16 | Liquid Courage

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"Another shot!"

I poured the añejo tequila into four shot glasses and grabbed the salt from Darcy, placing some onto the crook of my thumb. Joey handed me a wedge of lime and we all proceeded to lift our glasses in the air.

"To fighting the patriarchy!" Darcy said.

"To not dying." Joey said.

"To getting drunk!" Kevin said.

"To good things to come!" I finalized and we all clanged our shot glasses together, licked the salt off of our hands, swallowed back the tequila and then sucked on the limes.

Surprisingly, Joey was the one who suggested we all celebrate our good deeds and making an okay recovery—not a perfect recovery since Darcy still had a red ring around her eyes and I still saw stars if I turned my head too fast—but okay enough. Although Joey was never one to drink due to his status as a minor and his strict diet from being a future Olympian, he made an exception.

We invited over Lara, but she was dealing with some home troubles so it ended up just being the four of us. Well, we did consider other people we could've invited, but we ended up keeping the group small. Which was to Joey's relief because more people attending heightened the possibility that word would get back to his parents.

So we drank, shared stories, laughed about stupid things, played a few cards games and then Darcy and I led the boys to dance. Kevin jumped in right away because of those snake hips of his, but Joey was a lot slower to get into the groove. He was definitely lanky and struggled with his confidence as a dancer, but I tried to help him as much as I could.

"It's okay to look stupid as long as you're having fun!" I said loudly over the music we were blasting. I put my hands on his hips and tried to guide him to move more fluidly, but he still kept popping and locking all over the place. I laughed, which definitely didn't help him in the slightest, then brought him into a hug and just swayed side to side. We didn't match the pacing of the music at all, but Joey didn't seem to mind.

After a few swishes, Joey wrapped his arms around my waist tightly, pulling me in as we continued our circle of swaying. Darcy changed the song to All of Me by John Legend, and when we circled around again I flipped her the bird. She laughed, flipped me two and Kevin pulled her into a slow dance as well.

"Hey Cala?" Joey whispered in my ear.

"What's up, Joe-Bo?" I responded, feeling a little nervous. I could sense the severity in his tone and what Darcy had told me before rose to the surface of my mind.

He sighed at my nickname for him and I laughed, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

"Thank you," he finally told me and I felt relieved. I knew he was holding back, but I wasn't going to push him to speak his mind. Which might have been selfish of me, but I decided I wanted to open myself up to the possibility of Leo. Boy how life didn't cut any breaks for anyone.

"Of course!" I smiled brightly at him and gave him a hug before ending our dance. The song wasn't completely over, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Joey wound up in the kitchen and started making mixed drinks with the contents of our fridge. I ended up on the couch, browsing through my phone.

In the next hour or so, everyone was shitfaced. Joey made the drinks strong and the two other shots of tequila didn't help. To no one's surprise, Joey and Darcy were fast asleep, Joey sprawled across our sofa and Darcy had retreated to her bed. Kevin and I were the last two survivors, although it was clear that Kevin was not nearly as drunk as I was.

"I'm going out back to smoke, you coming?" He asked me, pulling a spliff out of nowhere.

"I'll pass," I said, looking up at him from my place sprawled across the floor. He got up and I watched as his legs retreated out of my peripherals and then heard a door open and close. I sighed, looking up at Joey on the couch who was lightly snoring. I wasn't ready for the party to end, but it seemed like that was happening.

With the little brain power I had—of which any doctor would have frowned at me because I was getting so drunk with a concussion—I pulled up my phone and looked at the balance left on my debit card. I hadn't been working, which really sucked, but the sweet old Jones' felt bad and gave me a hundred dollars to carry me through.

I did try to deny it, but they were persistent and I really needed it.

Seeing that I still had a few extra dollars and had Leo's addressed saved in a text, I decided to call up an Uber. It might've been nice to surprise him. Things were going well and he was all I could think about, so I was sure he wouldn't mind.

