The next week was very busy, with lots of harvesting and planting new seeds to be done. You had convinced your husband to wake up at 4:30am on Friday to help get a start on the day. He very begrudgingly agreed, and you promised you would take him to the Saloon that night as a thank you. You needed all the help you could get to manage the farm, as well as get everything ready for your husband's upcoming birthday tomorrow. You had picked out the perfect present, a day dedicated solely to him, but you didn't have time to think about that now. Today was about the farm.
After hours and hours of tiring, long work it was time to head out for Shane's reward. He was excited, after all, the two of you had been eating at the Saloon less and less as the farm became more sustainable. You both took a shower, got dressed to go out, and said goodbye to Pepper. "I wish we could bring you with us." Shane rubbed your puppy's head affectionately. "But Gus would literally kill us if we brought an animal into the Saloon."
You laughed and agreed, slightly impatient as you waited for your husband to join you at the front door. Shane hated leaving Pepper for too long, but you knew that the small dog appreciated some time to himself now and then. "Alright... let's go." Shane stood up and joined you, heading out of the house.
He romantically held out his arm for you to grab, and you affectionately leaned against him as the two of you set down the trodden dirt path toward Pelican Town. You could see the lights of the Saloon up ahead, as well as hear the joyful sound of the town gathering inside. Fridays were always a busy night for the Saloon, everyone taking time to celebrate a long work week coming to an end.
"Mmm... Pepper poppers..." Shane hummed as the scent of the restaurant's signature appetizers wafted out the open door. "I know that I'm a bit healthier and all now that I don't come here every day, but damn, I miss having a good round of beers and pizza."
"Well, you can have all the beers, pepper poppers, and pizzas that you want tonight." You grinned, grabbing his hand and leading him as you entered the Saloon. "My treat."
The two of you headed to your typical spot on the right side of the bar and sat down. "Is it really your treat when we have a shared bank account now?" Your husband joked, his eyes lighting up as he teased you.
You both just laughed, happy to be spending quality time together. Quickly, Emily appeared in front of you, poised and ready to take your orders. "What can I get for Pelican Town's favorite couple?"
"I'll take a pitcher of beer to start with," Shane replied, not having to think twice about his order. "Then I'm thinking a pepperoni pizza, some garlic bread, a round of pepper poppers, and a Joja Cola to wash it all down." He set down the menu without needing to look at it. "What do you want, honey?"
"I'll take a beer as well, and I'll just have a couple bites of your food if that's okay." You looked up at your husband.
"Sure." Shane shrugged, laughing. "I can always order more if I run out."
Emily scribbled down the last bit of the order before tucking her pen behind her ear and looking up at the two of you with a smile. "Great. I'm on it!"
"So. You're drinking beer tonight?" Shane looked at you curiously.
"I guess so." You replied, matching his tone. "I thought I'd try something different." You started fiddling with a cocktail napkin that you grabbed from the pile sitting in front of you.
"You look really cute tonight." Shane grinned, leaning on one arm against the bar as he admired you. "I'm pretty lucky to be married to you, huh?"
You just blushed at his compliments as Emily brought your drinks over. "Two pints." She set down large steins of beer in front of the two of you. "And an additional pitcher for Shane." She carefully placed a nearly overflowing container in front of your husband for refills. "Your food will be out shortly."
"Don't judge me tonight." Shane shook his head, ignoring his better judgment as he quickly chugged his pint of beer. "I've been looking forward to this all week." He refilled his glass before chugging it again.
You were a little concerned, given his history, but you trusted Shane to make the best decision now. Still, you just wanted to make sure everything was okay. "Be careful." You tried to laugh jokingly, but your voice remained somewhat serious as Shane poured his third glass of the amber liquid.
"Don't worry. I know my limits now." He comforted you in between sips. "The key is to portion things. I never drink more than twice a week. It's been a year since the incident." He set down his beer and looked at you. "Y'know, I think I might be ready to take it a little farther." He chugged the last swig of his beer. "Wanna get drunk tonight, (Y/N)?"
"Drunk?" You asked, a little concerned.
Shane shook his head. "Okay, maybe not drunk. But like, a little tipsy? I feel like it's the right time to prove to myself I've overcome my problems with alcohol."
