The app said he'd be here in fifteen minutes, which was probably what it would take me to get my ass off the ground, through the house, and out the front door. I had to take a break in the living room for a minute, but finally, I made it out the front door just as the car arrived.
I walked over to the back door and opened it.
"Hey, buddy. You can't bring that with you."
It took me a minute to process his words. Realizing he meant the whiskey bottle, I set it down in the driveway and got into the car.
The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Do you live here?"
"Yep." My world skewed a little sideways.
"Maybe you should go back home. You don't look fit to go anywhere."
I tried to wave his comment away. My hand felt heavy. "No, I'm all right."
"You can't even sit up straight."
No wonder the world felt like it was tilting. I righted myself. "I'm all right. I really need to see Kate."
The guy seemed uncertain, so I did everything I could to look sober. Finally, he started driving, and thirty minutes later, he pulled into Kate's condo community. I'd never been here before, and for a moment, I worried I might not be able to find her unit.
Not wanting to be hassled by the driver, I found every bit of wit I could muster to get out of the car and stand without swaying or stumbling. I smiled and waved at him, letting him know everything was okay. He watched me for a moment and then drove off.
I took two steps and then had to use both hands on a car to keep from falling over. Thank God it didn't have a car alarm. As I studied the unit numbers, it became clear that Kate’s place was upstairs. Just great.
It took me a while, but I made it up the steps to her unit. I leaned against the wall as I knocked on her door. I waited for what I thought was enough time and knocked again.
What if she wasn’t home? Was she still at work? I lifted my hand to look at my watch, but I couldn't read the time. Maybe she was with that man. Maybe he was fucking her right now. I reached over and rapped on the door harder.
On the last knock, the door opened. "What the hell, Sam? It’s nearly midnight."
She was wearing soft looking pink shorts with a white tank top. Her hair hung loose. I smiled as love filled my chest.
"You're so beautiful." I reached out my hand to touch her face, but I lost my balance, staggering into her.
"You're drunk." Her arm came around me as she kept me from falling. She pushed me up against the wall as she shut the door. "What's going on?"
"Do you remember the night we met?"
She kept her hand on my chest, and I was glad for it because I was pretty sure it was the only thing keeping me from sliding to the floor.
Her eyes narrowed. "Yes."
"I was getting ready to leave the party because I thought it was so lame. And then I saw you come out into the back yard. You were like a fucking angel. I know that we had only agreed to have a hookup that night, but I swear to God, Kate, I fell for you the moment I saw you."
"Did you drive here?"
"No. Joe drove me. Or was it Jack?" I shrugged. “I used an app.”
"Good. You could have killed yourself."
I grinned like a loon. "Would you miss me if I died?"
"I'm gonna let that morbid question go because you're drunk. Come on, let me put you to bed and you can sleep it off." She hooked my arm around her shoulder and her other arm around my waist.
I was in heaven. She was close to me. I could inhale her scent, which was even more intoxicating than the whiskey. "I never wanted you to leave."
"I'm not the one who left."