Sterling waltzes into the room and starts to wind himself around my ankles, meowing up at me.
“Aww … he’s talking. He’s such a cutie.”
He takes yet another drink, and opens a small pantry door, pulling out a bag of cat food. “He’s hungry. This little fucker eats nonstop.”
I take the bag out of his hand and fill the cat’s dish, laughing at how quickly he runs over to start devouring his food. “Don’t call him a fucker. He’s just a kitten. Maybe he was starved as well as tortured.”
“Shit, I never thought of that.”
I put the food back in the pantry and spy more alcohol in there, way in the back.
I turn around and eye him. “Why are you drinking so much?”
“This is nothing. Trust me.” Thin red veins are spreading in his eyes, and his words are starting to slur just a little bit. The fuck is he doing to himself?
“Do you have a drinking problem?” I demand, folding my arms across my chest.
He laughs. “I have a lot of problems.”
Irritated, I take the bottle away from him. “I won’t stay here if you’re going to drink.” I pour what’s left in the bottle into the sink, hoping it doesn’t put him in a rage.
“What the fuck?” he yells. “Why did you do that?”
I back away from him a little. “I refuse to stay here if you’re going to be drinking. My father was an alcoholic. Forget it. No way in hell am I going to let you put a finger on me or be wielding knives and tying me up, or whatever crazy shit you plan to do if you’re drunk or high. You said I had to trust you and there is no way I can do that if you’re drinking. I can’t go there.”
We engage in a stare-off for a few minutes. His eyes are dark with anger and his fists are clenched at his sides. The fact that I don’t know anything about him or what he could do to me quickly comes to the forefront of my mind.
“You keep fucking walking away from me,” he finally says.
“And?” I prod, raising my eyebrows at him.
“And what? I don’t like it. Don’t do it again.”
“Fine. No more drinking or I’ll walk home.”
He sighs, and blows out a breath, running his hand through his hair. “All right. If it bothers you that much, I won’t.”
“It does, and thank you.”