Christian walked up to the center of the room when it was finally time to end the house party. It was still in full swing and he hated to call it off but something in him felt like it was enough fun for the day, especially for other business persons like him who would need to be at work very early the next morning.
“Can I get your attention, everyone?”Christian yelled but caught only a few people’s attention. He picked up an empty glass of wine and a spoon to make a little sound just to draw people’s attention and it finally worked.
Everyone was staring at him with curiosity, the smile on his face never disappeared.”I just want to give a little announcement before we end the day everyone”He repeated again
His eyes caught Laura’s eyes from the crowd, she was standing beside her best friend Riley with glasses filled with wine in their hands. Laura smiled at him and he felt reassured, returned the smile, and looked away.
“So I just want to thank every one of you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend this little house party I threw”He started and people began to clap their hands and cheer him up
His smile grew wider, “The next gathering is going to be at a big hall and we will party all night but today we can’t do that since we will all be busy tomorrow and we don’t want to wake up with a bad hangover and still have to go to work tomorrow”He said and everyone laughed
They couldn’t agree any less, “Do enjoy the rest of your night, thank you”He finished and then dropped the glass of wine and spoon. He spoke with a few businessmen and then made sure that the house was empty after a few minutes.
The last he saw was Laura seeing Riley off to the door then he left the living room to find Antonia, he hadn’t seen her since he started the announcement and he was getting worried because she wasn’t one to disappear out of the blue without a word.
After walking around the house, Antonia was nowhere to be found. The kitchen was the last resort and when he pushed the door open and found her lying on the kitchen counter, he heaved a sigh of relief, glad to have found her.
“Tonia, I have been looking everywhere for you since”He walked up to her and immediately she saw him, she began to giggle and then hold his cheeks in her hands
A frown found its way to Christian’s lips as he realized that she was high on something, this must be why she left the party.”Get up now,”He said
“My sweet husband Christian”Her words were wobbly because of how high she was but he could still make out what she was saying.
“Yes Tonia, it’s your husband”He replied with a frown. Honestly, it felt like everything was his fault. He shouldn’t have left her alone even for a while tonight when he knew about her history with drugs and all.
She was just trying to get out of the addiction and now she was back in it, In the morning she would remember all of this and then feel bad about it and he hated that fact.”Get up, let me take you to bed,”Christian said
She nodded and then wrapped her hands around his neck, he lifted her up and then carried her from the kitchen to their bedroom. He helped her out of her clothes and washed her clean in the shower since she couldn’t do it herself due to how high she was.
After he got her dressed in nightwear, he tucked her into bed when she pouted her lips and kissed him suddenly. Christian smiled at her, “What’s that for?”He asked
She shrugged and then frowned, “Do you truly love me, Christian?”Her question caught him off guard. He held her hand and kissed it gently.
“Of course I truly love you, why would you even ask this question?”He asked her and she nodded in refusal.
“You don’t look at me the same way you usually do Christian”She slurred
“What are you saying? you should get some rest now”He tried to end the discussion since she was spewing things he didn’t quite understand
“You look at Laura as if she is a diamond, in a more significant way but you look at me as if I am a burden. Is it because I am a druggie? you know that I’m trying to stop right?”She asked
“I… what do you mean?”Christian asked her again but she didn’t say anything, by the time he looked at her, he discovered that she was fast asleep.
And she probably wouldn’t remember this conversation tomorrow since it wasn’t her talking but the aftermath of the drugs.
Christian tucked her in and then finally left the room. Laura was standing outside the door with a glass of water when he came out.”What are you doing here?”He asked
“Here,”Laura said and handed him the glass of water, exactly what he needed after what just happened. He drank the water and she took the glass from him while the two of them walked back to the kitchen together.
“How is Tonia doing? I didn’t see her when the guests started leaving”Laura asked
Christian sighed, “Honestly she isn’t doing so well, I just found out today that she is only acting strong. I feel so bad for her that I can’t do anything”He said
Laura walked closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder before giving him a reassuring smile.”I know that everything is so hard but it will be fine too. We all feel sorry for her but you are already doing the best you can”She said
“Thank you, Laura,”He said and she nodded before withdrawing her hand from his shoulder.”You are always welcome”