Tornado (18+)

11- Paisley

At the bar, Bailey reeks of alcohol. Too many B52 shots, and far too much information.

She's felt the need to share every single detail of her latest squeeze Tyler, including how hung he is, how amazing he is in the sack, and ultimately- why his dick is inside someone else. Every detail she shares is followed by another shot.

"C'mon, babes. I think that's enough, let's get you home," I say sliding the shot glass from between her fingers and tipping it in the plant pot next to me.

"You," she says swaying and pointing at me, "why are you so perfect?"

I chuckle and hold out my card to the bartender to pay her bill. "I'm far from perfect, hunnie. I have stretch marks and cellulite and suffer from morning breath just the same as you."

I gulp when the bartender hands me the credit card machine for my pin number and I see the sixty-three-pound bar tab.

"How long has she been in here?" I ask punching in my digits with more force than necessary.

He shrugs and holds my card out to me when the transaction is complete. "Two or three hours maybe?"

This is some binge she's on to rack up a tab like this in a few hours. I glance at her unstable on her stool. She has literally zero make up left on her face and her always-shiny-and-straight hair now resembles the snakes of Medusa.

"You're the bestest, bestest friend," she slurs, her puffy eyes focused on something near me rather than on me.

I have to agree considering I was about to join the M4 to Castleford to go and view the most perfect seafront apartment when I picked up two voicemails left by her. I couldn't understand either of them through her blubbering and extensive string of curse words. Immediately nausea churned in my chest. Something was wrong for her to be so upset.

I've never heard Bailey this emotional about anything before.

As I called her mobile, I continued to circle the roundabout like I'd forgotten how to exit it. What if something had happened to one or both of her parents? What if she had been attacked? What if? What if?

I took the exit that would lead me back to Bromley, all thoughts of Castleford forgotten, and tried calling her again. Eventually, she picked up after the tenth attempt and passed me to some random stranger in the pub to tell me where she was.

"But," Bailey says, "You're leaving me."

Here we go. Again.

I grab her handbag she's left on the bar and follow her as she stumbles towards the exit, bumping into people as she goes. I find myself apologizing to everyone we pass while trying to navigate her to safety.

Bailey turns sharply at the door and almost knocks me over. "I wanna go see Tyler."

I shake my head. There's no way I'm letting her go anywhere in this state other than to bed. "Let's get you home. You can see Tyler tomorrow."

She smiles down at me and grabs on to my arm. "I love you. You know that, right?"

I lead her out of the pub, ignoring her slurs of protests about going home. She wants to show Tyler what he's missing out on. I doubt he'll fall at her feet and beg for a second chance with her in this state. He'd probably run a mile. Bailey makes a terrible drunk.

When she slides her arms around my shoulders to steady herself as we walk, I try desperately not to think of where I should've been - in Castleford seeking out Tez.

Maybe the seafront apartment wasn't meant to be.

I'm sure I'll find something else as equally as nice in the week I have left before work starts on the gym and I'm expected to be at Stallone's daily to help oversee things.