by S. S. Sahoo
I looked for her from the group of ladies and even near the food stalls, she was nowhere to be found. But then I saw Cosmina and asked her if she knew where Juliette was. She told me that she saw her going towards the beverages. I thanked her went in that direction searching for Juliette and then I found her.
What the heck?
There she was sitting on a bar chair before a small counter where she was having alcoholic drinks. I marched up to her side and watched as she laughed, giggled and talked with the bartender. The guy was enjoying serving her. She was going to have another shot when I interrupted her from drinking it and held her forearm stopping her from drinking. She looked up at me angrily because I interrupted but then when she saw my face she smiled. Even though I knew what she was doing still, I felt the need to ask her.
“What are you doing?” I asked through gritted teeth.
Ignoring my question she patted on the seat next to her and asked me to sit down and even asked the bartender to serve me drink.
“No!” I objected and leaned closer to her to smell her breath.
“Gosh! Idiot! You are drunk?” I couldn’t help but get angry at her. What is wrong with her?
“Spoilsport!” she muttered rolling her eyes at me and raised the shot in hand to drink it but again abruptly I interfered stopping her from having even a single drop of alcohol.
“Enough! You had enough! Get up now!” I snatched the glass from her hands but then she used her other free hand and a like a bolt of electricity snatched it back and before I could even stop her, she gulped it down.
“Juliette!” I snapped at her and pulled her up holding her arms. She swayed in her place and I had to hold her closer to me. I was scared that if I didn’t hold her then she would end up hurting herself. Her slurry voice and strange actions clearly gave me the clue that she was tipsy and her behavior was unusual. She stayed closer to me, even asked me to dance with her and even confessed that like me, she also didn’t know how to dance. She irritated me the whole way in the car; she pulled my cheek, pinched me and even tried to jump off from a running car. At some points, I was so irritated by her action and at another, I was amused. I couldn’t understand what to do with her.
As the driver pulled before our house, he got out and opened the door for us to get out. I was the first to slip out and then I asked Juliette to come out.
“No, Thank you I think I’ll pass the offer” she crossed her arms across her chest and behaved as if she was sober now. Clearly, she wasn’t.
I rolled my eyes at her and gave her my hand asking her to come out.
“Are you deaf? I said I am going out for shopping” she whined and leaned against the window and turned towards my direction, keeping her legs on the seat.
“Juliette” I sighed and took in a deep breath before as politely as I could I said: “We are already in the mall. Come out now” I cringed at my own lie.
“Really?” came her slurry voice.
“Let’s go now!” I told her and watched as she put her legs down and slipped towards my direction. Finally, I held her arm and pulled her out.
“Good morning!” she greeted to the driver who just smiled at her in response.
“Good night ma’am” he replied and closed the door after I pulled her out and wrapped my arm around her waist and made her walk into the house.
“Listen! I want to buy a neck-lace” she hiccupped and pulled my suit “just like the one you-r mother gave t-to me” as she said that I stopped in my track and looked at her.
“Then you can you have the one which she gave,” I told her and remembered the day when she returned it back to me.
“No! No!” she shook her head no.
“It’s yours. It belongs to you and your fa-family” she said and leaned her head on my shoulder.
I sighed and closed my eyes then dragged her towards the staircase when my phone rang. I thought it would ring and stop but it didn’t. It kept on ringing and finally, I stood near the stair with Juliette leaning on to me. I pulled the phone out and read the caller Id to find it as Mr. Stephen, Juliette’s dad.
“Good evening Mr. Stephen,” I said once I picked it up.
“I will walk up on my own!” Juliette said with her slurry voice and tried to take a step on the stair but I pulled her back and held her tightly.
“Ugh! Let me go! I want to use the bathroom” she said and tried to move.
“Just excuse me for a second Mr. Stephen,” I said on the phone and kept the call on hold before I looked back at Juliette.
“Will you please stand for a second? I’m talking to your dad. Let me end the call” I said and she muttered something and I went back to the call.
Being the stubborn woman she is, she struggled and even dragged me on the stairs. Finally, I let her go and watched her moves as she swayed and holding the rail for the support she made it up to the floor. I sighed once I saw her reaching the top. I assumed she would reach the room and would directly go to sleep. Meanwhile, I had a conversation with Mr. Stephen and he told me that he would be arriving tomorrow in the afternoon with his family. He called to inform me about this. After the call, I hurried up skipping a step and walked towards the bedroom.
