by Unknown
Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Zoey and the young girl, whatever her name had been, were in a lip lock. As he continued to dance, bumping into people that were now filling up the basement in its entirety, he watched with a strange fascination as the two rolled around on the couch with each other and Zoey took the girl’s sweater off.
He could feel himself slowing down. How long had it been since he’d had the line? He couldn’t quite put his finger on the time, and he was starting to feel a little blue watching the women making out on the couch. What would it be like to kiss someone right now? He wished he had someone there for him to kiss him like that, to run their hands all over his body. But he knew that he couldn’t, that the girl he wanted would never stick around for such debauchery.
He could no longer stand to dance another second. He walked back over to the couch and plopped down next to Zoey and the girl who had taken her shirt off by then. There was barely enough room, and their legs were tangled together on his lap.
His eyes, however, were trained to the table where the bag of cocaine sat out, staring at him, teasing him.
Zoey must have come up for air because she was now sitting upright next to him and rubbing on his shoulders. “This one won’t be free, but we’ll do it with you it you’d like.” Andy looked up at her smiling face, and it reminded him of Melanie again. What would she think about all of this? Thank goodness he had a run the next day so he didn’t have to face her.
He nodded reluctantly, knowing he wasn’t going to make it through the rest of the party if he didn’t have more. He would have another line and then go up and play poker with the guys.
He watched as Zoey pulled the girl up and said something in another language; Japanese perhaps. The younger girl began to pour out cocaine for the both of them, passing them both a straw and a razor blade. Andy began dragging the white powder into a line, making sure it was perfect. Then, he waited for the other two to be ready.
“To us,” Zoey said before all three dipped their heads down, inserting the straws in their nostrils and inhaling. It felt even better the second time around, filling him up with a newfound happiness. He was okay where he was again, ready to let go and have a good time.
Zoey reached over and wiped a trickle of blood out from under his nose. It had been too long since he’d done that much, and he’d bled a bit. Zoey teased him with the possibility of drinking his blood, pretending to lick it off her finger. The young girl was already kissing all over Zoey. Andy could feel himself wanting to join in, to feel a woman’s touch. He craved their bodies, their soft skin.
It felt like an electrical current was running through him, as he felt Zoey touch his leg again. She eyeballed him while the young girl slid her hands into Zoey’s clothes. It was an erotic moment, and all Andy could feel was a pulsing through his body. He forgot about everything other than that moment, that great feeling he had running through his veins.
“Andy, Andy!” He heard his name being called, but he ignored it. It was ruining his vision and it threatened to ruin his high too.
Then, Frank appeared before him and removed Zoey’s hand. Andy yelled something inaudible in Frank’s direction but didn’t stand. Frank pulled him up from the couch, jarring Andy out of his trance.
“Andy, I think you’re done for the night. We have a run tomorrow, remember?” Andy looked around him as if getting his bearings. “You’ll want to be ready, it’s a big one. Besides, I’m sure the Colombians will want you to save some of your partying for them, am I right?” Andy saw the smile on Frank’s face and thought about it. He didn’t like that what Frank was saying sounded logical.
He let Frank lead him up the stairs and out the door to where they had both parked their motorcycles. “C’mon, Andy, let’s get you home, Yeah?”
A frightening thought hit Andy at the mention of home and he shook his head rapidly. “Melanie,” he said, and Frank nodded in understanding.
“It’s okay, Andy. Melanie is probably in bed. It’s after midnight. Look, I’m sorry for pulling you away, but I couldn’t let you cheat on her, man. I couldn’t let you ruin it. She’s too good a thing to fuck this up, Yeah?”
Andy nodded, feeling the effects of the drug start to wear off, leaving him depressed. Hopefully it meant he wouldn’t show any signs of a high when he made it home. Hopefully, he could get in bed without waking her up.
He hopped on his bike and started the engine, slowly pulling the helmet over his head. “I’ll meet you tomorrow, Andy. We’re gonna have a good run, I can feel it.” Andy drove off towards his house, suddenly glad to be out of that neighborhood and away from Zoey. He couldn’t let his mind go back there at the moment. He had to focus. The Colombians were using them more and more as they trusted them, and if he didn’t stay focused the consequences could be dangerous.
CHAPTER THREE
Melanie checked her phone as she walked into the church where they held Addicts Anonymous every week. She hadn’t seen Andy since he left for the run. He had looked and acted tired, the kind of tired you felt down in your bones. She’d been worried, but he’d reassured her with a sweet kiss and a promise to make it back in time for the AA meeting.
Yet, here she was, and there was no Andy in sight. She had stayed at her own apartment while he was away, but she had checked that morning at his place to see if he was back. There were signs he had been there, like his jacket and jeans laying on the ground. The shower looked like it had been used. But there was no Andy. Melanie had even checked the bed to see if it had been slept in, but it hadn’t. To her, that suggested he’d only gotten back that morning. Wouldn’t he want to get some rest?
