Intoxicated Read Online Free PDF

came.”
    “You really think I would miss my chance to
give you a proper send-off? I mean, look at you.”
    I giggled, staring down at my baggy sweats
and t-shirt. Today was about comfort. Even though I would have
plenty of help loading the car here, unloading was a different
story. Blake didn’t appear as though she was used to manual labor.
She would just have to excuse my appearance; I was on a mission
today. There was no time like the present for her to get used to me
in my natural state.
    I ran my fingers through my tousled hair and
pretended to strike a pose. “Beautiful, right?”
    “You are always beautiful, Lauren Marie
Jefferies.”
    The words brought color to my cheeks. I set
my coffee down on the empty kitchen counter, tears blurring my
vision. Eric did the same, taking me into his arms. He brushed the
moisture off my cheeks with his thumbs then pulled me closer to
him. I buried my face in the smooth cotton of his shirt.
    “I’m going to miss you so much,” I whispered,
my words muffled against his chest.
    Somehow he still understood. “I’ll miss you
too.”
    We stood in the middle of my apartment
silently embracing each other. Even though our history was filled
of times spent apart, being the one doing the leaving didn’t make
it any easier. I wanted to commit every part of this moment to
memory: his strong arms around me, his fingers stroking my hair,
the smell of his aftershave, his warm breath against my neck, the
steady beat of his heart. This would be what I thought of when
things seemed too difficult to bear.
    “I am so proud of you, sweetheart,” he
continued. The sound of his voice echoed in his chest, under my
ear. “and I am so sorry for being selfish and wanting you to stay.
You were right. This is your turn to shine. We can make this work.
We’ll figure out the details as we go.”
    I doubted he’d have had the courage to say
those things if I had been looking him in the eye. He was not one
to admit fault, ever. It was the best going away gift he could
possibly have given me.
    We stood there for either seconds or an
eternity until the buzzer sounded again. I couldn’t tell. Wiping my
eyes, I pulled away and turned to the intercom. “Come on up; door’s
open.”
    Both my dad and Gracie entered the apartment
shortly thereafter. They must have met in the parking lot. They
attempted to hide their shock that Eric had shown up, my dad being
far more successful than my best friend. Dad obviously was used to
the hot and cold nature of our relationship; Gracie not as much.
Dad also tolerated Eric’s outbursts far better. I was convinced it
was because I didn’t share the details of our arguments. Since
Gracie got only my side of the story, usually right after the heat
of the moment, her opinion of Eric was not the best.
    “Hi, Eric,” my dad greeted.
    “Doug, Gracie,” Eric responded, turning on
the salesman voice.
    “Eric,” Gracie said, barely hiding her
disgust. She shot me a dirty look. My response was a shrug. She
shook her head.
    “So,” I said, rubbing together my hands,
“who’s ready to move some boxes?”
    Quick work was made of the task, and before I
knew it my car had been loaded and the apartment was empty of my
belongings. Even Eric had made the comment that he likely hadn’t
dressed for the job. My father had laughed heartily; Gracie
snorted.
    We regrouped in the now totally
depersonalized space, perching on the tiny sofa and the kitchen
counter. To be honest, four people was about all this square
footage could handle comfortably. Gracie had stopped at her car to
grab a grocery bag and she now produced its contents. She pulled
out a fancy bottle of white grape juice and three red plastic cups.
She set to work uncorking the champagne style bottle and pouring
glasses of juice. She passed the cups out to me and my father,
keeping the last one for herself. Eric’s exclusion made the whole
thing rather awkward. Thankfully, he pretended not to care.
    “I would like to