Soul Searcher Book 1
CHAPTER TWENTY

Cassie stares at me unmoving for another thirty seconds or so before suddenly saying, “I need a drink! Do you want to go down to the tiki hut and have some drinks with me?” A plethora of emotions flash in her eyes as she asks me. Having just finished my cone, I stand up from the booth and stick my hand out to her. Putting her hand in mine she grips it and I pull her up from her seat.

Walking out of the shop, still holding Cassie’s hand, I allow her to lead me to where she wants to get drinks. As we make our way to the bar on the beach I say, “promise me you aren’t trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me.” I grin widely as I see her eyes go wide at my words and then a blush creeps up her neck and flushes her cheeks a lovely shade of pink causing me to laugh out loud and before I’m able to stop myself I add; “oh my gosh! That is your plan! You want to get me intoxicated so you can have your way with me!”

“NUH HUH! Shut up!” She can barely squeak the words out because she has become so flustered. This causes me to laugh even harder and inadvertently draws the attention of the other patrons that are near us gathered at the bar too. “Oh my gosh,” she hisses in my ear. “You are horrible...”

Whatever else she had planned to say just then is interrupted by an older lady a few seats down from us. “Hey honey, if you don’t want to take advantage of him, he can come sit over by me.” She taps the empty seat next to her before adding, “I wouldn’t hesitate taking advantage of a fine-looking young man like you, hu-- nay, mmh mmm.” Cassie’s face is bright red as the lady heckles me and my jaw is starting to hurt from the smile and laughter I can’t seem to keep away from my face.

Burying her face into the side of my arm, I hear Cassie whisper, “ugh, I hate you!” I pull my arm away from her so that I can place it against her back and draw her close so that I can kiss her on the top of her head.

“Sorry ma’am but I’m spoken for.” I smile at the lady and give her a wink as she chuckles at my response.

The lady winks at me as well before saying, “too bad,” and then I hear her friend on the other side of her say ’leave those poor kids alone, Lucy.” A moment later I see Lucy wave the bartender down and watch as she points at us, the guy nods and then saunters over to us and reaches under the bar grabs four shot glasses. He lines them up on the counter, takes a bottle of clear liquid from a shelf and fills each one. Cassie and I watch as he picks up two of the little cups and walk them down to Lucy and her friend, leaving the other two sitting in front of us.

“Cheers!” They exclaim as they tip the cups to their lips, tip their heads back and in one quick gulp down the drinks. I arch an eyebrow in question at Cassie before picking the tiny cup up myself and knock it back. The liquid is harsh and burns as it makes its way down my throat. Looking back at Cassie I see her wince as she swallows her shot too.

“Ugh, tequila,” she says as she makes a face, but she leans around me and thanks Lucy and her friend before turning her attention to the bartender herself and asks for a Jack and coke.

“Holy hell,” I exclaim. “I’ve never had that before.” It feels like it has gone straight to my head. Never have I had such an experience with alcohol. Normally I can’t consume enough to even feel a buzz yet one shot of what did Cassie call the beverage, tequila and I am damn near drunk! I think I have found my new favorite drink!

Cassie scrunches her face up, “eww, you can have it. If you like it though, you should mix it, they make a really good Margarita here,” she suggests but doesn’t elaborate because the bartender has just placed her drink in front of her. I watch her take a sip and an ‘ah’ falls from her lips, “this,” she says as she holds her cup up in front of her mouth; “is so much better.” Shrugging my shoulders, I asked the bartender if he would make me one so I could try it. I am truly enjoying this feeling of drunkenness.

Somehow Cassie and I managed to close the bar down. We were the last of four to leave. The other two were Lucy and her friend whose name we learned was Kathy. “You take care of that young man, Cassie.” Lucy shouts to us as they turn right onto the boardwalk and Cassie, and I turn to the left. My rented home is just a block away from here. We begin to walk, or rather stumble, laughing and teasing each other as we do so.

Rounding a corner, my home comes into view. “Why at this moment am I wishing I had found a place to rent on the ground floor,” I ask as she looks at me and then the steps we must climb. Groaning, I placed my left hand on the handrail and Cassie put her hand in my right one and slowly we ascended the stairs. We finally make it to the landing, and I put the key into the keyhole to unlock the door. I’m just drunk enough that my hands are unsteady. I lean my head against the door so I can be closer to the knob (well and to stop the world from spinning for a moment), Cassie leans against me giggling as my first and second attempt to put the key into the lock fails. On the third try I’m successful and we fall into the entryway.

“Oooo, are you going to give me the grand too-urrr,” Cassie slurs the word tour making me laugh but I nod. Somewhere in my subconscious I am aware that she has been here before though I guess I never had given her a proper tour of the place, not that that’s going to happen tonight either but still... Taking her hand, I pull her up to me and begin kissing her. She tips her head back and I move my kisses to her neck. “Mmh, I don’t think this is how you give someone a tour,” I hear her sigh and then she places her hands on either side of my face and draws my lips back up to hers. Another deep kiss and then she breaks away from me to whisper, “well at least lead me to the bedroom...” Without a second thought I scoop her up wrapping her legs around my waist and begin to make my way down the hall to my bedroom continuing to kiss her as we go.

As we get closer to the bed, I let her slide down so that she can stand on the floor. She stumbles slightly and I catch her hand. I spin her out saying, “ta-da,” before twirling her back to me. She places her hands on my chest before snaking them up around my neck tipping my head forward as she does so for me to kiss. Leaning a little too heavy into me, my calves hit against the edge of the bed causing me to fall backward onto it, Cassie tumbling down on top of me.

“Hi,” she whispers as she gazes into my eyes. I lift my head to continue kissing her, but she bypasses my lips to trail kisses along my neck and I hate myself because my eyes begin to grow heavy. Cassie notices that I’m becoming lethargic and rolls to her side. “Come on, let’s get more comfortable on the bed.” We get under the comforter, and she snuggles into my side, and I wrap my arms around her just before passing out.

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