"Okay, fine." You agreed. "But I want you to promise that you'll check in with me if you feel like you've gone too far, deal?"
"Deal." He agreed, and the two of you jokingly shook hands. "Emily!" He gestured upwards, getting the waitress's attention. "Four shots of whiskey!" He turned to look at you and asked, "What do you want?"
You shrugged, "Whatever you think I'd like." You laughed, surprisingly realizing that the first round of shots was just for him.
"And four shots of vanilla vodka for my wife!" He grinned, turning back to Emily.
"Four shots?" You laughed, surprised. "That's more than enough to get me drunk."
"Wait, really?" Shane asked, more curious than teasing. As he spoke, Emily set down the trays of shots before you. "Well then, I guess I'll have to help you out." He grabbed a glass of the clear liquid from in front of you and swallowed it without any reaction. You tried to do the same but ended up coughing from the slight burn it left. Shane just shook his head and laughed. "I'm glad I didn't order you any of these, then." He gestured to the shot of whiskey he was holding as he proceeded to down all four of his shots. "Emily!"
The night went on, and you were quickly feeling tipsy after your 3 shots and a few sips of beer. Shane, on the other hand, was more than a pitcher of beer and several shots into the night but didn't seem any different than normal. "How are you not drunk?!" You asked, shocked that your husband was still carrying on conversations normally and not acting any differently. "Are you even human?!"
"I guess my tolerance never reset after all the years of heavy drinking." He shrugged. "But you're right, I've had a lot to drink, even though I don't feel it yet." He set down his final shot glass on the tray. "I'll call it quits for the night, so my liver doesn't give out in five years, if nothing else." He laughed. "Guess you have to get up pretty early in the morning to get me drunk."
"We did get up pretty early in the morning!" You laughed, clearly out of it.
"I remember the last time I saw you this drunk." He chuckled. "You bought me beer and pizza to thank me for taking you home." Before he could continue with the story, his phone started ringing. "Hello?" He asked, taking the call. "Shane here."
"Who is it?" You tried to question, but he was engaged in the call.
"Oh, shit. Really? I'll be right there." He started to look panicked as he stood up from the bar. "Yeah, I'm on my way now. Thanks, man." He hung up the call and looked at you, eyes wide. "That was Demetrius. He said he was checking on something in the cave on the farm and saw Pepper had gotten out and was running around." He threw on his jacket.
You gasped. "We - we need to go get him!" You exclaimed, nearly falling out of your seat.
"Damn it. You're drunk, (Y/N)." He shook his head, unsure of what to do. "I need to hurry to get to the farm before Pepper gets too lost, but I can't leave you here alone like this."
Before your husband could continue contemplating what to do, Emily waved his attention. "Don't worry, Shane. I'll watch her."
"Are you sure?" Your husband asked, looking concernedly at you before back up at the barmaid. "She's really drunk and-"
"I promise she'll be okay," Emily reassured him.
He looked around, not seeing any other option as you would seriously slow him down if he tried to bring you with him. "Fine." He took his jacket off and put it around you. "But I swear to Yoba if you let anything fucking happen to her—"
"Shane." Emily put her hands on her hips assertively. "She'll be okay. Now go get your dog!"
"Yeah, yeah. Good thing I didn't drink too much." Shane gently kissed the top of your head, nearly causing you to fall out of your chair again. He put his hands on your shoulders to steady you. "I'll be right back, baby. Stay right here, okay?"
"Okay." You agreed, unable to concentrate on his words.
"Okay." He repeated. He stood up and started to walk out the door before turning back around. "Emily, she is literally the most important thing in the damn world and I swear if–"
"Shane! Go already! He could be in the mountains at this point!" She made a shooing gesture at him. And, against his better judgment, he ran out the doors of the Saloon. You watched him leave, the cool reflections of the clouds at dusk reflecting on his arms and face as the door of the bar slammed behind him.
✏️ A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the delay in updates. The next chapter, Chapter 63: A Coastal Temptation will be (hopefully) released on Sunday, October 22, 2023. I've already written the next chapter and it's pretty intense, so I'm very excited to share it with you all. Thank you so much for reading! xoxo Kira