Part 10 (1/2)

”Insightful, I must say,” he said. ”Have you considered the fact that I might be into redheads?”

”Is that sarcasm?” I asked. ”Because from your face I really can't tell.”

He looked angry now. The employer that frightened everyone was back. I didn't mean to do anything of the sort, I was just trying to be...d.a.m.n I don't know what the h.e.l.l I was trying to be. All I know is I didn't want him to feel like I was making him stay, I didn't want to be the one to ruin his evening, in case he was doing this from mere politeness. So did I say something I shouldn't have? I was so drunk, I couldn't even remember what I said. I could barely remember what I was saying now, let alone drudge up words I had spoken a few seconds ago. So I just sat there, wondering what I should or shouldn't say next.

”Are you angry?” I asked. ”I didn't mean to be disrespectful...”

Thorne glared at me. ”You don't think that I could actually want to be with you?”

”Why? Why would you want to ruin your night like that?”

I said and at the same time spilled some of the alcohol on my clothes, and then I uselessly tried to rub the liquid off as though it was going to just go away. Thorne took the drink gla.s.s from my hand. ”I think you should call it a night and head home, don't you?” he said, getting up to stand. ”I'll give you a ride.”

”What? No. I'm having fun! I want to stay!”

Another song that I like came on, but Thorne's gaze wouldn't let me enjoy it. He placed a hand over mine, leaned in close and spoke in that hushed, yet strangely domineering tone of his. ”Whatever it is you're running away from,” he said. ”You think it won't hurt you here?”

I was just looking up at him, dumbstruck. The words actually managed to break through my drunken delirium and I realized the futility of all this. I felt the hurt with full force that I was trying to force deep down somewhere. And then, I felt a choking from the tears that had been buried forever, and that were threatening to come out so I got up and started walking with the fastest steps I could manage, until I was outside. Breathing in the fresh air did make things better but not by much, and I realized Thorne followed me outside but he was not saying anything. I think he was just trying to be there.

”There must be some place,” I said.

”Elena?”

”There's got to be one place in this world, right? Where there's no hurt? Where you don't feel the things you feel? Where no one can really get to you? Where you're safe?”

Thorne walked up to me, forced a lock of red hair from my eyes. The gesture was intimate, but there was nothing s.e.xual about it. It just made me realize what a good person he truly was, and I believed it, despite what other people said about him. I knew at that moment that those stories couldn't possibly be true. ”It's like you said Elena,” he began. ”The only way to get through this is find someone who creates a place inside your heart that is much deeper and stronger than that hole.”

I looked at him. ”I'm smart when I'm not drunk, aren't I?”

That smile was back on his face again. ”Yes you are,” he said. ”Now, please. Let's be smart about this and-” But I could no longer concentrate on his words. His mouth was moving and I saw those lips-I know I'd seen them before but it was the first time I was really noticing them. And I have this strange desire to kiss him...

THORNE.

She almost kissed me.

I almost kissed her back.

And then I smelled the alcohol and saw how out of it she was, and realized she might not even remember this when she woke up the next morning. Is that how I wanted our first kiss to be? Of course not! I had been dreaming about this forever and now, she was so within reach and I could touch her and yet she was as far from actually being mine as ever before. Call it irony or the cruel hand of fate, but she was actually drunker than she was a minute ago.

I felt my protective instincts kick in. ”You know what,” I said, grabbing hold of her arm. ”I think we've had enough fun for tonight. How about I drive you home?”

”Why would you do that?” she said.

”Because I don't want you pa.s.sing out here,” I replied.

She smiled. ”You know what,” she said. ”Maybe you're right. Maybe I should go home now. Stupid Penny can kiss my a.s.s!”

I wanted to laugh but didn't. We made our way back to the Lexus, and I made sure she was safely in her seat before going to the driving side. ”So where do you live?” I asked, but never got a reply.

”Elena?”

I tried to bring her back to consciousness but she was out like a light.

Great.

I had no idea where she lived!

I found her phone in her purse but it was locked so it was just a dead end.

If I took her back to the loft, Lane would have questions and he would have something to hold over to tease me about for all eternity.

But I was clearly out of options.

ELENA.

If I had to tell you about last night, I wouldn't say I was drunk exactly.

No.

Because out of my freaking mind! would be a much better description.

I woke up in a bed that I'd never been in before. I couldn't remember much until I remembered Thorne.

What the h.e.l.l did I do, did I sleep with him? Oh G.o.d! I remembered then what happened at the club, looking at him and feeling like I was seeing him for the first time. I remembered being somehow mesmerized by his lips and wanting to kiss them...And then, I looked at myself and I was wearing my own clothes, the same ones I was wearing last night. Does having clothes on mean we didn't f.u.c.k? But I was about to kiss him, wasn't I? Of course that would have been a huge drunken mistake because you couldn't have a one night stand with your boss and get away with it! While I was trying to move my head in a way that it didn't hurt, my suddenly-intelligent brain started to think. There were no discarded trousers in the room, no sign that either of us had shed our clothing at any point, which I decided had to be a good sign. Before I could think further, Thorne came into the room with what looked like a breakfast tray.

”You pa.s.sed out before I could ask you your address,” he said. ”So I brought you here. This is my loft.”

”So we didn't-?”

”Are you disappointed?” he said, coming to sit on the bed. ”Because if you are, I'm sure we can remedy that.”

”I'm sorry,” I said. ”I didn't mean to imply that-” I didn't have a clue what I was going to say next so I stopped myself from making it worse, ”never mind.”

He handed me coffee. ”This should help,” he said. ”So will some greasy food.”

The breakfast looked so good, sitting there in front of me but I just wasn't sure I could put food into the drunken morning hangover equation.

”I hope it's okay that I brought you here,” Thorne spoke again. ”I couldn't find Penny or any of your friends.”

”Yes,” I said. ”Penny does that sometimes. Hooks up with guys and then forgets I even exist until the walk of shame next morning.”

As if on cue, my phone started to ring and I saw that it was on the nightstand, almost out of juice. ”Speak of the devil,” I said, when I answered.