Maya tried to keep up with me, but it was difficult for her in high heels and that tight skirt.

We stopped on the sidewalk, far enough that we couldn't hear the music. "What do you think you were doing there?"

"Drinking?" She asked me.

"Maya this isn't funny. You're so drunk that you can barely walk and I'm pretty sure you're seeing me twice." I said irritated.

"I'm okay." She stepped forward, but she tripped over her own feet. I caught her before she hit the concrete face down.

"Obviously." I snorted. "We're going back to your apartment. Now."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes and pushed me away. She walked towards her apartment again and this time without much trouble.

Sighing, I followed her.

I could be enjoying myself with someone and instead I'm playing babysitter. Where did I end up?

It's about a ten minute walk from Ronnie to Maya. But since Maya's walking abilities are limited, it will take us twice as long.

"I'm cold." She started complaining after five minutes.

"You should've thought about that before you put on a bathing suit." I said annoyed. What did she think? That skirt covers less than her shoes.

"Why are you so mean?"

"Mean?" I stopped and turned to her. "What do you think..." My jaw clenched and I exhaled heavily. She's pissing me the fuck off. "Here." I said between my teeth and took off my jacket. I handed it to her and waited for her to put it on.

In my jacket, she looks even smaller than she actually is.

"Can we go now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." She smiled drunkenly and began to walk clumsily. "Sebastian?" In another five minutes she stopped.

Although I'm glad she finally learned my first name and not just my last name, I turned to her with a heavy breath. "What now?"

"My legs hurt." She looked sadly at her feet.

I closed my eyes tightly. Breathe, Sebastian. Fucking breathe.

"I swear, one more thing and I'll leave her here." I said quietly to myself and walked over to her. "Climb on my back." I nodded my head.

That way, we might get to her apartment sooner.

"No." She moved further away from me.

"What do you mean no. Maya, you said your legs hurt!" I was getting irritated. "Climb. On. My. Back."

"No." She crossed her arms over her breasts. "I still don't like you."

"Oh my God." I exhaled and grabbed my head. "She doesn't like me." I laughed desperately. "Guess what, neither do I! So fuck off and get home alone. I'm sick of your bullshit." I turned and walked on without her.

What does she think? That I am a prince on a white horse. Sure. That's me.

Theo will kill you if he finds out you left her alone in the middle of the sidewalk at midnight.

Fuck!

I turned around to find Maya right where I left her. But the difference was that she was not alone. Some homeless man was approaching her and it was obvious that she was trying to get away from him.

This woman attracts fucking assholes at every turn.

"Hey!" I shouted as I approached them. I grabbed the homeless man's coat and threw him away from Maya. "Get lost." I warned him and he immediately got up and started running. "Really?" I turned to Maya.

"Can you help me take them off? They're uncomfortable." She looked at her shoes.

"Someone kill me please." I exhaled heavily and kneeled.

Maya supported herself with her hands on my back and I successfully removed her shoes. "Thanks." She said as I straightened up.

"You're wasted and you don't know how to take care of yourself. You're only lucky that I'm here. Who knows what would happen to you if it weren't for me." I said sternly and stepped forward.

I stopped when I felt something hit my back.

Am I imagining it or did she just throw one of her shoes at me?

My gaze dropped to the shoe at my feet. I turned to Maya.

"Did you just throw a shoe at me?" I feel like I'm talking to a kid.

"I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for four years and I'm still alive." She tried to sound intimidating, but it didn't work very well.

"Move or I'll leave you here for real and believe me, shoes won't help you against someone who wants to rape you. Now move." I pointed to the sidewalk in front of us.

"Moron." She started to walk, but yelped when she stepped on glass or stone.

"Jesus fucking Christ." I walked over to her and dropped to the ground. I started taking off my shoes. "Lift your leg." She lifted up the right one. "Left." I said, exhausted.

I put both of my shoes on her and tried to tie them as much as possible so that she falls as little as possible, but I have a feeling that it won't help in her case.

"Do you want my shirt as well? Or jeans?" I straightened up.

"Both look more comfortable than this."

"Maya, I swear to God I'm going to do something to you if you don't move."

"Sorry." She said quietly and finally walked.

I took the other shoe from her hand and we walked to her apartment in silence. I thanked all the saints as we made it to the elevator without further ado.

I can't believe I gave her my shoes. But anything to get her home, right?

We stopped in front of her entrance. "Keys." I set my hand.

Maya put her hands in the pockets of my jacket.

"Maya." There was a minor warning in my voice. "You won't find them in my jacket because I don't have the keys to your apartment."

"Oops."

Oops.

She said oops!

Someone please hold me, otherwise I will kill her.

"Theo is home." She tried to knock, but I stopped her.

"Do you want him to see you like this? Where are your keys?"

"Julie has my cell phone and keys in her purse."

"Well that's awesome." I let out a frustrated breath.

"Joey has spare keys."

"Who the hell is Joey?" I frowned.

"He lives on the first floor. The janitor or whatever he's called. He takes care of this kind of stuff."

"Stay here." I pointed at her. "And be quiet." I commanded her like a dog, but I have a feeling she won't be as obedient as one.

I took the elevator down from the fourth floor to the first and knocked on the door. After a while I heard footsteps and the door opened. An elderly man was standing in them. "Can I help you?" He looked at me tiredly.

