Alison and Beth 🖤
4: "Can you take me home?"
Alison's drunk.
It's not anything new...Beth has seen her sloshed, more than once. But primly, neatly. No slurring of her words, no stumbling or trying to fight people. If anything, she tended to overcompensate for the alcohol by straightening her spine, making certain her etiquette was perfect.
There was something disconcerting about the current situation. The way Alison showed up at her apartment, unannounced, the aroma of whiskey on her breath taking Beth completely by surprise. She was disheveled, too, her normally perfectly coiffed hair askew, clothes wrinkled.
"Alison?" Alarm bells ring out, making her frozen to the spot as the other woman plops down on the couch, taking out a flask from inside her parka. "What's going on?"
She looks up at Beth with glassy eyes. "I dunno what you mean. Can't I just visit you?"
Her reply sounds as though she has a spoonful of peanut butter trapped against the roof of her mouth and Beth winces, hands on her hips.
"You don't drink whiskey."
Pausing, she sticks her arm out towards her. "You want some?"
"No thanks."
Beth sits next to her wordlessly, giving her a gentle shove to make room.
"Hey, you don't have to tell me anything, okay? And you can stay here as long as you want."
At this, Alison's lower lip trembles and before Beth can say anything else, she's in her lap, crying nonsensically into her shirt.
"It's okay...you're okay." Beth pats her back, not knowing quite where to place her hands. Comfort isn't her forte and she worries about making whatever is going on worse with her awkwardness, but Alison sniffles, raising her head.
"Uh, do you want a tissue or something?" She trails off, glancing around the messy coffee table. "I've got a box here somewhere."
All at once, there's a shift in Alison's expression, a quick little flash that Beth would have missed if they hadn't been pressed together.
She gulps, bracing herself for the inevitable. Can't move, can't speak.
Alison's lips are on hers and it's soft and slightly desperate and Beth's moaning into it, her hands tugging through her hair, tasting the whiskey and Alison's strawberry lip gloss and lets herself fall into it. Fall into how much she wants it.
But Alison is drunk.
So, she pulls away, albeit reluctantly and the look of confused hurt on Alison's face makes her chest ache a little.
"You don't want me?"
She feels the heat pool in her cheeks. "Oh, Ali, no, no. That's not it at all. You know I do." Taking Alison's face in her grasp with two fingers, she tries to regain control. "Just not like this."
Alison is trembling, hugs herself by drawing knees up to her chest.
"When? Because I want you so much I can't take it."
Her admission causes a sharp pang and against her better judgement, Beth pulls her close.
"C'mere."
She strokes slow, deliberate circles over Alison's shoulder blades, shivering when the heat burns through to meet her palm.
"When it's right, I promise, I'm yours. Alright? When it's right, Alison."
Alison's form goes slack in her embrace, curled into her and within minutes, she's snoring quietly.
When she wakes up, it's dark and she sits up in a blind panic, shrugging off the blanket Beth had draped over her.
"What time is it?" She gropes around for her phone, sighing in barely contained relief when Beth hands it to her. "Thanks."
"It's pretty late, but I didn't want to wake you. Figured you needed the sleep."
Alison nods, rubbing her temples. "I feel like hot garbage."
"Here."
Beth steps into the kitchenette, returning with a glass of water and two aspirin, giving them both over.
"I don't deserve you taking care of me," Alison takes a large gulp of water. "I was such a mess, coming here..."
"Don't even worry about it. How many times have you seen me like that? Really, it's fine."
The elephant in the room, their kiss, goes unmentioned and Beth refuses to bring it up, clearing her throat instead.
"Uh, you're probably not hungry, but if you are...I was gonna grab a pizza or something."
Alison manages a small smile. "Actually, I should be going."
"Oh," she shuffles her feet against the carpet. "Yeah, yeah...of course. I'll let you get going then."
"Beth," Alison replies softly, "can you take me home?"
There's a hint of shyness and from the way Alison's face is a shade of pink, Beth knows she didn't conjure up what happened, that it wasn't just some wistful daydream.
"Yes."
It comes out strangled and Alison blinks before dragging her eyes away, slowly rising.
"Well, I'm going to freshen up and then I'll be right out."
She's glad when Alison retreats to the bathroom. It enables her to sink back down into the sofa, to rest her head in her hands. Tiny beads of perspiration had popped up across her forehead and she wipes them off.
Get a hold of yourself, asshole.
When Alison returns, she's far more put together, though her eyes still hold more than a hint of redness.
"Ready?"
She nods, gathering up both her coat and her purse. "I'm ready."
The drive to Bailey Downs is quiet, Beth attempting to drown out the silence by turning up the radio until Alison politely requests to shut it off.
When they pull down the block (per Alison's request), Beth turns off the engine, shifting uncomfortably.
"Well, I guess I'll see you."
Taking off her seatbelt, Alison leans up to take Beth's chin in the cradle of her hands. It's far gentler this time, less crazed desperation, but she makes a noise that comes from the back of her throat, the bridge between a moan and a sigh.
Beth tastes the promise in it.
When they break away, Alison is breathing hard and she is gripping the fabric of the seatbelt, already missing the contact.
"What you said--"
She brings her mouth to rest against the shell of Alison's ear, barely grazing skin, feeling the pointed inhale.
"I meant it. When the time's right."
"Promise?"
Beth kisses her cheek this time, her reply swift and fierce.
"I promise."
