Page 36 of My Promise To Keep

As she turned to walk away, heading straight towards Zoe’s table and the door, I got up, knocking into another table as Iswayed and tried to reach out for Trina’s arm but found my hand landing on a warm shoulder instead.

‘Leo, you’re wasted.’ Zoe’s soft voice calmed me as I looked down into her beautiful eyes and tried to reach my other hand up to her cheek, but she took it, stopping me. ‘Honey, what is happening?’

‘This guy?’ I felt the flare of my nostrils as I turned my attention to the douchebag librarian. His dark-rimmed glasses slipped down his nose a little as he stared at me.

‘Leo,’ Zoe snapped, glaring, and I laughed.

‘Ah shit, my bad.’ I held out a hand to her date, but he just looked at it, then back up to meet my unfocused eyes.

‘Go sober up, dude. You’re embarrassing yourself right now.’ Oh, he was spicy.Okay.

‘Sir,’ a guy in a suit that I assumed was the manager, but fuck if I knew, stepped up in front of me. ‘I need to ask you to leave.’

‘Leo, let me get you a cab.’ Zoe reached for her phone, and I laughed.

‘Fuck you, Zoe.’ She recoiled as though I’d slapped her. ‘Shit, I’m sorry, I…’

‘I suggest you crawl back into your hole, man,’ her date hissed, and Zoe snapped her gaze to him, then back to me.

‘Caleb, just give me a minute, please.’ She took my arm. ‘Let me get you into a cab.’

‘Come with me, Zo.’ I leaned in toward her, and she pulled back. ‘Come with me. I’ll take care of you better than Harry Potter here.’

I pointed in his face, and he slapped my hand away. Fair, I guess.

‘Leo,’ she chastised, and the dude cleared his throat.

‘Listen,Leo,’ he stood, ‘you’re crossing a fucking line here, and I’m holding it together out of respect for Zoe.’

‘You don’t even know her.’ I turned to her. ‘This is what it takes, Zo, this guy? The librarian-look start your engines, baby? Because we both know nobody can make you purr like I do.’ Her lips parted, and her eyes widened.

‘Sir, I will call the police,’ the manager insisted as I got louder and more obnoxious.

‘You know it’s me you want, Zo. You’re kidding yourself with this prick. You can’t be this desperate to get laid, munch. I’m right here. You know I give it to you real good.’ I swayed, knocking into another table, and Zoe grabbed me. I saw the tears in her eyes, but she held onto me, turning as Caleb pulled on his jacket and threw down some cash on the table.

‘Caleb,’ she protested, and he shook his head.

‘I’ll let you get yourold friend, Leo, here, home. Good to meet you, Zoe.’

He turned to walk away, and I laughed. ‘Fuck that guy,’ I shouted, way too loud before the sting of Zoe’s palm hitting my cheek shocked me still, and I sobered up real quick. ‘Zoe,’ I breathed, swallowing the hard lump in my throat as I looked down to see the hurt and humiliation in her eyes.

‘Shut the hell up and get out of here, Leo. Now.’

She grabbed her jacket and rushed for the door as I apologized to the people around me and followed.

‘Zoe,’ I called out as I reached the street and saw her little legs carrying her away. ‘Zo, please stop. I’m sorry.’

She kept walking, and I tried to jog to keep up, but the cool night air mixed with the alcohol in my system, and that moment of clarity disappeared really quickly.

Swaying, I reached out, gripping the back of a bench before my stomach betrayed me, and believe me, the burn of the bourbon was way worse on the way back up.

‘Fuck.’ I groaned asI tried to stretch out. Everything hurt.

I realized I was on the couch, which accounted for the ache in my body. My head was another story. That was all bourbon.

I started to push myself up to sitting and then froze, squinting when I noticed Zoe sitting on my coffee table right in front of me, a reversal of the last time she was here in my place when it was me sitting there in front of her.

For a fleeting moment, I was so fucking happy to see her here, then it all, at least I think all of it, came rushing back.

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