasn’t I just in my bed though?

“You are already becoming a handful, why couldn’t I find a less troublesome one? It’d make my job a lot easier….”

What was that voice mumbling about? I yelped a little as my feet left the ground and I felt hands around me. Then I seemed to be moving, but I wasn’t actually moving. Everything then stopped when I touched something soft. Oh, I recognise this softness….

“Bed. This is a bed. Bed is very nice.” I hummed gently into it.

“Yes…. Now you can sleep correctly, I will be around if you decide to throw up…. I don’t want you choking on your vomit….”

That voice? I didn’t want them going away, so I just reached and grabbed something, I think it might’ve been an arm? I don’t know, but my voice came out so weak.

“Don’t go….”

“I won’t….”

But I didn’t let go. Instead, I pulled what I had held towards me, and the strong whiff of strawberries went right up my nose. God, that was such a good smell, wait! Was that smell coming from the person that I have a hold of? It sounded like a man, but who was he? However, that dangly thing was flapping in front of my face again, and I had to grab it with my other hand. I heard the man say something, but I couldn’t make out what he said. Wait, I know who this was. Of course it was him, who else would it be?

“David?” Blinking, and leaning back a little to look at this man, I could see David staring back at me. The red hair, the brown eyes, his pale skin. Of course this was David. “Ah, there you are.”

“I’m not David….” ‘David’ spoke firmly.

“Is this roleplay?” As I swung my arms, I wrapped them around David's neck and pulled him in close. “I forgive you.” But did I? Did I truly forgive him? He was here, with me, looking after me, so it shows that he cares. As I leaned in more, I went to kiss him, but he just turned his head away and, instead of his lips, I just got his jawline. Hmm…. For some reason, this felt different, plus that whole strawberry scent was really strong again. I did try and pull him down but, no matter how hard I pulled, he didn’t budge an inch. “You’ve gotten stronger.”

“Please….” He took a hold of my arms and gently removed them from around his neck. “Get a good night's sleep, this is the drink talking.”

“I know I said I wanted to wait….” I started to speak to him. “But I don’t think I can….”

“Sleep.” He repeated himself, as he stepped away from me.

“I can’t….” I mumbled and, in one last attempt, I started to remove my dress. I don’t know how well I was doing it, but it must be something. “Sleep with me?”

“......” ‘David’ just gave me a blank expression.

I half stumbled over to him with my dress nearly off, and I tried to reach out for him again, but he actually caught me that time.

“I really didn’t want to do this to you….”

“Don’t be shy, you told me you did it before.” I moved to lean in closer to his face where I could feel his breath.

“Go to sleep.”

Suddenly, I lost all feeling in me, and I slumped forwards. Strong arms held me up, but I had a powerful urge that I just needed to sleep. No matter how hard I try to keep awake, it was a losing battle. I heard a fading voice say something that sounded like ‘sorry’, as I finally lost all consciousness.

The sound of birds chirping loudly woke me up and, as I woke, I realised that I had one hanging headache. Grudgingly I sat up, and immediately realised that I was dressed only in my underwear! As I looked around, I saw a familiar looking dress slumped over the bannister. Oh right, of course, I had dinner with Nocte… I remember now, and I remember drinking…. Drinking a LOT, to the point I did not remember leaving the Bard or even coming home… But one thing was certain, I had a hangover. There was no point in sleeping for much longer, so I slowly got out of bed, put my gown on and headed downstairs. But, when I saw what was sitting on my sofa, I had to blink several times to make sure that I was seeing things correctly. It most definitely was the same man that I went to dinner with.

“What are you doing here?” I subconsciously wrapped the gown around me more.

At the sound of my voice, he turned his head. “I stayed to make sure you didn’t choke on your vomit.”

… In some weird way, that was sweet of him, but wait…. I double checked my clothes that I was still in, my underwear and I also noticed that there was a lone shoe by the sofa. It became very suspicious all of a sudden.

“We… Didn’t…. Did we?” I swear to God, I hope he understood what I meant.

“No.”

Oh… Apparently he did.

“Not for the lack of trying on your part, mind you.” He continued.

“Excuse me?!”

“You called me ‘David’ and told ‘David’ to sleep with you.”

“Oh my god! Ewww! David, for the record, is some twat. That is all, and as for me asking him to sleep with me? Hell no!”

“Hmm….”

“But, just to confirm here….” I raised my hand and started counting down. “I drank too much and you took me home…. You stayed so I didn’t choke on my own vomit if I was sick, and you what? Slept on the sofa?”