As I opened the door and walked in, I looked towards the bed to find it empty.
“This woman!” I muttered and looked the other side of the room to find it empty as well. Hoping that she must be in the bathroom, I walked that direction and knocked before opening it.
“Juliette?” the bathroom was empty as well.
“Juli-” I cut off in the middle when I saw her. There she was in the shower but on the floor. She sat on the floor while the shower ran on her making her soak.
“Juliette!” I said and immediately got rid of my suit jacket and tie and walked towards her. I looked at her as she sat on the floor, with the shower water running on her. She had pulled her legs to her chest and has sleeked her already wet hair to the back as she closed her eyes and sat on the floor calmly letting the water soak her.
“Juliette!” I called her and she opened her eyes and looked up at me.
“My head hurts,” she said and I wondered if she was sober by now.
“Come out now! You will catch a cold!” I said and forwarded my hand for her to take.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said and closed her eyes leaning her chin on her hand which was on her knees.
“What?”
I looked at her and then crouched down to her level right on the open glass doorframe and watched as she didn’t look my way.
“Why?” I asked.
“Nothing!” she replied but still didn’t look my way.
“Why did you drink in the party?” I asked and saw as she clutched her soaked dress but still didn’t look my way.
“I don’t know” she replied.
“You don’t know why you drank to point where you couldn’t even stand straight?” I asked with amusement clear in my voice.
“Yes, I don’t know. Now, leave me alone!” she had a sudden uproar in her voice and she glared at me squinting her eyes whenever the water went into it.
Okay! I guess, she isn’t sober yet!
“Leave me alone!” she said and looked the other way.
“You know I can’t do that!” I said truthfully first time ever letting her know what I truly meant.
“Well, then what do you want? You can’t leave me alone, you can’t stick up to me! Then what?” she snapped at me and then before I could open my mouth she started crying.
“Leave me alone!” she cried and hid her face using her hands as she wept and wailed wiping her face and she looked the other way.
She confused me. What did I do? And why is she crying all of a sudden? I got up from my place and walked in even though the soaked me as well, but I didn’t mind it and walked in as I crouched down next to her and made her look at me. Squinting her eyes shut stubbornly not wanting me to see her eyes.
“Hey, Juliette” I called her and held her arms a
nd pulled her and thankfully she allowed me and we stood up.
“Look at me!” I said slowly more like a whisper.
“No!” she sobbed.
“Look at me,” I said and caressed her cheeks with my knuckles.
She turned her head my way and finally opened her eyes letting me see her beautiful blue orbs which were sad and kind of dark. The shower water drenched us and I moved to stand before her stopping the water coming her way. She looked up to me and held my hands which were on her cheeks and I couldn’t when stop myself when I leaned in and planted my lips over her.
43
Zachary
Happiness, intensity and sensuous is what I felt as I kissed her and I wrapped my arms around her waist and with a jerk pulled her closer to me. I heard her gasp as I did that and angled my head to get the perfect access to her lips. As expected, her lips were so soft and due to water running over us, her lips were moist which made me even crazier and I kissed her deeply and passionately pouring the feelings of my heart into the kiss. For minutes, she stood there in shock and as I was going to pull away I felt her hand on the back of my head and I felt her other hand wrapping on my torso as she moved closer and she moved her lips kissing me.
My heart beat raced and I moved my hand feeling her body under my touch. I wanted to take her then and there. We were kissing hard when I moved and sandwiched her body to mine and the wall. I kept both of my hands on the wall and felt as she moved her on my body feeling my abs and muscles. She gasped when I squeezed her waist and then slowly I started kissing her face and neck but then realization hit me.
My eyes jerked open and I moved backward.
Oh shit!
What did I do?
She was panting hard and she stood leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. I pulled my hair in frustration. What did I do?
Why did I do that?
Regret flashed through my body as I hurriedly turned around and turned the shower off. Raking a hand through my wet hair, I walked out of the bathroom. As I came out, I leaned against the wall and put my hand on my mouth. “What did I do?” I felt like crying.
She is not even sober and I kissed her. What will she even think when she gets to know this once she is sober. She would probably hate me even more or worst, she would claim to be sent back her home. What will I do if she asks me to send her back? I can’t lie to myself anymore. I know what has happened to me and I don’t want to run away from it any longer but not like this. Not, like this.
