Unhappily Married ✓

18. Sober

I slide into my seat and Tammy and Brian sit on either side of me while Todd and his friends take their seats in front of us.

We can see the chefs prepare the meals behind a glass wall and it's quite a thrilling experience.

Soon, a waiter comes to us with menu cards.

He keeps standing patiently while we decide our order.

"Um, I want this," Tammy says, pointing her finger at a certain dish on the menu, "Tom Kha Kai."

Lenny clears his throat. "And what is this? Pad Kra-kr—"

"Pad Krapow Moo Saap," the waiter says, "it's fried basil and pork."

"Yeah, I want that."

After we place our order, the waiter nods and tells us that our food will be brought within ten minutes.

As times passes, more people walk into the restaurant and now the place is almost full.

"So, the three of you, you're all writers?" Jim asks, leaning forward.

"Yes, columnists specifically," Brian says, taking a sip of water.

Scott shrugs. "Life should be easy for you guys then."

I frown as my jaw clenches.

"No, Scott," Todd says, glancing at me, "being a writer isn't easy. It requires years of blood, sweat and tears."

Tammy raises her glass of wine to eye level and smiles at Todd. "Todd, I love you."

Todd chuckles and raises his own glass. "Love you too, Tam."

A few minutes later, three waiters bring our order and quickly, all of us begin digging into our food.

The quintessential Thai aroma fills my nostrils and makes my mouth water. I take a spoonful of my chicken coconut soup and the creamy liquid leaves a rich flavor on my tongue. The food is an amazing blend of exotic flavors and without any doubt, the best Thai food that I've ever had.

As I reach out for a platter placed on the middle of the table, Todd pulls it away and I furrow my brows.

"There are cashew nuts in this dish."

Jim shrugs. "What's wrong with cashew nuts, dude?"

"She's allergic to them."

I don't understand why all of a sudden I'm on cloud nine. I guess I feel good, because somewhere Todd still cares about me. However, it's not surprising that he still remembers a lot about me because when you've known someone for such a long time, it's impossible for forget little details about them.

After galloping down some mint candies, we pay the bill and make an exit from the main door.

I look up and the night sky is filled with twinkling stars. As my hair blows in the cool breeze, I tuck my hands deep in the pockets of my jacket.

"Hey guys, there's an awesome bar a few blocks down. Let's go there," Scott says.

Brian runs a hand through his hair. "Um, I don't know, it's getting a bit late."

"Oh, come on, it's Saturday night and I don't think we'll sit there all night long," Jim joins in.

Finally, we all agree and decide to visit this bar Scott suggested.

The whole place is bathed in soft lighting and is spiced up by funky touches in the décor, which gives it a stylish look. Since it's Saturday, a live band is playing remix pop songs for us all.

Soon, Scott engrosses himself in the shot drinking competition with someone and a small crowd makes a circle around them both. It seems Scott is really putting his back into it as he throws another shot down his throat. Lenny and Jim cheer him as they keep swatting his back every now and then.

Shortly later, Brian and Tammy make their way to the dance floor with their cocktails in their hands.

Todd laughs, "This is one crazy night."

"Absolutely," I say, taking a sip of my fruit punch.

The bartender shows off his skills as he tosses bottles in the air and makes quality cocktails for people surrounding the bar.

Todd stands up from his barstool and takes a step towards me.

"Come on, let's dance."

I chuckle, "I can't dance. You go."

He holds my hand and help me to my feet.

"Todd, please..."

"Don't chicken out, Stella."

I slightly shake my head.

"If I can ride in a car, you can most definitely have a dance with me," he says, smiling at me.

I breathe out. "Okay."

When we reach the busy dance floor, Todd puts his arms around my waist and I wrap mine around his neck. We sway back and forth and suddenly a rock song booms out.

"This is so funny, Todd. Both of us suck at dancing," I chuckle.

He pulls me closer with a sudden jerk, catching me off guard.

"What are you talking about? I'm pretty good at dancing."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," I scoff.

After a little while, the background music slows down.

I stare at our feet as they now move in sync, but when I look up, Todd's gaze is already fixed on me. They way he's looking at me and the way he's holding me close, makes my heart skip a beat.

He leans in, tilting his head to a side and the second his lips press against mine, I close my eyes. As he slowly nibbles my bottom lip, I let my hands run through his hair.

We pull away, breathless.

I open my eyes, but his are still closed and without giving it a second thought, I kiss him again, this time more softly.

As soon as we break the kiss, I don't get a chance to say a word as someone tugs my arm, and drags me away from Todd.

When we reach a little distance away from him, I finally get to see who the person is—Tammy.

She frowns at me. "Tomorrow, when I'm sober, we're gonna have a talk about this."

I only had a glass of fruit punch and it can't make me blind drunk.

When I kissed Todd, I was sober...but still not sober. Does that make any sense?

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