20. Erin
Chapter twenty
Erin
Josh dropped me off at Seth’s place an hour later. My stomach was beyond full, and I was extraordinarily grateful that Josh hadn’t said a word since we left the restaurant. He tried grilling me a few more times and I just shut it down, shoving food in my mouth and another drink to avoid the need to answer. The only time I opened my lips to respond, a bite of food remained on my tongue. It caused Josh’s lip to curl. He was prompted to keep his thoughts and twenty-questions to himself after that.
We pulled up and the only vehicle in sight was Seth’s. I groaned, not wanting to deal with him alone after his little decision about the need for me to be assigned a babysitter. I sighed and let myself out of Josh’s car before I headed up the stairs to Seth’s porch and through the front door.
Seth spread himself along the couch, feet propped up on the arm rest, one arm behind the pillow situated under his head.
Well, isn’t someone comfy?
The door shut behind me, catching Seth’s attention and he waved me over. I dragged myself over and plopped down in the small space next to Seth’s head. I flung my head back and closed my eyes. If he was going to lecture me about anything or talk doom and gloom, I was at least going to be comfortable.
“You good?”
“Yeap. Just getting comfortable before you smother me,” I grumbled. Seth shifted next to me but I kept my eyes shut.
“Smother you? What are you talking about?” His voice hitched.
I ignored him. “Do you have any beer or anything?” I hated the taste of it but beggars can’t be choosers. And right then, some additional liquid courage sounded like the way to go, since what was in my system from The Taco House was pretty much depleted.
A few minutes passed as we sat in silence. I peaked one eye open to see Seth staring at me. “Can I help you?” I snapped at him.
“Ah, sorry. No beer but we have that wine you like.” His mouth formed a thin line as he stood up and made his way to the kitchen.
“Rather have that anyway,” I mumbled.
Glasses clinked as he grabbed the only two wine glasses he owned out of his cabinet. The wine splashed as he poured, the bottle’s glugging filled the silence.
Seth set the glasses on his coffee table before he sat down again. I lifted my arm and made a grabbing gesture in the air. He huffed out a strained laugh before he placed the glass in my hand.
“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“Maybe. But I have every right to be. I’ve been up for less than a day since y’all rescued my ass, risking yourselves”—I squinted both eyes open, sending him a sideways glare—“and it feels like a whole ass week has gone by.”
“I mean, technically, it has been a week, Erin. And we would’ve done the same for Derik or Libby. You might be new to all of this, but we’re a team. And we have each others’ backs.”
“That’s different though.”
“How?”
I gulped down my wine, noticing he’d filled mine to the rim.
Good.
I smacked my lips together. “Because you don’t have some big-brother complex about either of them and they don’t know me that well.”
I’m just here. Being a burden.
Seth scoffed. “I’m sorry, but a big-brother complex? Did you hit your head on a rock or the doorway on your way in?”
I rolled my head to the side and stared at him. “You act like I’m this frail fragile girl who can’t take care of herself. When I clearly can and have since middle school,” I took another heavy gulp from my glass. “Even when we’ve been lifting or running together over the last few years it’s the same thing. I know I’m clumsy but I’m not helpless. I would’ve figured a way out.” I chugged the rest of my wine. I stood up and headed for the kitchen to grab more when my foot caught on the coffee table. I whipped my arm out, catching myself before I face planted and proved exactly the opposite.
Go figure.
I grabbed the bottle, now half empty, near the edge of the kitchen island and slung it back. I eyed the unopened bottle perched across the island and reached for it as well before I sauntered back toward the couch. I sloppily set the unopened wine on the coffee table before taking another pull from the one still in my hand and hitting Seth with a dead stare.
Give me your worst, Seth.
“You could’ve been killed, Erin. And until we have this whole ‘Key’ bullshit sorted out and you have a hold on your powers, I’d rather make sure you're safe than risk your clearly drunk ass getting swiped or worse. If you don’t like it, too damn bad.” He boomed, his jaw twitching.
“Well, fuck you then, Seth.” I quickly drank the rest of the wine and moved to open the second bottle.
“Tell me when and where, Snow. When. And. Where,” Seth rumbled. My cheeks flushed.
