Page 31 of Relapse

If you only knew, my thoughts rang out. But even if this were a therapy session, that alcohol would be my mentor, not this bitch.

“That’s bold of you to assume.”

My hand stroked hers gently as though I didn’t care that it was preventing me from consuming my beloved alcohol. “I just view life differently than most.”

She studied me. “And how’s that?”

I brushed her hand away. “Life tastes better with a buzz.”

I downed the shot. Blinked through the burn that crawled deep down to join the others. So fucking good.

“You’re a strange one,” she murmured.

“That too,” I agreed before ushering to my empty glass. “How about a whiskey?”

A voice resonated from the right of me and goosebumps rose on my arms without my control.

“I’ll have what he’s having.”

The bartender stared daggers at her new customer, but she still rose to go collect the drinks.

I fingered the empty glasses in front of me, wishing that they were once again full with something that could cloud my mind. Here comes the damn circus.

“See? I knew you’d come,” Silas said, dragging his barstool close to me, too close, and taking a seat. “What kept you so long?”

Of course Silas had arrived—on cue practically. I was starting to believe he’d been here all along, camped somewhere in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to ruin my conversation with a grand entrance.

I shook my head, scowling. “Why won’t you just leave me alone? Maybe I’m here because I need to drink my problems away.”

“Clearly,” Silas said with a snort and a shrug of his shoulders. “So let’s hear them. What problems?”

“Those are none of your business.”

Silas smirked. “Really now? What are you, twelve?”

The bartender returned with the drinks, setting Silas’s in front of him with a sharp clank on the counter. I jolted from the force of it, and the fire behind Silas’s eyes incensed.

“Now where were we?” she directed to me pleasantly, carefully placing my whiskey within reach.

Before I could speak, the newly brought drinks splashed across the counter with a flick of Silas’s wrist.

“What the fuck man?” she yelled, leaping up before the liquid could spill over the side and into her lap.

“Oh,” Silas gave her a pitying look. “I’m incredibly sorry about that.”

He took out a wad of cash from his wallet and forced a smile. “Maybe if you were doing your job, instead of sitting on your ass and flirting with a man who is obviously uninterested, this accident could’ve been prevented.”

I cringed. I should have seen this coming eventually, but shit. Silas was indeed the jealous type, and he didn’t care if it showed. There was no way he would’ve left her behavior unaddressed, even though he knew I hated it when he called people out. The girl was stunned into silence, and I didn’t have the words to try and fill it.

Silas pushed the money forward with a charming glance. “I’ll take two more drinks, to replace them, if you wouldn’t mind.”

The bartender swallowed nervously, before glancing at the clock. She reached back, snatching the empty glasses and re-pouring the drinks hastily. She smacked them down in front of Silas, and grabbed her jacket from its resting spot on a chair behind the bar.

“Keep your damn money,” she hissed. “My shift is over.”

“It was nice meeting you…” Silas called sweetly as she stormed out. The door slammed and he finished his sentence with a clench of his jaw, “…you fucking cunt.”

“Was that really necessary?” I asked with a sigh, annoyingly pushing my napkin through the mess in front of me. What a waste.