propped my chin up on my hand and smiled at Cinder. “But, Cinder, I’m so sad.”
Cinder looked at me with an expression full of compassion and sympathy, and I realized I might be crying.
Cinder cupped my face in her hand, sighed slightly, and pulled me into a hug. She rubbed my back gently.
She smelled so good, and I buried my face in her shoulder. I closed my eyes, struggling to explain why I was feeling so uncertain. “You know… I’ve never had a healthy family, and… Aaron’s family history is really complicated, too. I don’t know how to deal with such a serious relationship.”
Cinder patted me on the back. “Olive, if you’re too worried about the future, just don’t think about it. Just enjoy the moment, at least you’re in love right now.
Were we in love?
I was confused for a moment. After the tension and awkwardness between me and Aaron this evening, I’d started to feel like we wouldn’t make it, and that feeling terrified me.
I took a deep breath and sat up, pulling away from Cinder’s embrace. “Forget it, I don’t want to think about any of this. I’d much rather drink my feelings away.”
I picked up the wine bottle from the table, refilled my glass, and started drinking again without restraint. The alcohol made my brain feel warm and fuzzy, which was exactly what I wanted. I just wanted to be drunk enough to numb myself and pretend to be knocked out.
At least there was a benefit to me spilling my guts to Cinder. Now she felt bad for me, so she wouldn’t stop me from drinking.
I tried to s*atch the glass back from her, but Cinder looked like she was split into three.
I blinked, confused, as I tried to grab at Cinder’s clothes with my outstretched hand. “Hey, where’d you go?”
“You’re drunk.” Cinder set the wine glass down on the table and grabbed my flailing arm. “I’m taking you back to your room to rest.”
Back to my room? Oh, no.
I yanked my arm out of Cinder’s grip. “I’m not going, I don’t want to see…”
Before I could finish my sentence, I suddenly heard a deep voice from behind me. “How much has she had to drink?”
“Oh, good, you’re here, Aaron.” Cinder looked relieved as she pushed my unsteady frame into Aaron’s arms. She pointed toward the empty bottles of wine on the table. “Those are all Olive’s work.”
I dragged my heavy eyelids open with difficulty and, to my surprise, saw that Cinder was still smiling. She waved her hand at Aaron. “I’ll leave this drunk to you. Make sure you take good care of her.”
I was wrapped up in a pair of strong, powerful arms. Feeling Aaron’ s breath on my neck, my instincts told me to run away.
In the next second, my whole body was lifted off the ground. Aaron picked me up in a princess carry, gave Cinder a slight nod, and turned to head upstairs.
My head was spinning, and my mind told my arm to push Aaron away, but my hands subconsciously clutched at his sleeve.
His heart was racing, and he held me so tightly like he never wanted to separate from me. I felt a little sad, and I turned my head away uncomfortably, trying to hide my distress from Aaron.
Aaron didn’t speak, but he pursed his lips and carried me back to our room in silence.
When we got back to our room, I didn’t even feel like taking a shower. I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. But I’d had too much wine, and I couldn’t fall asleep at all. My mouth was dry, and my head was pounding so hard, I felt like it was about to explode.
Suddenly I felt my body gently lifted into a sitting position. Before I could open my eyes, a firm hand brought a cool glass to my lips. “Here, have some milk.”