[20] When things get crotched up

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" She guffawed and walked in the middle of the dance floor, pulling me with her just as the music changes into something mellower. "Aww, it's slow."

"Hey, you have to slow down." I pulled her to my chest and swayed her gently. She lifted her chin up to look at me then slowly closed her eyes. "There, relax for a moment," I whispered in her ear.

She has to calm down, if not, her parents will kill me.

I had no idea that a couple of glasses of that fruit punch can make someone this wild. I knew for a fact that it had really little alcohol content, but to her, it seemed like she was drowning in bottles of liquor. As I examined her puffy red cheeks, her thick black lashes rested really softly on them.

Antoinette and I always joked about the person we'd be marrying in the future. She told me to choose someone who I'd want to see the first thing in the morning when I wakeup, or else my marriage won't go too well.

And as I looked at the peaceful face of Felice, it was as if I was sure that I'd like to see that face when I wake up in the morning.

I bowed gently to her shoulder as I whispered her name in her ear. Her eyes fluttered open revealing pupils so dilated that I was ready to take her home. "Are you alright?" I asked as she turned to face me, her eyes widened even more when she saw how I was so close to her face.

I looked down at her lips. They were puffy from all the talking and laughing she had been doing. They were reddish as she was intoxicated, and no matter how hard I tried to control myself, her lips were my vice.

I'd take it any day, I'd take it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if she'd let me... only if she'd let me.

"Tony," She whispered. I stared at her waiting for her to continue.

"Kiss me?"

She said it in a soft pleading voice that I couldn't find the reason to not do it.

And I did.

I did as I have never before.

All the wait, all the pain of waiting was worth it.

Sure, I've kissed her before but it was too quick. This was slow and it was weird as it was natural.

Her arms dangled awkwardly at her sides as I cupped her face. It was getting deeper and deeper, as she opened her mouth taking me all in. She tasted sweet, almost too sweet that I didn't want to let go. I wasn't even sure with what I was doing until I felt something rising in the pit of my stomach, I had to release her.

She swallowed hard. "I don't feel so good."

It was the most confusing sentence I've heard in my entire life. I felt better than great, and she looked like she was about to...

"Oh shit."

I stopped the swaying and hurriedly pulled her towards the comfort room. I pulled one of her friends—Ashley, I think—to check how she was doing inside as I was bound to wait impatiently outside.

As soon as they were out, Ashley threw me one suspicious look as she immediately asked me what I made her drink.

"I asked Mike earlier if they made her drink anything besides the fruit punch... but they said they didn't. I have no clue what she has been drinking." I said as I took Felice's cold perspiring hand.

"Well you were with her the entire night. I can't believe that you didn't see." Ashley said and left, maybe to find Mike to ask him if I was telling her the truth.

I can't blame them for thinking that I might have spiked her drink on purpose, I mean, that happened a lot especially in big open parties like this. And I didn't precisely have a pristine reputation when it came to parties. I usually went home from these gatherings with someone—someone I know—of course.

"Felice, I'd really like to take you home now, please?" I said as I hugged her tightly to my side to keep her balance.

She smiled at me. "What will I do without you?"

She could walk, and she wasn't that hazy... but I couldn't take the chance especially after what happened. I slid her gently into the car and as I was about to enter the driver seat, I was surprised that Karen was already there beside me.

"Who's that?" She eyed Felice in the car. "Are you sure you want to do this, Anthony?" She pushed me towards the car window.

"Karen, I have to go." I said as I gently pushed her away from me. She persisted. "Karen, I can't do this anymore. I thought it was clear that I wasn't interested."

"You can't do this to me." She became vile. "You can't want me then just dispose of me. I'm not trash, Anthony, I'm gold." Her breath smelled strongly of hard liquor and smoke.

"Huh, if gold was a whore, then you're definitely one, Karen. Please, I don't want to hurt you. I have to go." And with that, she slaps me across the face.

"You will pay for this." And she kneed me in the groin and unceremoniously left. I instantly dropped to the floor, and as I was trying to contain my screams of pain, Felice went out of the car and searched the thick night for me.

"Tony?" She walked towards the driver's side and shrieked as she saw me on the ground. "TONY! Oh my God! What happened?!" She crouched beside me as I didn't bother speaking. "Where does it hurt? What happened to you?" 

The next event blew my mind. Her hand was over my crotch as she was trying to help me from my misery. She really was drunk. Drunk to the point of being high.

"Holy..." I swore and moved aside as I tried to stand up. "Felice, get..."

"Get what?" She was panicking and it was clear that she was still intoxicated for she hadn't had a single clue as to what happened.

"Get in the car." I breathed as I steadied myself to get in the car too. I sat inside for a few moments and eased the pain while Felice just stared at me.

"Tony, are you okay?" She asked after I started the car.

"Yes, I'm fine..." I said as I gently eased off the road.

"Really? You looked like you were going to cry. I didn't know what to do." She looked away and I smiled at her confused expression.

"No, actually, I think you knew exactly what to do," I said as my grin grew wider. She was rubbing it to make it better, and boy did it make it better.

"What..." She looks at me and maybe the alcohol started to wear off as understanding slowly crept to her face. "Oh my... Oh dear..."

"It's okay. It can be our little secret." I said as I turned in the corner. "Are you okay now?"

"Not so much. I want to sleep." She said as she relaxed on the seat.

"Go sleep, I'll wake you up when we're almost there."

When we arrived, it was still early that I didn't think that her parents would mind if I fixed her up a bit before allowing her to enter her home. I gently woke her up as I removed her seatbelt. I had a bottle of water in the trunk of my car, I let her take a sip and refresh herself. "The lights are still on, Felice. They're waiting for you."

"Oh..." She took a look at her reflection from the car door and turned to me. "Do I look okay?"

I gingerly took a look at her, and it's the first time that I had seen someone who looked as normal as she looked even if she was totally drunk. "You look exactly the same."

"My head hurts. I hope they won't notice." She said as she took her purse and I guided her to the door. Her parents opened the door without even waiting for us to ring the bell yet. "Hi Ma, Hi Pa." She kissed them on the cheek.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Li" Her mom nodded and greeted as well.

"Have you been drinking?" Her dad asked her. "I thought I told you not to drink until you're 21."

"I thought it wasn't spiked." She replied honestly. "I thought it was just plain juice."

I couldn't believe she was that honest. She'd admit that even if she knew she'd be dead meat tomorrow? Some girl, I'm with.

"Good night, Felice... Mr. and Mrs. Li." I said as I waited for Felice to acknowledge me.

"Good night, Tony." She gave me a weak satisfied smile at me and went inside.

"Wait." Her dad ordered as her mom gently closed the door behind him. "I want to talk to you." He said as if I hadn't guessed as much.

We stood facing each other on the porch. Who wouldn't be scared as hell when about to talk to one concerned and probably angry father?

"I know what young people do nowadays... and I can tell if someone lies to my face." He started as I listened intently. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to tell me the truth even if it'll get you in trouble, am I clear?" He said as he towered above me and lit a cigarette.

"Yes sir," I answered politely.

"Do you drink, Tony?" He asked as he inhaled about a fourth of the tobacco.

I said yes, he eyed me closely.

"Do you drink and drive?" He pressed, releasing some smoke through his nose.

I replied, "Not when I'm drunk"

What? Don't tell me there wasn't a difference, because I was sure there was a difference.

A few drinks can barely make me tipsy, tipsy isn't even close to being drunk, and way, way far from being wasted.

"Did you drink this evening?" He continued.

I said yes, and he looked at me with a disappointed expression.

"Did you give that spiked drink to my daughter?" I shook my head.

I softly explained to him what happened with the punch bowl. I'm guessing since her dad looked so sinister, I might as well tell him everything before beating me up. He should also hear the truth as to what took place so that he'll go easy on Felice. He puffed a great deal of smoke to my face and I coughed roughly in frightened anticipation.

"I've been seeing you a lot lately, even hearing your name at the dinner table." He said as he flicked the used-up cigarette towards the sewer. "Spending a great lot of time with my Felice?" He asked me in fluent Chinese as he lit another cigarette.

"Yes, I have," I answered in Chinese as well.

"I'd like to know your intentions." He said as he took a big puff at the cigarette and eyed my car.

I'm sure he knew that I was courting his daughter, with all the flowers every week and whatnot. So, he was probably thinking of my intentions after Felice agrees to be my girlfriend. Although he most probably doesn't know that Felice had already accepted me as her boyfriend earlier this evening.

"I would like to make Felice my girlfriend, if she would allow me to." I simply said as I glanced at her window on the second floor. Her pink feather-light curtains were closed and the light was dimmed. I imagined her mother giving her a remedy for her headache.

"If she may." Her dad concluded. "Let us make one thing clear, Tony. My daughter is not like the ones you can easily pick up and throw away. She has was brought up gently and I hope it stays that way. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." Oh I certainly knew what he meant.

"Good, then we won't have any problem at all." He said and flicked the cigarette to the ground and scrubbed it with his foot.

"Good Night, Tony. Drive safe." He says and enters the house.