BEAUTY

“Tell me what to do! Please. My head is spinning. I need a friend and food….”

“If your head is spinning food is probably a good idea. You eat anything today?”

“So I’m gonna be a dad. I literally didn’t know I could feel this excited but I am. I have already booked off days for the scans and I am decorating the spare room… too soon?”

Sadie felt like everything short of leaving the hospital with a newborn in your arms was two soon, having miscarried while three months pregnant. Then again, that had been a special circumstance, so she just shrugged. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be the one to ask. Congratulations, though. When are you expecting?”

“How? How can you eat chicken with ketchup? Love yourself, please.” Daniel jokingly commented with a shake of his head.

Sadie raised a brow at the man who was questioning who could ever eat chicken with ketchup. Sadie never liked chicken much to begin with so she shrugged. “Guess there’s some strange people out there.” 

“Can do.” It didn’t take long until Zane was grinding up his bag of weed with a cheerful hum. Things were going much better than expected considering being jumped. Sadie proved to be good company and good on the eyes as well. At the comment about sounding like an alcoholic, all Zane could do is laugh. “Ma'am, I am an alcoholic.” The smile remained on his face while he grabbed the bottle as she grabbed the bong. “Thanks, Cher. I wasn’t always this way, but I’m glad someone appreciates it.”

“What, were you an ugly duckling growing up?” She teased before she walked into the kitchen and came back carrying a bucket full of water and an empty gallon inside. She had it cut at the bottom and the cap on top had a metal piece to load the ganja into. “Guessing you know how to hit a gravity bong, yeah?” She asked as she grabbed a pinch of the weed he had ground and stuffed it into the cap. “Just light it while pulling the gallon up, once it fills with smoke take off the cap and inhale as you push it back down into the bucket. Careful not to get a mouthful of bong water, though.” She said as she handed him a lighter.

“My ability to make wise decisions. it’s something I definitely could change too, if I chose to … But you see the impasse we’re at, right? Life would be too boring if I always did what I’m supposed to, but there are certainly some choices I would go back and talk myself out of making.”

“Really? I can’t think of any,” they teased back, finishing off the rest of theirs as well and paying before turning to face her. “Nah, we’ll have to cab it. I actually walked here but it’s too late for that,” they laughed, leading her out onto the street so they could try and hail a cab. Once they were successful, Riley gave the cabbie the address and they sped off. 

She nodded and followed him out of the club. "Yeah I took the bus, I try not to drive places if I plan on getting intoxicated there." She explained as she crossed her arms to shield herself from the cool breeze as she waited for a cab to stop for them. Once they had one locked down, she slid inside and leaned her left arm against the door. "So, how far are you? Can't be too bad if you walked, yeah?"

“I did bring along the devil’s lettuce and i dunno if you allow it in your place. If not, that’s okay, cher.” Zane chuckled, trying to ignore the small smile that made his heart race. It was beautiful. “But that boy was lookin’ for heroin, and I was clean out. So technically I wasn’t lyin’.” His eyes lingered over the bottle. “Nice choice, by the way. Got so many of them bottles empty on m'damn floor.” A small smirk now adorned his facial features as he leaned back, still looking at her. “I like your smile.” He gave her a smile in return and swept his hair behind his ear.

She rolled her eyes with that smirk still spread over her features and shook her head. “I don’t care. If you want to repay me you should grind it up . . . I have a gravity bong we could use.” She explained before her smile faded and she nodded. She used to sell such things herself, it was how she met her ex husband. “Yeah . . . Addicts’ll do anything for drugs sometimes.” She sighed and leaned her head back on the couch cushion. “Sold this one woman heroin for a while, she overdosed and then a day after she was out of the hospital came back to me for more. Told her no, she couldn’t handle her shit and I wasn’t going to risk getting caught for it, so she pulled a knife on me. Didn’t get far before my ex pulled a gun on her, and that was that. But I knew her before she was in the drugs, sweet girl, really . . . Crazy how that shit changes people.” She looked back toward him when he complimented her choice of drink and smiled as she took another swig before passing the bottle to him. "Careful, you sound like an alcoholic. You can help yourself if you want some." She teased as she stood up to grab the bong, though stopped and glanced back at him with a wry smirk when he commented on her smile. She tilted her head up and to the side a little as she watched him fiddle with his hair. "You're a cute boy. Thanks."

“M’lips are sealed, ma’am.” Zane replied quietly. This chance happening was exactly why he wanted to pay for Sadie to have protection. Even if he did keep his mouth shut, there was no guarantee that no one followed the tow of them to her place. “I wouldn’t dream of bringin’ trouble to ya. Not any trouble that I can help, anyway.” He pulled a bag from his jacket pocket and shrugged before putting it away; not knowing if she allowed marijuana in her apartment. “Thank ya for helping me. If y’need anythin’ just ask.”

She walked over with her bottle to the couch and took a seat in the corner spot, bringing her elbow upon the arm rest. She knew that something could happen, someone could find her and she could be pulled back into the mess of things, but she was doing what she believed was her best. She couldn’t take protection without calling attention to herself . . . What secretary needed a body guard, after all? She offered a small smile at him and shrugged, “It’s not a problem.” She replied, raising a brow at the baggy she watched him pull out and put back up. “What’s that?” She asked, although she had a good guess. “Don’t tell me you’ve brought along the devils lettuce.” She smirked. If he wanted to repay her, she wouldn’t argue with being smoked out.