Lessons on Love

Until The Sun Comes Up

A painful lump immediately forms in Jade's throat and as much as she tried, she couldn't swallow it down. It was stuck there preventing the words from coming out, preventing her voice and her feelings from hurting Althea even more than she already has.

Jade eyes begin to brim with tears, uncontrolled as they begin to spill over as the weight in her chest builds and builds until there was nothing else to feel but guilt. "I'm sorry." she huffed with a voice that shook with the effort to stay steady. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry isn't going to change anything, Jade."
"I know."
Althea nods then gives a soft shrug, "So why are you out h-here? Does David know where you are?"
Choosing to ignore the second question, Jade simply answers with, "because you're drunk and I can't let you drive home. I'll get you a cab."
"Don't bother. I can drive." Althea then turns and pulls the door open. At that, Jade immediately surges forward and carefully pushes the door closed. "What the f--" "You're not leaving alone."
"Well I'm not leaving my car here."
"Then I'll drive you."
"No thank you. I'll have Batchi drive me."
"She's busy attending to guests."
"Well, Lauren--" "-- is also busy."
Althea throws her hands up in surrender and scoffs, "Fine. Whatever. Have it your way." Jade doesn't fail to notice that instead of past her, Althea takes the long way around the back of the car to get to the passenger seat.

The drive was as awkward as Jade could have expected it to be. Neither of them talked and even the soft music drifting from the radio couldn't lessen the tension in the car. From the time the car started to now, Althea had not glanced in Jade's direction and that made the knot in the heiress' chest tighten enough to render her speechless.

Minutes into the drive and as Althea stared out the window, she surprisingly breaks the silence by chuckling humorlessly when another song comes on the radio.
"This is a really good song. You should listen to it especially the chorus." She says as she increases the volume without taking her gaze away from the window.
Jade nods but continues to drive silently while half her mind listened to the song as it reached it's chorus. A pang of familiarity echoing in her chest because even with the loud music in the car, she could clearly hear Althea as her passenger softly sang.

"I have you but yet I don't, you were so close but yet so far away. Oh I I'm just too weak to face the truth that I love you. I love you."

The song that basically put into words what they were both feeling causes another wave of guilt and sadness to wash over Jade and she turns to Althea just in time to see her swipe at her cheek.
"Althea--" "I need to pee."
"What?"
She clears her throat and points to an approaching gas station which had one of those small convenience stores, "I need to go to the bathroom. There. Stop the car there."
Not really not sure what else to do, Jade pulls the car to a stop in front of the store. Althea doesn't even wait for the car to completely park before getting off.
"Be caref--!" Jade yelps but it falls on deaf ears as the door closes behind Althea, "... Right..." she huffs before leaning back against the seat with a groan, closing her eyes and wondering what the hell she was doing.

After some time, the door opens and is followed by Althea plopping roughly into the seat with a few bottles of Tanduay Ice in her hands. She places two into the cup holders above the radio and another one on the divider between them while she chugged on the last one. Jade huffed unhappily as she watched Althea polish off one bottle before opening another.

"I thought you were going to the bathroom?"
The woman shrugs, "I did."
"Did they have vodka vending machines in there?"
"I came back but you were asleep so I bought drinks to keep me company."
Jade's eyebrows furrow at her answer, "I fell asleep?"
She takes a long pull from the bottle before answering, "Nope. I didn't really go to the b-bathroom."

Irritated by the whole situation and how Althea was acting, Jade simply shakes her head then resumes driving. She knew that she was hurting Althea the more time they spend together and that's why the woman was acting like this but what could Jade do? She couldn't just let Althea drive drunk. She had to make sure that Althea got home safe because at least then she can do something right for the woman she loves. At least Jade could protect her.