10. Austin

I was totally relieved that Georgina left my apartment thirty minutes right before my sister Addie arrived. Jezz! The awkwardness and the lying might be the hardest one to fathom if both of them catches each other out here.

“Hey Austin, I have an urgent photo-shoot tomorrow back in Dallas so you need to drive me to the airport right now.” She announces as she grabs all her suitcases to the living room.

“As in now? I have to finish this episode of Love is Everywhere!” I complained.

“You can watch the replay of that on the internet bro! Come on!” Addie exclaimed. Well, I might be six foot and weighing two hundred pounds but I don’t have any willpower to fight with my big sister who’s two sizes smaller than me.

Woman!

Approximately two hours later, I got back in my apartment building and as I walk on the corridor heading to my own apartment I saw a familiar figure seating on the floor resting her back on my door. Shit! Is that Georgina?

I fastened my pace and I was right! It's her.

“Georgina!” I called running towards her. She immediately rose to her feet. She’s crying. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” She said as she looks down not letting me look on her face.

“You’re clearly not okay.” I insisted as I open my door. “Come on let’s get you inside.”

“No. It’s fine.” She declined. “I’ll just go home.”

“There’s no way that I’ll let you go home. You look like shit, let’s talk inside. Come on.” I said and dragged her inside.

She sat on my couch still sniffing. Damn! I don’t know how to comfort crying girls but I might as well try. This is Georgina, our marriage might be informal. We’ll get divorce soon but the fact that we have that fake intimate relationship I still feel responsible for her.

I pour her a glass of water and handed it to her but to my surprise she declined.

“I don’t need water, I need wine.” She said, there you go again with her bossy remarks.

“But I don’t have any wine in here.” I replied.

“Beer perhaps? Anything alcohol. I want to get drunk.”

“There’s no way I’m going to let you get drunk!” I immediately said since she clearly looks like shit, she feels shitty at the moment and if I let her get drunk tonight she’ll feel shittier the next day. And there might be an off-chance that she’ll trash my house. At the end of the day I still don’t know Georgina that well, especially on how she acts when she get drunk.

“I need some liquor Austin! Okay, if you don’t want that then I’ll just go head to the nearest bar and buy myself some drink.” She said and was about to storm out of my apartment but I immediately stopped her.

“Alright! Calm down. I’ll get you one.” I finally surrendered. “Jezz! You are like my sister!”

When I get back on the living room after I got some beer from my fridge, Georgina is already cozying herself on the couch as she turns the TV on. I put the beer cans on the coffee table and sat next to her. Instead of letting her talk to me about what happened I just let her enjoy watching the TV show and wait for her to talk to me at first.

I am completely aware that my existence annoys her and tonight is not the right time to piss her off so I’ll just behave right now and wait for her signal on whether we talk or not.

Four beer cans later, she finally started to talk to me.

“Austin.”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you have a close relationship with your parents?” She asked beaming at me and based on her eyes, she’s already a bit hammered.

I nodded as I chug my second beer can. Yup! I ain’t drinking more than that tonight. I have this girl over to take care of when she’s going to be drunk as fuck later.

“Pretty close. They’re the best parents ever.”

“You’re lucky then.” She commented and grab another beer again handing it to me.

“No, I’m not drinking anymore.”

“It’s not for you, dumbass. Open it for me, I might spill it if I open it myself.”

“Come on G, enough.” I declined. “You’re already drunk.”

“I’m not. Come on Geiser! Open it.” She demanded and all I did was just sigh and snap the beer can right open.

I let her chug on the beer a couple of times right before I speak again.

“You want to talk about it?” I asked. She was just silent for a bit right before she decided to talk.

“I just had a little fight with my mom at the office earlier.” She said smirking as she stares blankly on the now muted television.

“A little? Why do you look this horrible when it’s just a little?”

She laugh a bit. “It’s really a little. For her it’s a little, but for me it wasn’t!”

Tears then suddenly came out of her eyes. Oh, there you go!

“All my life! The only thing I did was to impress my parents.” She started explaining as she cries her eyes out. “They left me at the very young age Austin. I saw my mom leaving without me knowing why, my Dad is constantly away for work! All my life, I was alone! Yes, I have all the money and I can do whatever I want but all of those was bullshit because I need my mom with me, and I need my Dad. I want my parents to be with me. But no, they didn’t!”

She tries to wipe her tears away in complete annoyance. Damn! Man aren’t good in showing emotions but hearing her story is next level shit. I couldn’t even imagine myself without my parents being there with me. Without them, I won’t be here playing ice hockey professionally.

“You’re lucky Austin.” She said looking at me. “Unlike me, I have to work really hard to impress them. Even if I don’t want to inherit my family’s company because I just want to be a normal architect myself, I cannot afford to do that because I am scared that they will leave me again! That I’ll be alone again. I don't want to disappoint them Austin."

“And my fiancé?” She added. “Sean and I both love each other but you know what? We are actually on an arranged marriage, but that was fine! At least I love him. But the sad thing is he’s away! He’s in Germany. What’s wrong with me Austin? Why do all the people that I love keeps on leaving me?”

And she bursts into tears again. I couldn’t help but finally reach her and give her a hug.

“Hey, hey. I’m here!” I said hushing her down. I reached her face and wipe the tears on her face. “I’m here. I won’t leave you.”

“You will.” She replied staring straight to my soul. “We will get a divorce right?”

“I know.” I said as I tug her hair behind her ears. I wanted to negotiate with her telling that we won’t get a divorce, but I know that she’s drunk right now. She doesn’t know what she’s doing and have no idea with the words that came out of her mouth. I don't want to be selfish!

But I’ll assure her that I’ll be here for her, even if just a friend.

“You’re still gonna leave me just like everyone else did.”

“I promise you that I won’t.” I said as I cup her face.

She cried again and the next thing I know, she closed the gap between us and kissed me.

I didn't hesitate on kissing her back. Fuck! I have been wanting to do this eversince I met her.

But she's drunk, and I don't want to take advantage of her. So I stopped the kiss no matter how much I don't want to.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."