AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ok.” He raises his eyebrows and places the bottle back on the table. “You had a bad day or on your period?”
“Don’t be so rude. Women don’t get drunk just because it’s ‘that time of the month’.”
He shrugs.
“I would if I couldn’t fuck for five days. Mind you, most of the women I know would just take it up the ass instead.”
“That’s disgusting.” I screw up my face.
“Never tried it then, sis? Actually, I don’t even want to think about you and sex. You’re going to be a forty-year-old virgin as far as I’m concerned.”
Bile rises in my throat, and I try to swallow it down. I don’t want to think about sex either. I drain my glass and reach out for the wine bottle and top myself up.
When I don’t answer him, my brother changes the subject.
“If you’ve had that rough a day, why haven’t you called a couple of your girlfriends and gone out partying for the night?”
“Didn’t feel like it. Just wanted to vegetate.”
My brother sniffs.
“Jaz, when was the last time you got dressed?”
I mumble my response, “a couple of days.”
“What?” he asks and puts his hand to his ear to indicate he can’t hear me.
“A couple of days,” I say louder and drink more big gulps of the wine. My head really is starting to feel fuzzy. And stupidly, I seem to have ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi playing at full blast in my head. I have an insane urge to head bang and play air guitar.
“That’s disgusting,” my brother spits out. “Enough,” he says, getting to his feet, which makes him quite imposing. I just giggle at him, though. “Shower, now.”
“No.” I pout back and drink some more wine.
“Shower, and then you are coming with me to my club. You can spend some time with real people and be a normal person for once. It’s been five fucking years, Jaz. Get over him; the dude dumped you. He was a prick, and the fucker didn’t deserve you. I’ll introduce you to a few people and help you get out of this funk your in. It’s a fucking Saturday night, and you’re home getting pissed like a nobody. I’m your brother. You’ll listen to me and do as you’re told for once!”
I gulp. There is much about this monologue that has my heart rate accelerating and my palms sweating, namely meeting people and leaving the sanctuary of my sofa.
“Al…” I am about to refuse his demands but stop myself. Why shouldn’t I go? I’ll be with my brother the entire time. He’ll keep me safe. I can have another couple of drinks and a dance. I can be normal. I can take the bottle of wine with me, just in case. There’s still about a quarter left, and it seems a shame to waste it.
“Jaz.” My brother folds his big arms across his broad chest and gives me a look, which makes me want to crawl away and hide under the sofa rather than go out and party with him.
“Ok,” I blurt out. ‘Wait, mouth. We hadn’t made a decision yet,’ brain chastises. ‘We need to weigh up all the possible outcomes. There will be people there. Real people, and some of them will be of the male variety. Can we guarantee they won’t touch us?’
“I want you to stay with me, though. I don’t want to be left alone. I won’t know anyone.” I add quickly. ‘Mouth, will you please shut up and let me do the thinking,’ brain shouts ‘Brain, you’re drunk,’ mouth replies.
My brother rolls his eyes.
“I will have stuff that I’ll need to do as a prospect, but you can tag along with me until you get a better offer.”
“No better offers.”
“Jaz, five years. Five, fucking, long years. He’s probably married with a pot belly by now. He wasn’t that brilliant, seeing as how he ditched you. Good lord, you were with him for two years, and I never once met him. He can’t have been too much of a serious partner. Get. The. Fuck. Over. Him.”
I nod. Mouth has finally decided to be quiet for once.
“Go shower,” Al orders. “I’m not taking you out when you smell worse than a bunch of bikers after a long ride in the sun.”
Bikers. Suddenly, it hits me where he’s taking me. Oh shit, bikers. Big, tattooed, and bearded. Showering will sober me up, so I’ll need all the wine I can get afterward to get through this.
