With Love, From Italy

As planned the three had met up for lunch, situating themselves at a table with a view as they settled into an afternoon of drinking and talking. Not long after they had finished their meals they had been joined by Caleb and the shenanigans truly began. Leigh paced herself over the hours, but by the time they moved on for dinner she was decidedly tipsy. Knowing that she didn’t have to get up early the next day she determined that she would finally let herself go that night, starting as soon as her food was gone. The group only lasted another couple of drinks at the restaurant before moving onto what had become their favourite watering hole.

“We need shots, anything but tequila,” Leigh announced as they approached the bar, grinning brightly at Belle who was looking at her with raised brows. “What? I’ve decided that tonight is the night that Leigh truly lets go and gets absolutely annihilated.”

“I like this plan,” the brunette replied, stepping in front of Tom and Caleb and leaning against the wooden top of the bar. It had become automatic for the girls to front the buying of alcohol, knowing that they would be served much faster.

“Why not tequila?” Caleb asked, pressing close to Leigh as the rest of the family shuffled in. The redhead scrunched her face up at the mention of the alcohol, slipping in next to Belle.

“Because we’re old enemies, so unless you want me to spend the rest of the night with my head in a toilet bowl I’d avoid the tequila.”

“What about absinthe?” Belle questioned, her eyes scanning the bottles lining the back of the bar. Leigh didn’t bother answering, simply letting a grin spread across her face and the brunette chuckled. “Well boys, I hope you can keep up with the green fairy.”

Ordering a shot and a chaser for the four of them the girls passed the drinks back to Tom and Caleb, raising the shots in the air. Uttering a short cheer for a good night ahead they clinked their glasses together and threw their heads back. Leigh screwed her face up as the absinthe burned a trail down her throat, quickly taking a mouthful of her next drink to ease it. The others followed a similar plan, leaving the shot glasses on the bar top and turning to take in the scene. The Australian knew that in a short time the shot would hit her and she would definitely be classified as drunk, so grabbing Belle’s hand she beckoned everyone towards the dance floor.

Feeling the alcohol pumping in her body Leigh swung her hips to the beat of the music playing, hoping that once the absinthe took effect she wouldn’t lose control of her limbs. Running a hand through her long, red hair she became distracted by someone nudging her in the ribs, scowling at Belle. The girl was nodding her head though and turning she found Tom running his eyes over her body as he moved to his own rhythm. If she had any less alcohol in her system Leigh would have felt utterly self conscious; instead she simply bit down on her lip, putting extra emphasis on her moves. It felt like only seconds had passed before she felt a shift in gravity telling her the absinthe had taken effect, and with a giggle she flung her arms around Belle’s neck.

“You’re drunk,” the girl commented and Leigh could only nod along in agreement, causing her to laugh. In that moment the Australian forgot about everything except where she was and the people who were around her. There was no life-sucking housemate, or pesky emails from co-workers. There was only this family who she had fallen absolutely in love with and couldn’t believe she had only met a week ago; especially a certain famous actor who was currently tearing up the dance floor as he ran a hand through his hair.

Several hours later Leigh found herself leaning against a wall, sipping at what she told herself was maybe, or should be her last drink of the night as she tried to catch her breath. She wasn’t completely out of control, but she was drunk and happy despite her feet hurting a fair bit.

“Are you from around here?” a voice asked to her right and she turned to find a young man standing beside her. He was tall, tall enough to give Tom a run for his money and sported soft, blonde hair that was obviously unnatural given his Asian descent. She shook her head at him.

“I came over from London,” she said, rising up on her tip-toes to try and get close to his ear. Unfortunately she had consumed too much alcohol for the motion and she found herself tumbling forwards, being caught in his arms. He chuckled as he righted her, making sure she was steady on her feet.

“Easy there, it’s not everyday I have women throwing themselves at me, I’m not used to it,” he joked and she couldn’t help but chuckle. His brow drew together momentarily before he tilted his head to the side. “Your accent doesn’t sound English.”

“I’m Australian, but I currently live in London,” she explained and he nodded in acknowledgement, a gummy smile lighting up his face. “What about you? Where are you from?”

“China, Canada, various places. I’m backpacking through Europe with some friends at the moment though,” he said, inclining his head towards a group of guys that were congregated not too far away. The action made her realize that he was yet to remove his hands from her waist and she held out a hand, forcing him to remove one.

“I’m Leigh.”

“Kevin, and it’s a pleasure,” he introduced himself, taking her hand and engulfing it with his own. “Can I buy you another drink Leigh?”

Leigh was about to turn him down and tell him that the drink that she had just about finished was to be her last, when the implications of what he was asking hit her. Instead she nodded and he shot her another smile, taking her hand and leading her to the bar. They had only been standing at it for a few moments when she felt a hand on the shoulder that was pressed against Kevin’s and glanced over it to find Tom standing there.

“Is everything alright here?” he asked, his brows knitted together tightly and Leigh immediately nodded, motioning to the boy beside her.

“Kevin is just about to buy me a drink,” she answered and Tom’s denim gaze flickered between her and Kevin. His grip tightened momentarily before he dropped his arm.

“I think you’ve had enough to drink tonight don’t you darling?” he posed and she was just about to rebut when Kevin held a hand up to silence her.

“It’s okay, I can take a hint. I hope you have a good night Leigh,” the Asian said, giving her another smile before slipping away into the crowd. Leigh watched him disappear with a frown, only turning to Tom when she could no longer see him and hit the older man on the chest.

“What was that for? He was about to buy me a drink,” she scowled, folding her arms across her chest. For a moment Tom looked like he didn’t know what to do and she expected him to utter an apology, before his expression hardened.

“Like I said, I think you’ve had enough to drink for the night Leigh. In fact Belle’s already returned to the villas; perhaps you should think about doing the same?” he suggested and she let out a huff. Pushing past him she made her way to the bathroom, the flare of anger dissipating with every step. After all she had told herself that was her limit, and now that Kevin had disappeared there wasn’t much point staying around. Nevertheless she wasted time in the amenities, hoping that when she emerged she could slip away without Tom spotting her.