I sat in the Uber and sent a very hazy text to Darcy letting her know where I went. Just for the slim chance something happened and I never showed up again. Darcy was the sole reason I was so paranoid about those kinds of things. I thought about if I should've called him first, considering he could've been working or even asleep, but I always ran into him when I was disobeying the law and underage drinking was one of my top offenses.

We pulled onto his street and soon his cute little house came into view with his black pick-up in the driveway. I smiled and blushed, feeling so badass for coming all the way over and knowing he'd be home. I sent a silent promise to myself that I would kiss him again and hoped the liquid courage wouldn't fail me.

I waddled up to his door, trying my darndest not to trip and willed the world to stop spinning for a moment. Taking a deep breath I knocked on the door and waited. I could clearly see the lights on in his home, but after no answer I decided to ring the doorbell. I placed my ear to the door and could make out some shuffling. I pulled back quickly and adjusted my sweater, trying to pull the v-neck down slightly to show off some of my assets. I checked my breath in my hand and then ran my fingers through my hair.

Finally the lock was undid and Leo was pulling open the door. His face twisted in confusion while mines lit up with excitement.

"Surprise!" I drawled out, feeling myself lean and grabbing the doorframe to keep myself level.

"This is crazy, I was just thinking about you. What are you doing here?" He asked and I realized that he wasn't so sober either. His facial hair had grown out some more and being the hot, stripper, model-cop he was, I wasn't surprised that it peppered his face nicely, not coming in patchy at all.

"You're not the only one full of surprises. I came to catch you messing up." I walked past him, snooping into his house. I noticed through the archway of his kitchen was an opened bottle of whisky and on his coffee table in the living room there was a glass filled with melting ice. "Drinking alone?" I asked.

"You came to catch me messing up, while you're completely drunk?" He asked and I saw the way the corners of his mouth rose in amusement.

"You caught me. That was a lie and the real reason I'm here is because I missed you." I sauntered over to his couch, trying to sway my hips a little further than usual and plopped down, falling harder than I meant. I wanted to lay back so bad, but with the way things were still spinning, I knew I'd probably throw up or pass out.

"I'll grab you some water." Leo went over to the kitchen and I quickly kicked off my shoes and pulled his little couch pillow into my arms, hugging it tight.

He came back with two glasses filled with water and ice. I drank all the contents of mine before he ever even sat down. I gave him a sheepish look as he stared down at me, nothing but intrigue showing in his eyes.

"I'll grab you some more." He took my glass and retreated once again. When he came back, he handed me a taller glass filled with lots more water. I drank a bit more and set the glass down. "So you missed me?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes, swinging my legs onto the couch, trying to keep some distance between us even though he was already as far away from me as he could be.

What am I being so shy for?

Leo responded as easily as he always did and grabbed one of my feet, bringing it onto his thigh and massaging it. I was self-conscious on the old, green sock on my foot that had old stains and a small hole at the pinky toe, not to mention I was sure my feet were sweaty, but Leo just kept on rubbing, not seeming to mind.

"You are oddly good at that. If policing doesn't work out, you should consider becoming a masseuse." I said.

"For a man, the term is masseur," Leo said, "I had dabbled with being a physical therapist as my fallback, so you're just about spot on." He looked at me for a moment and then went back to my foot.

"You know," I started as he grabbed the other foot, finding a pressure point and rubbing deep circles into it, "At this point we are practically friends and I still don't know that much about you."

He smiled, still staring at my ugly green sock, "We're friends you say?"

"If you're cool with that."

He laughed, "Yeah, I'm cool with that." He grabbed both of my feet and twisted my toes downward, cracking a few of them.

"Ow!" I yelped, pulling my feet away from him. He laughed some more.

"Your feet are stiff. I can help you loosen them up," He winked at me and I bit my lip. "Well, I'm not sure what exactly you want to know. My mom named me Leo because that's my zodiac sign." He started and it was my turn to laugh.

"Really?"

"My mom is a strange woman." He said and I made sure to note that in the important filing cabinet in my mind on topics I'd like to go into when the timing was right.