"Do you have the keys to apartment 9? Maya Carter. She forgot her keys."

"Sure and I will give you my card as well."

"Come on." I breathed heavily. "It was a long night."

"I bet." His gaze dropped to my feet.

"If you don't give them to me, then come with me to her apartment. She's sitting in front of the door."

"Wait here." He said before closing the door and going somewhere. A moment later he returned with keys and we walked to the elevator. "You forgot your keys, again?" He laughed as we stopped next to Maya. "He with you?" He nodded his head at me.

"Brother's friend." She shrugged.

"Of course." Without another word, he found the key and opened the door. "Good night Maya."

"Night Joey." She waved at him.

I walked into the apartment with Maya hot on my heels. I placed her shoes on the floor while she took off mine. I closed the door behind us.

When I turned around, Maya was already on her way to her room.

I turned into the kitchen, poured her a glass of water, took a pill from the cabinet and followed her.

I'm thinking about tying her to the bed because there's a good chance she'll do something stupid.

I found Maya on the bed awkwardly trying to take off my jacket. In the end, she won this war.

She should put that on her resume.

She didn't even try to take off her skirt and top, just lay down.

I put the pill on the table with the glass and helped her cover herself. "I thought you were unbearable when you were sober. I didn't know what I was saying then."

"You're in my room." She said half asleep. "I told you my room is off limits."

She's right, she did. And I obeyed. This is my first time in her room. I don't know what I expected.

I certainly didn't expect a huge pile of clothes on the ground, that's for sure.

She had various posters, vinyl records of different colors and hand-painted drawings on the walls. Did she paint them herself?

Next to the wardrobe, which was on the left side of the wall, there was a shelf and on the other side a hanger with handbags and bags. Below them, she kept her shoes on a small black rug.

I looked back at the table where she had her laptop, pencils, crayons, colors and books.

So she does draw.

"You won't remember it tomorrow, so I'm fine."

She rolled onto her side in bed and pulled the duvet up even higher. "I hate you, you know?" She yawned.

"Really?" I laughed. "And why? Is it because I'm irresistibly hot?"

"It's all your fault." She looked up at me.

"What is? That you got drunk?" I frowned.

"You took Theo from me. He wouldn't have left if it wasn't for you."

"He had a choice. I didn't force him to do anything. Work it out with your brother, not me." Does she really think I took her brother away from her? If so, it was the other way around. Theo is the one who wanted to leave.

"He wouldn't tell me the truth." She closed her eyes. "He's been lying since he got here and thinks I don't know about it. He's a terrible...liar." She let out a tired breath. "And you too."

"Me?" I laughed. "When did I lie?" No Answer. "Maya?" Of course she fell asleep.

Crazy woman.



We all know someone who gets drunk one day and the next says "I will never drink again" or "I will never touch alcohol again", but they still drink the next day.

After last night, I'm exactly that person, but I'm going to stick with it for one weekend.

"Look who finally got up." Acker greeted me in the kitchen with a smile on his face. What I would give to wipe that smile off his face. "Doll stopped by and brought you your cell phone with keys. She also said something about someone named Alex and that he's an idiot. Who would have thought she could be mad."

"Why is he an idiot? What did he do?" I frowned.

"How should I know? I was taking care of your ass last night, not hers." He took a bite of the toast with jam.

"Where's Theo?" I went to my cell phone and immediately texted Julie.

"He went to get coffee. So how are you feeling after last night?"

"Definitely better than Paul." I laughed. "Was it a dream or did you throw it through the glass door?" Please don't let it be a dream. And if it wasn't, I hope someone filmed it.

"So bad you can't tell the difference between dream and reality?"

"This happens to me even when I'm sober. Nothing new." I shrugged my shoulders.

"It wasn't a dream." He laughed.

"And the pig that chased me with an apple in it's mouth?" I asked out of curiosity. One never knows in this day and age.

"Do you really dream of such things?" He put his arm around the back of the chair and turned to me.

"You don't want to know what I dream about, Acker. Trust me." That sounded a little different than I had planned. "Thanks for yesterday, by the way."

"I didn't think I'd hear 'thank you' so many times in twenty-four hours. And that it would be directed at me."

"Don't expect to hear that again." I snorted. "I talk a lot when I'm drunk."

"And you complain even more." He laughed. "Are you going to work today?"

"Why?" I frowned.

"So I'd know if I can go to Eddie's without you throwing me out."

"Why do you ask, you would go anyway." I pushed myself from the counter and started walking into my room with my phone in my hand. "Tell Theo to bring coffee to my room."

"I'm not a pigeon." He shouted after me.

"Do I look like I care?" I shouted back and slammed the door behind me.

I threw myself on the bed and buried my head in the pillows.

When my cell phone buzzed after a while, it took me a while to feel it on the bed. Julie's name flashed on the screen.

"What happened with Alex?" I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.

"He's such an idiot. No, not an idiot, but the biggest asshole in the whole world! I hope his mom says he's adopted, or that he's going to shut his balls in the door."

"No offense Julie," I tried not to smile, but I couldn't, "but you don't know how to swear at someone. Why don't you leave it to me? Now tell me what he did."

"You're only good because you have a warm mouth and a big ass."

"I'm sorry?" I frowned. What did I do to her?

"Not you. Me. That's what he told me."

"He said what!?" I screamed.



Huh. Good luck Alex.