I regretted kissing a drunken woman who has no senses upon what’s going on. She would probably hate me even more. And even if she asks me to go back home, I don’t really think that I can ever stop her. After everything that she has gone through I doesn’t really think it will be a good option to restrain her from any rights and what did I just do?
It’s my entire fault. I let my attraction towards her have control over me. I let my emotions control me. This is not good, not for me not even for her.
“This is no-“ I stopped in the middle when I felt two hands wrap around my torso.
“Juli-“ she cut me off and hush me.
“Juliette, let me go! You are drunk!” I said and tried to pry her hands from around me but she tightened it even more and clutched my soaked shirt denying to let go of me.
“It is not correc-“
“Then what is correct?” she asked me and turned me around.
“You are drunk! You would hate me tomorrow for doing this to you. Understand!” I said as I held her beautiful face and caressed her cheeks using my thumb.
“I can never hate you,” she said as she held my hand and leaned into my touch.
“No, this is not good” I jerked my hands away from her touch and turned around walking towards the door. If I stood any longer, then I would no longer control myself. The woman was even trying to seduce me. It is how alcohol turns an innocent and naïve woman to a fierce seductress and confident one?
“Zachary!” she called but I didn’t stop. I sped up my pace and walked towards the door just wanting to get away. The temperature in the room was suddenly high all I wanted was to move away, far away from the woman whom I respected the most. No longer did I have any intention to hurt her mentally or physically though what I did earlier was just to save her and keep her oblivious to what was going around her but this was just too much. I can’t hurt her, if I do, then I knew I would only end up hurting myself. If she hurt, I feel hurt too. There was a sudden pain in my chest and I knew that my heart hurts thinking that she would hate me when she comes to know what I did today.
Get away, Zachary! Get away.
“Zachary!” I heard her and even felt the hurt in her voice as she called my name.
Just walk! If you stop then she will be more than hurt one could ever imagine. She is a bird, and don’t cage her, let her fly for it is for her betterment. You are darkness and you will only end up dragging the fragile angle to your dark world. Even though she will be there with you in your world but you can never have her. She is a bird so, let her fly away. Away from the darkness, away from the monster within you.
“Zac!” that made me stand on my spot instantly with my hand on the door knob. Shock and a strange feeling coursed through my body as I stood there silently and visibly shocked. This was the first time she called me from a name, which only my mom uses to call me when I ignore her or go against her. The feeling of closeness and something new surrounded me.
“I said stop!” came her voice and then I heard footsteps through her clicking of heels as she walked closer to me.
“I said stop. Please!” she begged and then again felt her hands on my back as she leaned against me and I closed my eyes feeling her touch on my body.
“Juliette!” I sighed and turned around to make her understand that this is not possible between us but then stopped when I saw her eyes. Saddened, hurt and despair as she let her tears fell down her cheeks.
“You rejected me,” she cried and sobbed shredding her tears as she looked up at me.
“No, No!” I inched forward and held her head and kissed her forehead.
“I am not in the position to reject you, Juliette! You are higher than me” I said and hugged her and felt as she reciprocated the act as she snuggled her face into my chest.
“I am nothing in your eyes!” she wailed and I withdrew from the hug.
“Who told you that? You are the most beautiful woman I have had ever met in my life and I respect you because I lov-“ I stopped mid sentence realizing what I was just about to say.
Before I could correct myself or say anything I felt her thrashing my body to the door and she pulled m collar and captured my lips kissing me passionately and possessively. I even thought of pushing her away but then I was too shocked to even move my hands. Then like a hurricane, as fast she came she let go of me and looked up at me while we both panted and gasped for air. I looked the passion and desire burning up in her eyes. I felt the alcohol taste and I knew that she was yet sober but then I took a decision. A decision which would either mend my life or ruin me completely.
I pulled her closer and as she didn’t push me away I kissed her showing her that how much she meant to me. Who even made her think that I don’t care for her? I will show her that if any person that means to me is her. Only her. She wants proof? I will give it to her. We didn’t even realize when we fell on the bed and I hovered over her body and kissed her as she held my head and tried to pull me down. As I trailed soft kisses down her neck and ended up on her cleavage, I kissed on it and felt her body arching up to my touch. I kissed every inch and nook of her skin and when I found that spot I heard her soft moans in my ear.