Melanie made her way towards the front of the room, finding a seat in the third row. She didn’t recognize the person who was next to her, but it didn’t matter. She was supposed to get up and speak anyway. She saw Martin smiling at her from across the room where he was talking to the girl that always wore flannel. Melanie laughed at herself, wondering what label people were giving her.
It was about two minutes until the meeting was supposed to start, and she found herself getting worried. She decided to shoot Andy a quick text before putting her phone on silent.
Hey Andy, I’m at AA and about to speak. Just wanted to say I hope you get some rest, and I can’t wait to see you.
She sent it, satisfied with the tone. She hadn’t wanted to sound pushy or nosy, just like a normal concerned girlfriend. Hopefully, she’d hear from him soon.
Martin got on stage as she silenced her phone and tucked it neatly into her pocket. She’d learned her lesson about what to wear to the meetings and stuck to jeans. Martin started his speech, and she started calming herself, preparing herself to speak. She had hit a milestone and had to share it with the group. It was only the second time she’d spoken in a meeting before which made it even more nerve-wracking. Their numbers had grown significantly in the past few months.
Then, she heard her name being called, so she stood up with a warm smile on her face and headed up to the podium. She looked out at all the strangers and wished she had Andy’s familiar face for support. “Martin asked me to speak at his meeting because I’ve had an important milestone in my recovery. I know that everyone here is at different places, some of you not even being done with step one, and some who are already at step twelve.”
Melanie paused for effect and tried to make eye contact with a few people. She had studied public speaking on the Internet to prepare for this. “I just wanted to let all of you know that you should be proud of yourselves for doing anything to combat whatever it is that’s holding your life back. I have been a member here for a few months now and have made more progress than I ever could have imagined. After losing my job to alcohol, I now have a new job where I have already received a promotion and a loving boyfriend that I practically live with. It’s amazing what I have accomplished and how good I can feel without that bottle in my hand. It’s not easy getting there when you see it everywhere you go, but it is definitely a s
truggle worth facing.”
She smiled, glad she had kept it short and sweet, and made her way back to her seat. She hoped it was enough for what Martin was asking for.
Melanie sat through the rest of the meeting for the introduction of three new faces as well as the one year milestone for the flannel girl. It was a pretty good meeting, and it made her sad thinking Andy had missed it. Wasn’t he coming up on one year? She’d have to ask Martin about it. Maybe he wasn’t eligible since he wasn’t at every single meeting.
Martin caught her as she walked out to the car after the meeting. “I hope Andy is doing well. Tell him we missed him tonight.” She still couldn’t get over how genuine this short red-haired man was. Where would all these lost people be without him?
“Thank you, Martin, I’ll tell him. I think he’s just tired. He just got back from a business trip this morning, and it was a tough one. I am sure he’ll be here next time.” She gave Martin a friendly hug and got in her car. In the back of her mind she found herself wondering if Andy would be coming to the next meeting. Something about the whole situation gave her a strange feeling in her stomach.
Melanie turned the volume back up on her phone and glared at the screen that showed she had no messages from anyone, including Andy. It was going to be a long night unless she heard from him, but she didn’t have the courage to barge into his apartment again. After all, he hadn’t officially asked her to live with him yet.
She headed back to her lonely apartment instead, telling herself he was fine and she’d hear from him sooner or later.
***
Melanie’s phone rang on her way to her car. She had gone to work and still had not heard from Andy, which was making her more angry than worried by that point, especially since they had plans for the next morning to go have breakfast at the long term care facility her mother lived at. He was supposed to be officially introducing himself as her boyfriend.
To her surprise, it was Andy calling. So, she hopped in the driver’s seat and hit the talk button. “Hello?” She tried to sound as curt as possible.
“Hey, babe, how’s it going?” He sounded nonchalant, like he hadn’t just dropped off the map for several days.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
“What’s wrong, babe?” As if he didn’t know. Melanie felt like she was going to explode with anger at that point. Did he really not realize how crazy-worried she had been when he missed AA and she still didn’t hear a peep out of him?
“Andy, you missed AA and didn’t tell anyone you weren’t coming. It was the one where I had to give the speech.” There was more to it than that, but she didn’t want to let on that she was some clingy obsessed girl in case he wasn’t quite where she was in the relationship.
“Oh, babe, I’m sorry. It totally slipped my mind. I’ll make it up to you somehow. This run was just really stressful, and the Colombians want us to take over the rest from now on. I was so tired that I pretty much just ate and crashed this whole time. You can come on over if you want.”
Melanie thought about mentioning the fact that she had checked to see if he was there and sleeping and that he hadn’t been, but then thought better of it. That seemed to be bordering on stalking and paranoia. Besides, he might have gone out to get something quick to eat so he didn’t have to cook. She shook her head, knowing she was reading way too much into things.
