16

                                    

                                          
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T A T I A
16 | midnight promises
Failing to sleep after a long stretch of time spent tossing and turning in the bed, I decide to get out of my room to make some coffee. Instead, the 6 '2 human sitting on the kitchen island with a bottle of Leroy, a glass, and the stink of booze hanging around him halts me in the entryway of the kitchen.
It is one o'clock at night.
"Reece?" I call, stepping into the golden glow of the ceiling lights.
Reece draws his head up from his curled-up arm on the counter, blinking when he sees me.
"Hmm..." The sound leaves him like a breathy moan before he falls on his makeshift arm pillow again.
The parcel did a thing on him. All his brave words suddenly disappeared into thin air once he was done soaking in the warning.
I am caught off-guard too but unlike him, I expected this from Casteel. The silence in fact was more worrying. At least now I know what he plans to do. For a man as ruthless as him, Casteel is predictable with his parlor tricks.
He did manage to shock my bodyguard. Reece and I went our separate ways after the incident in the hall. I carried the dress back with me which was my first gift from Casteel. Even seeing it gives me chills now. I would have burned it if it wasn't for the fire alarm.
I take a careful step toward the drunken man, regretting the look on him.
"God! Are you drunk?"
He lifts his wobbling head again, this time keeping his stare fixed on me.
"What do you think?" he blurts, hiccuping.
Narrowing his brows down, he straightens in his seat, crossing his arms. I drag my steps to the island, stopping next to him.
"How much did you drink?" I ask.
He lifts a hand in front of his face, closing one eye as he shows me a small distance between his index finger and thumb.
"A tini tiny..." When I keep giving him a blank look, he sighs, dropping his hand.
"Reece..." 
"Okay, fine!" He slams his hands on the counter. "It's my fifth glass."
"Good to know you still understand my questions," I sigh, avoiding looking at the red haze that surrounds his eyes.
"It takes more than that for me to get drunk," he says, pouring himself another glass and gulping down before I have the chance to stop him.
When he is about to take the next sip though, my warm fingers circle the cold glass, yanking the object out of his hand.
"It's one at night, Reece," I inform him, pointing to the digital clock on the island.
He eyes the glass in my hand with a disappointed look. "I know."
I place the glass and the bottle halfway across from him so that it's far from his reach. Like a stubborn man-child, he curses under his breath, crossing his arms over the counter.
"Couldn't sleep?" I question, leaning against the island.
"After that magic parcel thing?" He scoffs, a slight twist to his lips. "You must be kidding."
The bags underneath his eyes tell another story.
"You don't sleep much, do you?"
"I do." He gives me an offended look which I politely ignore.