Chapter 116
Athena’s POV
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I slowly opened the door, and Tristan practically fell into my apartment. His weight crashed against me, and I had to brace myself against the doorframe to keep us both from tumbling to the floor.
The smell hit me immediately whiskey, strong and sharp, mixed with something else I couldn’t identify. He reeked of alcohol, his usually perfect appearance completely disheveled.
His dark hair was messy, his shirt wrinkled and partially untucked, and there was a lost look in his eyes that made my heart clench with worry.
I managed to help him stay upright long enough to lock the door behind us, my hands shaking slightly as I turned the deadbolt. When I turned back to
him, he was swaying on his feet like a tree in strong wind.
‘Tristan, what are you doing?” I whispered, moving quickly to support him before he collapsed.
Getting him to my bedroom felt like trying to move a mountain. Tristan was pure muscle, all six feet and however many inches of him, and drunk Tristan was apparently incapable of coordinating his movements to help me. Every step was a struggle as I half–dragged, half–guided him down the short
hallway.
‘Why are you here this late, and why are you this drunk?” I asked, my voice strained from the effort of keeping him upright.
He was making it even harder by constantly turning his head toward my neck his breath hot against my skin, that stupid smile never leaving his face. It
was like he thought this was all some kind of game.
‘Because I miss you, Ath.” he mumbled, the words slurring together slightly.
My steps faltered, and I nearly dropped him right there in my hallway. The sane, sober Tristan would never say something like that. This had to be the alcohol talking, making him say things he didn’t mean, things that would mortify him in the morning.
“You’re drunk, Tristan,” I said firmly, trying to ignore the way my heart had started racing. “I think you’re confused about where you wanted to go.”
He stopped moving completely, his body going dead weight in my arms.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you walking?” My voice came out strained and panicked. If he collapsed now, I’d never be able to get him back up.
We’d both end up in a heap on my hallway floor, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to untangle myself from him if that happened.
I couldn’t leave him on my couch – he was too tall, and his neck would be killing him in the morning. My second bedroom wasn’t set up yet, still full of boxes and random furniture that hadn’t found homes. The only option was my bed, and I’d just have to sleep on the couch myself.
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When we finally reached my bedroom, I let him fall onto the mattress with more force than I’d intended. But before I could step back and catch my breath, his hands shot out and grabbed my waist, pulling me down on top of him.
‘Got you,” he said with that triumphant grin, like he’d just won some huge prize.
Lying there on top of him, I could see his face clearly for the first time since he’d arrived. The harsh lines of stress and exhaust n were smoothed away by alcohol and whatever had driven him to my door.
He looked younger, more carefree, nothing like the controlled and calculating man I saw during work hours.
I found myself wishing he could always be like this – playful, unguarded, allowing himself to laugh and live a little instead of carrying the weight of the
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20.32 Thu, Jan 8
Chapter 116
world on his shoulders,
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You never change,‘ I said softly, reaching out to poke his chest with my finger.
Instead of laughing or batting my hand away, he caught my finger and brought it to his mouth. The sentation of his lips, his tongue, the gentle suction, sent electricity shooting straight through my core.
My breathing stopped completely as he held my finger there, his eyes locked on mine, before slowly releasing it.
“God, I miss you so much, he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. I felt like my whole world was crumbling
Heat flooded my cheeks, and my heart started hammering against my ribs so hard I was sure he could feel it where our bodies were pressed together
“What are you saying?” I managed to ask, though I was terrified of the answer
I knew he was drunk. I knew that alcohol made people say things they didn’t mean, made them see people who weren’t re
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