I scoffed and flipped him off. “Ha. Yeah, right. I’m just a damn protection project for you. I’m not your type. And you wouldn’t dare.”
He’d leaned forward, his nose mere inches from mine causing me to jump, my breath hitched. Erebus’s face flashed before me and I screamed.
Amber eyes stared at me, hunger flashed.
Seth jumped back, apologizing profusely. “Erin, are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Shit,” he ran to grab some water and a blanket. My body shook. I fought back the living nightmare trying to take over. “Erin, listen to me. I’m just going to put this blanket over your shoulders, is that okay?” I absently nodded my head. The clank of another glass sounded from the coffee table. “I’m here, Erin. Whatever just happened, wasn’t real. It’s me, Seth.” He paused. “We’re in my living room. It’s you and me. You’re safe,” his voice was unwavering. “You’re safe.” Seth repeated until the shaking stopped.
I came back to myself. The living room came back into view. I blinked a few times, pushing the final scraps of fear into the far recess of my mind. I pulled the corners of the blanket further around myself and kept my half-dazed line of sight focused on my lap.
“I’m sorry,” we said simultaneously.
“Erin, do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. No. Not really, I guess. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve freaked out, what, twice since I woke up this morning now?”
I’m a broken mess.
He reached his hand out, stopped, and waited for me to reach my own out to his. I slid mine out from behind the blanket and rested it in the palm of his hand.
Don’t cry.
You cry, he’ll know.
“Rin, you went through a lot. I’m not going to say it’s fine. Or that it’ll be okay and get better because I can’t promise that. But I got you. And not just because of some ‘big brother’ complex you’re accusing me of,” he let out a soft chuckle. “You couldn’t be further from the truth actually.”
“What do you mean?” My confused eyes lifted and met his. Deep as the ocean, a twinkle of light escaped from their furthest depths.
“I…”
The front door burst open, Libby and Derik barreled in, laughing their asses off. Reeking of tequila. Seth and I yanked our hands apart and pushed ourselves to the far edges of the couch, putting as much space between us as possible.
Seth’s face was beet red, a sight I’ve rarely ever seen. My eyes widened in response.
What was he going to say?
I shot the drunk assholes a glare before busting out laughing as I took in their states. Derik was full on shitfaced and grinning so hard he’d damn near end up with his face stuck that way. His clothes were covered in leaves and grass. Libby wasn’t much better off as her makeup was smeared halfway down her face.
“What the hell happened to you two?” I laughed.
Libby giggled, her sing-song voice slightly higher. “After we left The Taco House, we went out for more drinks at the dive bar a few shops down. Did some crappy karaoke and a group of girls talked Derik into a few shots and I joined in,” she hiccuped. “On our way back, I tripped and took Derik down with me. We landed in a ditch down the street,” she hiccuped again. “He had dirt all over him, it was hilarious.”
“Yeah well, Blondie, you weren’t much better off. You had a whole ass tree in your hair,” Derik said as he stuck his tongue out at Libby.
Seth and I snickered at them.
I held up the new wine bottle, waving it at them. “Y’all up for anymore?” My head swiveled in Seth’s direction. “You got anymore?”
“There’s one more bottle. But I can make a run to the liquor store real quick. Or the gas station,” he glanced over at Libby and Derik fumbling their way to the guest room. “Gas station it is.”
“Wait, should you be driving?” I asked, my brow furrowing.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t even finish my beer when we grabbed food earlier.” I peaked at his wine glass, barely touched.
He swiftly grabbed his keys and left.
I sipped my wine; I decided to go ahead and claim the bottle for myself when I heard giggling as it echoed from the guest room. Where all my stuff was. And currently both of Derik and Libby’s things were as well. Including blankets and a beer pong cup covered sleeping bag of a notable player.
Gross.
I held back a gag as I stumbled through the living room and toward the bedroom, closing my eyes and hoping they weren’t naked. I knocked before peeking around the door.
They were both sprawled on the floor bellies down, fully clothed, thank god. Their heads were close together and drunken eyes glued onto one of their phones.
“What are you guys doin?” I slurred.