"Well, my mom named me after calla lilies. She liked lilies, but didn't want my first name to be bland old Lily. So she found a specific type, dropped one of the L's for a unique Spanish flare, and that's my name."

"Wow, I love the amount of effort your mom put into your name. That's probably where you get your sappiness from." He joked and I kicked him lightly with my foot. "So is your middle name Lily?"

"It's Lilian," I groaned, leaning my head back over the armrest and Leo laughed at my obvious distaste.

"I can't wait to meet her."

"So, Mr. Leo. Do you fit the description of your zodiac sign?" I asked. Although I never got too into astrology, I did have my phase and was pretty knowledgeable on a few, including my own.

"I would agree that I'm loyal, headstrong, confident and have a magnetic personality that draws people to me." He winked at me again. He was exceptional at being such a jackass. I wondered if it was all jokes to him or if he really knew how bad he sounded. "On another note, there is something I've been meaning to let you know. I'm sorry to say, but I'm not the sappy, romantic movie type. I prefer action and comedy."

I laughed, thinking about him seeing my strictly sappy romance collection. "That's interesting, because you definitely act like a sappy romantic."

He scrunched his eyebrows together, "How do you mean?"

"Here's a rose for our first date. Oh, let me hold the door open for you. I'm so chivalrous so I will pay for everything," I mocked in my best Leo impression, "You're totally a textbook gentleman. Sappy romance seems completely up your alley."

"That's just basic manners, but it's nice to know I hold a candle to your movie boyfriends." He said, completely spinning it.

"What?" I tried to defend myself, but I was still pretty drunk and uncontrollably blushing.

He just smiled at me. If he was drunk, he was really good at hiding it. That, or he sobered up pretty quickly. "My favorite food is pizza." He said.

"Plain cheese?" I asked, happy that he changed the subject. I placed a hand on my cheek, trying to cool it off.

"Mm, yes. Margherita style. Call me a basic Italian, but it's just too good."

"My favorite food is Taco Bell. Specifically their Cheesy Gordita Crunch." I said.

"Taco Bell is amazing. It's what I crave the most anytime after one A.M."

"Same! Isn't it the best late night food?"

"It is. My favorite dessert is cheesecake. Another basic Italian thing of me, but as an ode to my Hispanic side, I love Salsa music." He said.

I gasped, "Can you Salsa dance?" I asked.

"Of course."

"You'll have to show me your moves one day." I said, proud of how flirty I sounded.

"Tell me the time and place and I'll be there." He said, one-upping me.

"And you say you're not the sappy type." I leaned my head back over the arm of the couch, finally starting to feel sleepy. It was quiet for a bit of time, until I realized my bladder was filled with multiple different drinks and a full glass of water.

"Can I use your bathroom?" I shot my head back up, catching Leo with his own head back, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, it's right past the kitchen, on the left." He said, signaling with his hands and looking over his shoulder in its general direction.

"Thank you."

I went and did my business, feeling like a large weight had been lifted off of me. I might've lost a pound too. I came back to the living room and sat on his gray sofa, this time much closer to him. And by much closer, I meant I sat down right next to him and snuggled my head into his arm. Although I had far too much alcohol in my system to ever get back to a state even remotely near sobriety for the night, the water had cleared myself up enough that the world wasn't spinning and I didn't feel like I was on the verge of throwing up or blacking out.

Which meant it was the perfect time to make good on my promise to myself to kiss him before the night was up. Or have him keep me over for the night. Not an original goal, but he kept flirting shamelessly, so why keep up the suspense?

Leo put his arm around me, bringing me in closer and I felt like I was in the safest spot in the world.

"You want to know this crazy story from work?" He asked and I nodded my head in eager anticipation.

I turned my head so that I was looking up at him. He met my eyes for a moment before he looked back towards nothing. He wasn't smiling or smirking, and I became worried that this wasn't a great story. Or maybe it was about the recent incident.

"So this happened not too long ago. Just over a month ago actually," He started, "I wasn't stationed here for long, but I've always been a hard worker and quickly got a car. It was actually my very first time driving it and Scott was going over some things with me."

I mentally recoiled at the mention of Scott's name.