“Unfortunately, I think I have some major cleaning to do. My fridge is full of stuff that’s gone bad, and the whole place could really use some dusting. I mean, I haven’t exactly been there much lately. It’s a bit neglected.”
She hated turning him down since she hadn’t seen him in almost a week, but she was telling the truth. Her apartment definitely needed some attention, especially if she was going to be spending more time there since he’d be away more often.
“I don’t know why you even bother with that place anymore, Melanie. I mean, my apartment is plenty big enough for all your stuff and what I have. I figured you’d be redecorating any day now, anyway. I guess I can come over and help you clean up though, if you want.”
Melanie froze. Had Andy just basically asked her to move in with him? It was a strange moment, a bit anticlimactic considering it was over the phone and he seemed to think he’d already implied the invitation at some point. “I’ve got an even better idea,” she breathed into the phone, hardly able to contain her sudden excitement.
“What’s that, babe?”
“How about you come over and help me move some of my things to your place. Just the small stuff that will fit in my car. We’ll have to get a truck for the rest.” She waited for his response, hoping it would be a positive one. She couldn’t believe the moment was finally happening.
“I’ll meet you there in a few,” Andy replied before ending the call. Melanie quickly shut the door to her car and started it up. She had to tense up all her muscles until they ached to keep herself from speeding and cutting around people. She couldn’t wait to get there and see Andy so that they could start a new chapter together. At that moment she felt so silly that she was ever worried about his behavior at all. She had no idea how stressful such a job really could be. For all she knew it was the trifecta of ridiculous deadlines, rude bosses, and irresponsible coworkers. She shouldn’t judge before she knew the whole story. She’d have to apologize for her presumptuous anger.
As she pulled into her parking space, she could see Andy getting off of his motorcycle. She bit her bottom lip looking at how hot he was in his tight jeans and leather jacket. She was going to have to sink her teeth into him before they did anything else.
***
Melanie looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. Andy was another no show. She had even reminded him before he left her apartment about the breakfast with her mother. She had stayed over at her apartment to get it cleaned up so that nothing would get gross while she wasn’t there. Her lease wasn’t up yet, and she didn’t want to have to pay a fine.
She had given Andy an extra fifteen minutes to show up just in case he was running late for some reason. She had really been looking forward to introducing him to her mother as her boyfriend, as the one she was moving in with. She thought Andy had gotten passed whatever was going on the night before, but apparently she had been wrong. She would have to confront him about it later. She was sick of the mixed signals. It felt like he was playing a game.
She waved the nurse over to her. “You can bring her out now. It’ll just be the two of us.” The nurse nodded and smiled, but Melanie was sure the nurse was thinking how pathetic this woman was to wait on some guy to show up to meet her mother with Alzheimer’s. Melanie was sure their age difference was at least five years if not more, and Melanie certainly wasn’t the younger one.
She put on a smile as her mother came out, still sporting a cane from the fall she’d had. It was mostly for balance to keep it from happening again. Luckily, they’d been able to take her off restriction and give her the private room and most of her privileges back. They just watched her more closely now.
The nurse helped her mother sit down and then brought them both their tray. The thought of eating one step better than hospital food was completely unappetizing, but for her mother, she would try it.
“I thought you were bringing a boy with you this time,” her mother commented with a smile before digging into her eggs.
“You remembered!” It sucked that she would have to explain to her mother that he didn’t show up, but that was overshadowed by the fact that her mother had been able to remember something like that. It was such a small thing, but it meant a lot regarding her condition. Melanie put Andy out of her mind and smiled at her mother, determined to have a good breakfast despite what was going on in her love life.
CHAPTER FOUR
Andy felt for the wad of cash in his jeans and smiled. Since the Colombians had increased their runs he’d really been earning. He had no idea what to do with it -- or at least he hadn’t until now. He wanted to give his woman
the best of everything, especially now that she was moving with him. She was about to spend her first official night at his apartment after he told her she could move in for real. She would no longer just be some guest.
He was going to make it a special night, shower her with presents, especially since he’d fucked up. He had promised to go with her to be introduced to her mother as her boyfriend and missed it because he was doing a line with Frank the night before and hadn’t gone to sleep. He passed out about the time he should have been getting ready to leave.
He waltzed into the flower shop like he owned it, knowing he could afford to buy the most extravagant bouquet there if he wanted. It felt good being able to spend his money on a beautiful woman. He hadn’t been able to do that in so long. He was going to spoil her, and she’d forget all about his mistakes over the last few weeks. Maybe she’d even fall into bed with him. He’d have to be sure to get some rose petals just in case.
“May I help you?” the woman at the counter asked. She had a thick Ukrainian accent and bright white-blonde hair.
“Yes, I would like to order some flowers for my girlfriend. I would like them delivered tonight if possible, around five-thirty or so.”