Suddenly a loud bang comes from outside the window, making us both jump.
“What the fuck was that?” Sam lifts me up and places me on the sofa. He quickly zips up his jeans but leaves his belt undone. “Stay there,” he commands, his voice assertive. He heads out of the living room and out of the front door.
I pull up the straps of my dress and listen from the sofa. I hear voices come from the front. Non-threatening low voices. I creep out of the living room and to the front door where I see Sam picking up the wheelie bin. I look down to see Aradia on the floor giggling like a child with a scraped knee and Pete kneeling next to her also giggling like a schoolboy.
“What’s going on?” I question, raising my eyebrows.
“Looks like these two have had the rest of Pete’s bottle ofwhiskey.” Sam smirks.
I look at Pete and then Aradia. I notice that my aunt’s red lipstick is now smeared on Pete’s mouth. These two have been sneaking around the village, drinking from the bottle, and making out. Like teenagers. I can’t help but let out a laugh myself.
“I think we need to get them home,” I whisper to Sam.
“Can’t we just leave them, shut the door and pretend they didn’t just fall into my wheelie bin?” He knows we can’t, but his hungry emerald eyes send a pang of “what if” to my thoughts.
“You take Pete, and I’ll take this one home.” I bend down and pull my aunt to her wobbly feet. “Can you walk home, Aradia?”
She nods, laughs and turns to give Pete a hug.
I squeeze Sam’s arm and smile. He pulls me in slightly and whispers into my ear, “To be continued.” The ache between my thighs grows again as I feel his breath tickling my neck. I squeeze his arm tighter letting him know we will certainly be continuing what we started.
I reluctantly pull back from Sam and pull a very drunk Aradia away. “Say bye, Aradia.”
She giggles and waves at Pete and Sam flirtatiously.
We walk slowly back home where I lay Aradia on to the sofa. I am not risking getting her up the stairs. “Next time you want to make out with your boyfriend and drink a whole bottle of whiskey, please do it away from anything you can trip over. But good on you both for finally kissing.” I kiss her head and plop a blanket over her.
“It’s a good job you were at Sam’s, wasn’t it?” she slurs with a smile and tries to wink but ends up blinking and doing a weird eyebrow thing.
“We just had a night cap before I was coming home.” I tuck her blanket around her.
“Did he spill it?” she questions.
“Spill what, you drunken goof?” I laugh at her being so incoherent. Drunk Aradia is hilarious.
“Well, I’m guessing he spilt his drink on him.” She pauses and closes her eyes. “Why else would his belt be undone?” She giggles to herself and turns over. “Night, darling.” She then pretty much passes out.
OK, she has got me there.
Seventeen
Aradia is still curled in a ball on the sofa where I left her. The fire’s embers are low and need more fuel. I hear Granny humming in the kitchen and the smell of cooking fills my nostrils.
“Morning,” I chime as I walk in to see her mixing something on the stove. “That smells good.”
“It is for your aunt. One of my finest potions. Cures a hangover instantly. Something tells me she will need it. Thank you for getting her home.” She strokes my arm and smiles.
“It’s a good job I was where I was!”
“And where was that?” Her eyebrow raises.
“Just at Sam’s,” I reassure her. “We just had a night cap.”
She doesn’t buy it and smiles to herself. “Of course, how nice.”
I decide to change the subject. “So, how do you know how to make these potions?”
The smile grows up her cheeks and is now beaming. “Do you have time today?”