“Basically, yes.”

“So why am I in my underwear?”

“You stripped.”

“... In front of you?”

“Yes. In the whole ‘David’ thing.”

“Oh my god! I would like to die in a hole now. But we totally didn’t do anything, right?” I waggled my finger at him.

“No.”

“Ok, good….” I felt at ease. It might have been true sometime ago that I felt like David could be the one. But, after what that twat did to me? He lost that privilege and everything else a long time ago! But on to much better pressing matters! “But erm, thank you….”

“Maybe next time you should ease up on the drinking.”

“Well…. I will admit that it’s been awhile since I last drank, so that might’ve been the issue….” Coughing to myself, I awkwardly moved to the kitchen to make some coffee. “So, erm…” I started as I boiled the kettle. “Since you are here, would you like some coffee?” 

“Sure.”

The man, who she knew as Nocte, never once left the sofa that she found him on. But, as she peeked at him a little, she then realised that he was playing with Rufus’ ball.

“Oh, that’s the ball that started all this.” I commented out loud as I appeared behind him.

“Your dog, right?” He asked as he bounced the ball and rolled it a little, and I watched it start to roll back to him. 

“Yes….”

“Hmm, well he’s a good dog, he really loves you….”

Huh? That was a little odd. Rufus died a few years back, and this man wasn’t using the past tense, he was saying it like he was still here…. But, as the ball rolled back to him, he picked it up and placed it back on the TV stand.

“Well, I suppose he did….” I returned back to the kitchen as the kettle started to boil. As I went through my cupboards, I took out two mugs. “Do you take milk?”

“Sure.”

As she started to serve the coffee, she became a little self conscious because he was now leaning on the stairs railings. I heard him say ‘put three teaspoons of sugar in’, so I did that and handed him the mug.

“Well…. Thank you again for both the night and….. Aftercare….”

“I have to look after my employee.”

“Ah yeah, that…. Is this one of the secret privileges of being an employee of yours? You look after me?”

“More or less….” He sipped on the coffee as he still leaned on the stairs railing.

Nervously laughing to myself, I sat up at the kitchen counter. It was only small, so it could fit two people, but one is ideal. 

“Sorry for everything my intoxicated self said and did….”

“I am well aware of what the drunk state can do, so don’t worry about it.”

“The whole thing about me calling you David, mentioning that twat and trying to… Sleep with you…. Could you forget that?”

“It’s been wiped from my memory.”

“Brilliant. Thank you.”

I sipped my coffee and half hid behind the mug as I observed that man again. True, he was ridiculously easy on the eyes, but I’m sure that a man like that has a girlfriend. No one like that can stay single like that for long, surely? If he was? Is the human race doomed for letting a fine specimen like him go free? Thank the lord that I was casually sipping on my coffee, because I felt my cheeks go a little red. A person’s first time should be special, right? I mean that's what they always say in the books that I read, so does it count in real life too? I like to think so. It’s not like I was a late bloomer. I’m only twenty, so it’s not too bad really. Honestly, once upon a time, it could’ve been David, but he’s a twat, so fuck him. Not literally, but yeah.

But as I eyed up the man in front of me again, I wondered what he would be like in bed? But, then again, why am I EVEN asking myself that question?!

“So….” To get my mind of sex, I spoke up. “The ball thing is tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow night.”

“Right…. What would you be doing today?”

“Mostly just work things…. I need to make the transfer of a Tiger move correctly for a certain breeding program.”

Great, I changed the subject away from sex, and somehow managed to get back onto it!

“Need me?” 

I kinda had to stop myself from saying something else. Dammit. Why?! Why am I like…. Urgh…. 

“Nah, it should be simple stuff, plus you are hungover, so you can take the day off.”

“I mean you’re not wrong….”

“I highly recommend toast.”

“I’ll keep that in mind….” I sipped the last drops of my coffee.

“If I take my leave, will you be ok?”

Technically not. My innocent loins seem to be bursting, and need ‘fixing’.

“Oh, yeah….”

“Well….” He took a step forward and placed his now empty mug on the counter. “If you do need me, you have my number. Your bag is on the sofa.”

“Oh! I’ll see you out!” I put my mug down.

“Oh, there’s no need.” He held up a hand, and turned to head towards the door. “Oh, that reminds me….” He turns to face her again. “I was informed that Charlotte will have your clothes delivered later today.”

Ah, right. That also happened, I kinda felt like I should be happy, but ehh…. I’m just going to ride this burst of luck until it crashes and burns like it always does.