Page 11 of Divine Sense

“It’ll be good for you to get out. Come on Mags, forget your mom and what she said andfuckDaniel for being an ass. You didn’t do anything wrong and deserve some fun right now.” She tried to convince me as she begged, sticking out her bottom lip. I hated when she gave me this face because it made it too hard to tell her no.

Several hours and way too many drinks later, she and I were in the middle of the dance floor at a bar downtown. We had walked here from my place and were enjoying the evening, letting random guys buy us drinks and dance with us. The further into the night it got, the more alcohol I consumed in an attempt to get the words of my mother, and Daniel, out of my head.

“If only you had been more obedient.”

“You know as much as I do how this isn’t working, Maggie.”

My whole life I had tried to do what everyone else wanted of me. I wore the clothes my mother bought for me. I studied the subjects my father told me to study. I agreed to go to the boring functions Daniel told me I had to attend with him. And yet, it still wasn’t enough. My mother still saw me as a mistake and Daniel still found someone else to share his bed with.NothingI did was good enough for them and part of me wondered if I would ever be enough for anyone.

As I danced, someone handed me and Margaret a shot which we both took freely. I don’t know how many drinks I’ve had at this point, but the room was starting to spin more than it was an hour ago and I was suddenly very aware of how bad Ineeded to pee. I leaned into Margaret’s ear to let her know I was going to the bathroom and she nodded her head. My feet felt wobbly under me as I stumbled my way to the ladies room and thankfully made it just in time.

When I came back out of the bathroom and tried to find Margaret on the dance floor, she was gone. The walls and people were really starting to spin around me, and no matter how many sweaty bodies I turned around thinking they were Margaret, I couldn’t find her anywhere. I pulled out my phone to call her but instead of ringing, it went straight to her voicemail.Dammit it Margaret, this is why you need to plug in your phone.My friend had the horrible habit of never charging her phone which always led to it dying at the worst possible time. Like right now.

Looking around, I tried one more time to find her but with so many bodies around me, it was an impossible task. My head was pounding and the music in the room was starting to make it hard to see, so I found a door that led outside to get some air. I stumbled out onto the street, trying not to trip over the slate sidewalk in my heels, and looked around again for Margaret. I only saw a few random strangers who were also enjoying the warm fall evening, walking up and down the main stretch of King Street. My stomach did a flip as the alcohol I consumed started to settle. Looking up and down the street, my brain couldn’t put together where I was or what time it was.

I dug around in my purse for my phone to try and call an Uber and felt the thick piece of paper that I had tucked inside just a few days earlier. Seeing it in my hand caused something to stir in my chest and I felt a sense of excitement grow in my belly. I pulled out the black business card with a smile and dialed the number on the back as I walked down the street.

“Hello?” He sounded like he had just woken up and the sound of his deep voice vibrating through the line sent a shiver down my spine.

“J-Jack,” I slurred through the phone. Cars whipped by me on the street as I stumbled down the sidewalk alone.

“Who is this?” How could he not know it was me? Who did he think was calling him?

“Jack,” I slurred again, “Jack, I–I don’t know how to get home. I think I’m maybe lost? I can’t be lost, I’ve lived here my whole life!” I laughed to myself. You can’t be lost in a place you’ve lived your entire life, can you? The world spun around me and I tried to stay upright. “You said I could call if I needed anything, I think I need something. Can you come get me, Jack?”

“Magnolia? Where are you?” I smiled to myself when he said my name and could smell the Tom Ford cologne he was wearing when I saw him last.

I told him where I was, but not before completely falling on my ass and cutting my leg open on the sidewalk. When he told me not to move, the forcefulness of his voice made me freeze where I was. I smiled to myself and was grateful he wasn’t standing right in front of me when I heard him call me ‘flower’ because he would have watched me turn fifty shades of red. Less than ten minutes later, the all black G-Wagon I remembered from my driveway pulled up in front of me. He jumped out quickly and came to meet me where I was sitting on the sidewalk.

“Are you okay?” I tried to lift my head towards his eyes as he squatted down to meet me. I’d taken a seat on the ledge of an old iron-gated wall when the streets started to tilt and I thought I was going to be sick. Everything around me was moving in a way it shouldn’t and my stomach was on the verge of purging everything I’d consumed at the bars. When my eyes met his, though, the stirring feeling I felt earlier when I called him was back. His dark eyes scanned me carefully making sure I was okay and in one piece.

“Yeah, I think so.” I looked around and patted different parts of my body to make sure everything was still there.

“You’re bleeding.” He reached for my knee and caused goosebumps to spring up on my skin when the tips of his fingers grazed my bare flesh.

“I am?” I looked towards his fingers to make sure my skin wasn’t on fire instead of just bloodied because that’s how it felt.

“Yes, flower, you are, you’ll be okay though. Here, let me help you up.” He offered me his hands and slowly pulled me from the wall. I wobbled in my heels as I tried to pull my skirt down and he caught me before I hit the ground again. Being so close to his chest, I could smell the remnants of his shampoo and aftershave. “Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”

“You smell nice. And you’re really strong. And I like when you call meflower. Has anyone told you how handsome you are?” My mouth was moving faster than my brain and I couldn’t control what was spilling out of it. He let out a low laugh and the sound of it warmed every inch of my body.

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. Now, where do you live? Can you show me how to get you home?”

“I think I live that way?” I pointed down one end of the street. “Or…maybe that way?” I looked down the other end of the street. He followed my finger before looking down at me. He towered over me so much I had to tip my chin all the way up to be able to look at him. My head drunkenly rolled to one side and I fought to keep my eyes open.

“I don't remember.” I took a small step closer to him and laid my cheek to his chest, slumping down into his arms as they were the only things still holding me up. He froze where he stood and I felt him tense up under me. “Thank you for coming to get me.” My words came out strung together as my eyes closed. I breathed him in and felt myself starting to drift. The eventsof the evening and the alcohol in my stomach slowly starting to overpower me.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” he hummed before helping me into the front seat of his car. He lifted me up and into the SUV and then reached across to buckle me in. I was fighting hard to keep my eyes open, but I didn’t miss the way he brought his face to mine and looked at me for a beat before shutting the passenger door.

Coming in and out of consciousness, I remember driving for a short period of time before we pulled into the driveway of a house. I remember him lifting me out of the car carefully and carrying me inside. I remember my arms being wrapped around his neck and my head resting on his shoulder as he took me upstairs. I even remember him cleaning my bloodied leg with something before handing me a shirt to wear to bed and excusing himself from the room so I could change. I remember how he pulled the covers up to my chin as I laid in an oversized bed and how he tenderly brushed the hair out of my face.

But the thing I remember most was how he sat next to the bed and held my hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb, watching me tenderly, until I fell asleep completely.

9

KOLBI

My hand slapped the alarm clock before it could even go off because I was already wide awake. My eyes were open and affixed to the ceiling of my bedroom as they had been for the last few hours, my mind unable to fall asleep knowing who was sleeping down the hall in the guest room.

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