Be My Escape

“We’re goin’ out and you’re comin’ with us,” Max announced as he barged into my flat that afternoon.

From my spot on the couch, I raised my eyebrows at my brother and gave him a look that translated roughly to I will be doing nothing of the sort. Obviously, it was not effective, because Max just laughed as he walked over to the couch and took a seat next to me.

“Come on Peyt,” he said as he slung his arm over my shoulder. “You haven’t had a proper night out the whole time you’ve been in England, and that’s not right.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine staying in tonight, Max. I’m exhausted and work sucked and I really just feel like watching crappy TV, ordering take-out, and going to bed early.”

Max scoffed as he got off the couch and stood in front of me to block the TV. I tried to protest, but he quickly silenced me with a glare. “You’re goin’ out, and Josh is too. Don’t complain, ‘cause you need this. Alright?”

I grunted, despite the fact that the more I contemplated the idea of going out with all the guys, the more fun it sounded. I just wanted to give Max a hard time. “Fine.”

He grinned and gave me one quick nod before sitting down with me again. “So, why did work suck?”

“I hate that stupid bitch Beth, and Jake is getting obnoxious as hell, and I’m just sick of those people.” I sighed as I grabbed the throw pillow resting under my arm and hugged it while Max slung his arm over my shoulder. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. “I would get stuck working with the two biggest douches to ever walk the face of this earth.”

Max chuckled softly and rubbed my arm comfortingly. “Y’know, we all have to deal with pricks. It’s how you deal with them that’s the important part, yeah?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Jake hurt you and Beth hurt Josh. So hurt them back, yeah?”

I was quiet for a few minutes, pondering this possibility. “How though?”

I felt Max shrug his shoulders. “That’s for you to figure out, love. It’s just a suggestion. Give ‘em a taste of their own meds, y’know?”

I nodded, even if I wasn’t sure Max was right. In a way he was; the two sure as hell deserved it. But he was also wrong, because did I really want to stoop to their levels? No, no I did not.

“Just a suggestion, love,” Max assured me before getting off the couch. “Come over at seven. We have to meet Josh at the pub because he’s finishing up some tricky vocal parts.”

I sighed, but nodded because I knew I wouldn’t be getting out of going out if my life depended on it. Max grinned and then left. I knew it was going to be a long night.

***

I was drunk, and I would be the first to admit it. I had only been at the pub with the group for about a half hour, and I was already drunk. I was blaming Josh for this fact; he still hadn’t shown up, and I was slightly irritated. I was only there so I could hang out with him. Or at least, that’s what I kept telling myself. In reality, I was there because Max had begged and I actually did, deep down, want to hang out with the guys and their girls. I wanted to bond with them and all of that shit. But right now, as I sat at the bar with Max at my side, downing another shot with him in a sort of game, I was slightly miserable, a little mad, and drunk.

“Shall we do anotha?” Max slurred, his accent getting thicker as the night went on. I had come to realize that when any of the guys got piss drunk, their accents got considerably thicker, making them hard to understand, especially for my drunken mind.

I shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do,” I told him, the pout in my voice noticeable.

“Aw, cheer up love. Josh will be ‘ere soon, yeah? Then yeh can cozy up to him all nigh’ and be happy again,” Max grinned cheekily, which made me roll my eyes.

“Just get another shot,” I ordered, glancing over my shoulder to look around the pub at the crowded room. As Max was informing me that our shots were ready and shoving the tiny glass at me, I caught Josh’s eye as he entered through the door and surveyed the room for a familiar face.

I turned away quickly, grabbing the shot glass and downing it in one swift motion. I smirked at Max’s questioning glance, got off the stool I was on, prepared to walk over to Josh and give him a piece of my mind. Except, I was drunk, and walking was a bit difficult. So instead I stumbled over to his still form still surveying the room for a familiar face.

As I was on my way over to him, albeit slowly, he spotted me and smirked. When I finally got to him, I stumbled the last few steps and tripped over my own sloppy feet, falling right into him. “Drunk already, love?” he smirked, mischief flashing through his eyes.