"Anyways, there we were, sitting in a parking lot, just chatting and this maniac flies down the street completely running through a stop sign."

I squinted my eyes at Leo and the corners of his mouth pulled up.

"It was my first day with the car and I was already getting some action. Not that I wanted it, I was tired and just wanted an easy first day with the car, but of course, life had other ideas. So, I pull over this person and for the first time ever I get to go over the speeding speech. The moment I start, trying to give her a chance to admit her wrongs and just let her off with a warning, she's yelling at me!"

"I know..." I interjected, but he laughed, cutting me off.

"I was completely shocked, but if she wanted a ticket so badly, who was I to say no?" He continued on and I brought my knees to my chest, burying my head into them to hide from the embarrassment. "Then, as we're getting the ticket sorted and printed, I saw this woman do something absolutely crazy. She gets out of her car and starts walking over to me. Can you believe that? Scott goes, 'What in the world?' and prepares himself for an incident, all the while I'm trying not to laugh because it was too funny not to."

"You guys were taking your sweet time!" I added.

"Exactly, this woman came over all because she wanted her ticket faster." He laughed.

"That was a great story, thanks." I rolled my eyes, playfully hitting him in the arm.

"That's not the end of it. In the moment that this woman stomped back to her car, I was thoroughly intrigued. She was beautiful and bold, but she hated my guts." He kept going and I decided not to interrupt again. "Being a bit of a religious man, I sent a prayer in that moment before I walked back to your car that God would give me an opportunity to see you again and you know what you did?" He asked and I shook my head, 'no,' not able to remember. "Well you didn't give me any opportunity to even ask you your name, but you did leave your ID with me."

I laughed. It was interesting to think that a moment that was so annoying to me, was so amusing to him.

"I actually wrote you a small note and put it in an envelope along with the ID. Nothing serious, just an invite to a date and that I found you endearing."

"Totally not sappy." I added and he finally rolled his eyes. I smiled brightly, liking that I had some way to tease him back.

"I think you would've liked that note, but while I was on my way to the post office the next morning, guess who I saw on the opposite side of the road? I took it as my opportunity to give it to you in person, before you got in trouble for driving without it." He said. "So, right as I'm about to give it to you, I find out that you think I am, and I quote, super hot."

Leo looked at me, waiting to see my reaction which ended up being me blushing once again.

"Just knowing that was enough for me. I knew you couldn't hate me that much and I knew we'd cross paths again. Isn't that crazy?" He asked me.

"It is. It was at that moment that I was hoping I never ran into you again, ever." I told him.

"And now we're friends." He said and I smiled back.

This was it. This was the opportunity I was hoping for. I counted down from three and slowly brought myself up to him. He didn't hesitate or flinch, he just watched me move, pulling his arm that was wrapped around my shoulder closer to him. I leaned in, still hesitant but then he closed the space between us and brought his lips to mine. I felt a new wave of lightheadedness at the sensation. This wouldn't be the same quick kiss at the gas station, I was going to drag this one out.

As our tongues danced together, I let out a breathy moan, craving more. I ran my hand up his shirt, feeling his unreal washboard abs, trying to signal that it was okay for him to touch me too. However, his hands stayed at respectable places, one cupping the back of my neck while the rested gently on my lower back.

"Let's go to your room." I panted, breaking the kiss.

"Are you tired?" He asked, his voice was hoarse. It was shameful how much the way he looked affected me. His lips were a bright rosy color and his hair was disheveled from having run my fingers through it at some point. He was just about irresistible.

"No," I laughed, jumping up from the couch and pulling his arm, causing him to stand up. I led him to the stairs, figuring his room would be on the second level.

"Cala," He hesitated, but I pulled him further. He wasn't putting up much of a fight. He was just trying to hold onto his gentleman game, making sure I was serious.

"You like me and I like you. We don't have to keep beating around the bush." I led him through the first open door I saw and was pleasantly surprised to find a bed and dresser. There wasn't much in it except for the sheets and a guns holster on the dresser, with looked to contain

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