Chapter 50 - He Is SO Drunk

“You’ve got to stop drinking, man,” Carter said from beside him.

“frackoff,” slurred Arik. “Icando…whateverthefrackIwant.”

Carter tried to take the drink out of Arik’s hand, but Arik growled at him, downed his drink and stumbled towards the bathroom, tripping over his own feet.

He looked blearily at himself in the mirror, and he realised one thing:

He was drunk.

His face was red, and it was stifling hot in the room. His eyes were bloodshot, and he couldn’t see how many fingers he was holding up. He could feel himself shaking and sweating.

He felt like a drug addict suffering from withdrawal symptoms. And he was suffering from withdrawal. Withdrawal of Kerri. He shuddered and collapsed, sliding down the floor with his back against the wall.

Carter came in and knelt down beside him. “Let’s get you into bed, okay?” he said softly.

Arik looked groggily at him. “Areyouhittingonme?” he slurred.

Carter looked at him disgustedly. “You and Drake would get along so well right now,” he muttered.

Arik looked at him thoughtfully. “Maybe Ishould get togetherwith Draketonight,” he said, trying to un-slur his words.

Carter shot him a look, put an arm on his and shifted to Arik’s room. “Bed. Now.” He pointed to Arik’s bed and Arik stumbled towards the bed.

“Ineedadrink,” he slurred.

“No, you don’t,” Carter assured him. “Just close your eyes and sleep this off. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Carter patted him on the arm and shifted away.

Kerri, where are you? he thought incoherently. It’s already been five days. I’m missing you like hell. Where are you?

When Mel and Joshua came out, they had immediately untied Arik, Drake and Carter, and Arik had leapt up, howling and all set to go after Kerri, but Drake and Carter held him back and gently told him that she was long gone.

He had checked out from the Sterling and headed towards a pub. There was a bar at the Sterling, but everyone recognised him there and the last thing he needed was everyone asking him whether he was okay.

Five hours later, he had stumbled out of the bar completely drunk. He had drunk so much it was a wonder that his saliva hadn’t turned to alcohol as well. From then, he was always seen with a can of beer or a bottle of booze in his hand, and he was half drunk.

He never got hangovers. He was never sober enough to.

Kerri, where are you? I need you, he managed to think before drifting off into a deep sleep.

***

When he woke up, he didn’t even wait for the dizziness to kick in before grabbing the bottle of pure vodka from his bedside and taking a good long swig.

“That’s better,” he muttered to nobody in particular. He was hungry. He considered eating the vodka bottle, but then remembered it was made of glass and would probably kill him.

He paused. That idea sounded rather appealing. He finished the bottle of vodka, had smashed it against the bedside table and was about to put a broken shard of glass in his mouth when the door suddenly burst open.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Drake said, rushing over to him and flinging the glass away from him quickly. He made Arik show him his hands. “Christ, you’ve got glass burns.”

Arik smiled proudly up at him. “From holding the bottle too long. Did that all by myself,” he said, dazed. “Do you by chance have any beer on you?”

Drake put his arm around Arik and helped him up. “You,” he said, dragging him towards the bathroom, “are going to clean yourself up.”

“Wha—why?”

“Because it’s personal hygiene!” Drake exploded. “You’re going to take a shower.”

Arik looked at him. “No, I’m not.”

Drake looked up at the ceiling. “God help me,” he muttered before closing his eyes and stripping Arik of his clothes.

“Kerri?” Arik slurred. “Is that you?”

“If you weren’t my friend,” Drake muttered, “I would’ve said yes and taken advantage of you long ago.” He pushed Arik into the shower and turned it on. “I’m not letting you out until you take a shower.”

Arik yelped as the cold water hit him right in the face. He stumbled around blindly and slipped. He groaned. It reminded him of Kerri when she slipped in the shower.

“Arik, take a flipping shower.”

Arik randomly grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squirted some onto his hand. He dropped the bottle of shampoo as if it stung him. It was Kerri’s shampoo. He started sniffing it.

Drake peered in at him. “Arik, what the hell are you doing snorting shampoo? Coke, I’d understand, but shampoo? Really?”

“It smells like Kerri. Here, you smell.” He stuck his hand under Drake’s nose, but then the alcohol must’ve been screwing with his eyesight because he smushed it into Drake’s face.

Drake wiped the shampoo from his eyes. “This is going to be a loooong day,” he muttered.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment