Chapter 4: A wise gigolo?
Rory scoffed, rolling her eyes before reaching for the bottle with a sharp, almost aggressive motion. She tilted it toward her lips without hesitation, chugging down a large mouthful. The bitter burn scorching its way down her throat.
The moment she pulled the bottle away, she gasped slightly, her breath hitching from the intensity of the alcohol, before slamming it back onto the counter with more force than necessary.
Her cheeks, already warmed from the alcohol, darkened further as she glanced at Ethan from the corner of her eyes, the expression she wore a mixture of exasperation and feigned irritation. "It's because of my stupid boyfriend," she blurted out, barely suppressing the bitterness in her voice.
Ethan hummed in amusement, resting his chin against his palm, clearly entertained. "Ah. The cause of all this wine abuse, I see."
Rory's lips pressed into a thin line, but the alcohol had already loosened her tongue enough that she continued without much prompting. "I spent all this time studying abroad," she muttered, her voice dipping slightly, the weight of her frustration and heartbreak evident in her tone, "and when I finally came back, I found the asshole with another woman."
There was a brief pause before Ethan let out a low chuckle, shaking his head in faux sympathy. "Well, that's on you," he remarked lightly, taking another sip from his stolen glass.
Rory, who had been in the middle of taking another gulp from the bottle, choked mid-swallow, her throat burning as she coughed and gasped for air. Setting the bottle down with an abrupt motion, she turned toward Ethan with a furious glare, her vision slightly blurred from both the wine and the sheer audacity of his words. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, her voice hoarse as she tried to steady herself.
Ethan merely lifted his hands in mock innocence, his smirk widening at her reaction. "Relax, don't get all worked up just yet," he said smoothly, his tone carrying a deliberate slowness as if he were savoring every word. "All I'm saying is, when you leave something unattended for too long, there's always the chance that someone else will come along and claim it for themselves. That doesn't make it right, but it's the nature of things, isn't it? Time changes people, distance makes hearts wander, and sometimes, absence does the opposite of making the heart grow fonder." He took another sip of wine, eyes gleaming with playful mischief. "You gave him a lot of time to forget what he had, didn't you?"
Rory's face darkened, She remembered all the times she had spent with Jonathan over the phone, she hated to admit it but they really hadn't done much besides video chatting and asking about how each other were doing.
a mixture of anger and humiliation flashing across her features as she clenched her jaw. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," she snapped, refusing to believe that it was her fault that things turned this way.
Ethan merely shrugged, his smirk never fading. "Maybe. Or maybe it's just the truth no one likes to admit."
Rory's hands twitched with frustration, and before she could stop herself, she grabbed Ethan's collar, yanking him close with surprising strength. "Are you just mocking me this whole time?" she demanded, her glare sharp despite the haze of alcohol in her eyes.
Ethan chuckled, tilting his head slightly, completely unfazed by the sudden aggression. "Mocking you? No, sweetheart," he said, his voice taking on a teasing, almost lazy drawl. "I'm just having a little fun. Your the one who walked in here looking like someone chewed you up and spat you out, and now here you are, gripping my shirt like you're ready to start a fight. Quite feisty for a little fairy."
His words only served to irritate her further, her fingers curling tighter against the fabric as she pulled her other hand back, ready to strike him across the face. But just as she swung, a sudden wave of dizziness crashed over her, her vision tilting and blurring at the edges. Her movement faltered mid-air, her body swaying slightly before her grip on his collar loosened, her balance suddenly unsteady.
A flicker of confusion crossed her face as she took an involuntary step backward, the room spinning around her. "What… what's happening?" she mumbled, alarm lacing her words as her body grew increasingly sluggish.
Ethan exhaled through his nose, dusting his chest as he straightened his collar. "I'd say you've officially reached your limit," he said, his voice tinged with amusement, though a hint of something softer lingered beneath it. "Not that I'm surprised. You've been downing that bottle an awful lot for awhile now."
Rory's brow furrowed, her drowsy mind struggling to process his words. "What do you… mean?" she mumbled, her voice slower now, more sluggish.
As if to answer her question, her balance wavered once more, her feet shifting awkwardly beneath her as she unintentionally stumbled backward. Before she could fully process what was happening, her heel slipped against the smooth floor, her body lurching backward.
But before she could hit the ground, a strong arm wrapped swiftly around her waist, pulling her back into a firm, steady hold. The warmth of Ethan's touch against her skin sent an unfamiliar jolt through her, her senses already dulled by the alcohol making it difficult to tell whether the flutter in her chest was from the abrupt movement or something else entirely.
"You really are a cute bundle of trouble," Ethan murmured, his tone laced with amusement, though his grip on her was steady, effortlessly keeping her from collapsing. "I came here expecting to get a drink. I didn't expect to get a half-conscious firecracker practically throwing herself into my arms."
"Maybe I should start charging for this kind of service. Don't you think so?" He flashed a teasing grin.