I frowned as I glared at him. “I’m not drunk! A little tipsy, but you can blame Max for that one, what with the feeding me shot after shot after shot to make up for the fact that I didn’t even want to come out tonight!” I exclaimed, gesturing my arms wildly through the air, making Josh laugh. This softened me slightly and made me smile. “But,” I continued, “it was giving me a chance to hang out with everyone with alcohol and you involved so of course I wasn’t going to say no to that.” I smirked as he continued to hold onto my waist, giving it a little squeeze and giving me a quick peck on the lips.

“You’re ramblin’, love,” he said with a smile as he pulled back from the kiss.

I giggled and nodded. “What else is new?”

He smirked at this and shrugged. “True. Let’s go get another drink, yeah?”

I nodded my head enthusiastically and grabbed his hand, dragging him over to the bar where Max was now sitting, flirting with some girl. Josh ordered a beer while I just stood there.

Here’s the thing about me when I get drunk. I have this tendency to be really different. Completely and totally different from who I am on a normal basis. Sometimes I get loud and obnoxious, or flirty. Sometimes I get really sloppy and make-out with someone I won’t remember making out with, or sometimes I just sit in the corner and take everything in. It varies, really; it feels like I’m always a different person when I get drunk.

But then I come crashing back down, and the night ends with me passing out, hopefully in my bed with the help of a friend.

This night was absolutely no different, unfortunately. The only difference was that for the first time in a long time, I had a boyfriend. And for some reason, this fact was making me extra friendly.

So I guess when I practically pounced on Josh after he got his beer, despite the fact that Max was sitting only a few seats away, I could literally blame it on the alcohol. For whatever reason, my lips found Josh’s almost instantly and I clung to him like my life depended on it.

He didn’t seem to mind though. He almost immediately relaxed into my body and snaked his arms around my body, pulling me close to him.

I’m not sure how long we stood like that, making out like we needed each other to survive, but we didn’t stop until the bartender was giving us a glare and clearing his throat, obviously wanting us to stop the major public displays of affection. I smirked, grabbing Josh’s hand and dragging him away from the bar.

“Where are we headed?” he asked me curiously.

I shrugged, a glint of mischief in my eyes. “Wherever,” I told him casually. We didn’t stop walking until we were right in front of the single-person restrooms, an odd sight for me considering most places had bathrooms with three or four stalls, but for what I needed it for, it would be perfect.

I grinned at Josh over my shoulder, knocking quickly on the door, and when no one responded, I pushed it open and dragged Josh inside with me.

I knew if I wasn’t drunk, I never would have been in that bathroom with Josh pushed against the door while we made out feverishly. I knew if I had never ingested the many shots beforehand, I wouldn’t have been tugging at his t-shirt while his own hands ghosted over my warm skin under my own clothes. I wasn’t stupid; I knew I was drunk, and I knew how I sometimes got when I was drunk.

But that wasn’t stopping me.

I’m not sure what part of my brain told me making out with my boyfriend in the bathroom of a pub was a good idea, but something inside of me was insisting that what we were doing was okay.

Then Josh nipped my neck, and all coherent thoughts went out the window.

I knew we weren’t going to go very far. I may have been drunk, but I had some class and would never have sex in a bathroom of a public place. It didn’t seem like it as I wrapped my legs around Josh and he carried me over to the sink. It didn’t seem like it as I took off my black slouchy tee and he laid kisses all over me. It really didn’t seem like it as I started to undue the belt around his waist.

That was as far as we got though. As soon as my hot hands wrapped around the cool metal of his belt, something snapped inside of the both of us, because he grabbed my limp wrists to stop me, even though I wasn’t going to go any further.

I leaned my head back against the cool mirror and took a few deep breaths. Josh stepped back and leaned against the wall next to me, breathing heavily as well. We were both quiet for a few minutes, but then Josh broke the silence. “You sure do get friendly when you’re drunk.”

I just laughed, almost hysterically, and nodded. “We almost did it in a bathroom,” I told him, rubbing my forehead furiously. I was sobering up quite a bit, more than likely from the shock of what almost just happened.

“Almost,” he agreed with a nod as he leaned over onto the ground to pick up my discarded t-shirt. He handed it to me and I accepted it graciously, slipping it on over my head quickly.

I sighed then and hopped off of the sink. “Can we get out of here now? I know you haven’t been here long but I’d love to go home.”

He smiled and nodded, slipping his hand in mine. “Let’s get out of here.” He kissed my forehead and then we left, our drunken rendezvous to stay a secret for as long as we both lived.