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With a glass in each hand, I rejoin Vanessa at our table. The two of us spend the next hour sitting and trying our best to make conversation over the noise. Before we leave, I walk Vanessa to the restrooms and wait for her in the hallway.
“Jackson, thank God you’re still here.”
Lyndsey is slowly walking toward me with Rory. Only Rory isn’t really walking, she’s more like dead weight leaning against Lyndsey. Quickly, I make my way to them just in time to catch Rory as she stumbles.
“How much did you let her drink, Lynds?”
Rory’s eyes are half-shut, and she’s trying to push me away. I grab hold of her wrists to prevent one of her flailing arms from smacking me. Being restricted causes her to focus, and when she finally realizes it’s me, she relaxes and buries her face in the crook of my neck.
“You’ll have to ask Ricky. I was too busy talking to that guy. She showed up kind of tipsy, so the few drinks she had here could’ve pushed her over. Neither one of us drove here, otherwise I’d take her home myself.”
Rory says something that sounds like home, and I wrap my arm around her waist to better hold her up.
“I got you Rory. We’re going home.”
“Jackson?”
Shit, I forgot about Vanessa. I take Rory and gently pass her off to Lyndsey. Turning around, I see Vanessa looking at the girls. Let’s see how this plays out.
“Rory’s had too much to drink, and she needs someone to take her home.”
“Oh, ok. Do you want me to help you get her in her friend’s car?”
“No, I’m going to take her home.”
Vanessa narrows her eyes at me and straightens her shoulders. “You? Can’t you call her fiancé? There must be someone else who can take her? She’s already ruined one of our dates.”
“No, I’m not just going to pawn her off on someone else. Especially in the current condition she’s in.”
“Fine.” Vanessa sighs while opening her purse and pulling out her keys. “I’ll follow you to her place and then we can go back to yours.”
“Actually, it’s probably best if you go home.” Vanessa cocks her eyebrow at me. “She’s had a rough week, and I’m going to stay with her and make sure she’s ok.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Get home safe.”
Vanessa turns and heads toward the exit sign. But before she opens the door, she storms back to me. “You’re pathetic, Jackson. She’s marrying someone else, and you’re still choosing her over me.”
“It was never a choice.”
This time I’m the one to turn away first. I walk back up to Lyndsey, appreciative of the fact that Vanessa and I were too far out of earshot for her to hear anything. Kneeling just a little, I wrap my arms around Rory’s thighs and lift her up and over my shoulder. Everyone in the bar is watching, and I’m sure she’ll never live this down, but right now it’s the fastest way to get her out of here.
“Lynds?” Rory mumbles.
“Jackson has you. Just don’t puke on him, ok?”
Thankfully, Rory doesn’t puke on me, but we have to pull over twice on the way home. Instead of bringing her back to the townhouse, I bring her to my place. It’s quiet, and when she wakes up tomorrow, she can rest with no outside interruptions.
By the time I pull up to the front porch, Rory is still shit faced but slightly more coherent. With my help, she’s able to hold most of her own weight as I lead her straight to the bathroom. Wrapping my hands around her waist, I lift her up and set her down on the counter. Rory rests her head against the wall and eyeballs me. Grabbing a washcloth from under the sink, I wet it with cool water and place it on her cheek.
“That feels good.” She hums.
“Rory, you can’t drink yourself stupid over the Annabelle situation.”
Rory snorts and takes the washcloth from my hand. “That was just the tip of the iceberg this week. My life went straight Titanic after that. Crash—boom.” Rory slams her fist into her palm for dramatic effect.
“What are you talking about?”