“Funny cat videos. Derik pulled them up. They’re so cute, Erin! There was even one with a kitten waddling like a little duck.” Libby squealed over her shoulder as she kicked her feet.
“This woman loves her cat videos, Snow. She can watch ‘em for hours,” Derik added. A hint of admiration in his voice.
I padded into the room and sat down next to them, leaning forward to see which one of the thousands of feline viral videos they had playing. It was a compilation with snippets of the animals mewling, some sounding as if they were human. Others involved some of the cats jumping and bolting through homes, knocking over bowls, landing on their human’s head or directly on their crotch, sending their human right to the ground. That last one sent Libby and me into hysterics and Derik covered his groin, scrunching his face.
We sat huddled together giggling and pointing at Derik’s phone until Seth came back bearing more booze. He’d brought back all the fixings sure to cause some trouble. Vodka, tequila, wine coolers, and a few packs of pre-made jello-shots.
He’d walked in, two plastic bags dangling from his arms on the borderline of ripping open. “Who’s ready for some fun?” He winked at me then turned on his heel and headed to the living room. We heard him rustle around, bottles hitting the coffee table, bags being dug through, so we drunkenly pushed ourselves to our feet and out to Seth.
Derik slung his arm around Libby’s shoulders, then pulled me under his other arm. “Alright ladies, looks like Seth’s ready to party.” He slurred. Libby giggled. And I threw a fist in the air, whooping.
Seth handed each of us a jello-shot; Libby’s was pink, Derik’s green, and mine blue. Seth took a yellow one. Derik and Libby slurped theirs down like champs. I, on the other hand, did not. Half the shot landed on my chest.
Dammit.
“Okay, I suck at these. How do these go again?” I half smirked, embarrassed, at Seth.
“Oh, come on, Rin. It’s easy as hell, let me show you.” He popped the top off and brought it up to his mouth. His eyes burned a hole in me as he darted his tongue into the little plastic cup, slowly twisting it around, running his tongue along the inside, agonizingly slow. Heat pooled in my stomach as he pulled the cup away, licking his lips, hunger seemed to fill his eyes. Blood rushed to my cheeks and spread across my chest. The corners of his mouth lifted. “Need another demonstration?”
For the love of…
“Nuh…no. I think I got it,” I stuttered. I snatched another one, going for round two. And I in fact, did not have it. The whole thing ended up all over my mouth and chin. To further push my embarrassment as Seth laughed at me, he reached out and wiped the red jell-o off my chin with his thumb before proceeding to stick said thumb into his mouth, sucking it off.
Holy hell.
Suck me, would ya?
Oh my God.
Erin. Calm yourself.
Oh dear lord.
What is going on with me?
I diverted my attention to the rest of his haul, grabbed a few green plastic cups, along with the bottle of vodka, and began pouring. I topped each cup off with a splash of lemonade and passed two to Libby and Derik then pounded my own back before handing one to Seth. They all sloshed theirs back. I poured a second round while Seth slipped into the guest room. He came out dragging all of our blankets, pillows, Derik’s sleeping bag, and tossed them in a pile on the hardwood.
“The hell man, we just started drinking.” Derik whined.
“You three have been drinking all night, asshole. We ain’t crashing yet. Thought we’d play some good ol’ fashioned drinking games before hitting the hay and sleeping out here.” Seth drawled.
“Are you from the country now, Seth?” I laughed.
“Nope, want me to be?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Freaking weirdo.” I smacked his arm as I bent down to grab my blanket from the pile. I laid it out on the floor, closest to the front door on this side of his couch. Seth came up behind me, throwing his on the floor next to mine, leaving zero gaps between our makeshift sleeping spots. “Uh, personal space, much?”
Seth said, his voice low and rumbling, “Thought I’d help keep you warm with how cold it can get out here,” I spun around, my eyes wide. He chuckled. “I’m kidding, Rin. I know what you’re doing, putting yourself closest to the door. On the off chance something were to happen, I’m not leaving you as our first line of defense.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “Jerk.”
“Yeap, that’s me. Now how about we break out another round and get sloshed?” he said, his cheeky smile spread across his face.
I tried fighting it, but it was contagious. The corners of my lips lifted, matching his. “Let’s fucking do it.”