I walked unsteadily, staggering and aimlessly down the long apartment hallway, the dim lights blurring my vision even further.
My body felt hot, my cheeks flushed, and my breathing was heavy. The smell of alcohol still clung to my body, mixed with the scent of the expensive perfume I had worn to the party that night.
"Damn! I shouldn't have drunk so much earlier," I muttered softly as I rubbed my throbbing temples.
Arriving at the apartment door, I leaned against the wall to steady myself so I wouldn't fall, searching for my access card in my bag to open the door.
The small bag, which only held a wallet and a cell phone, was messy, and the sound of objects falling inside, including my cell phone, attracted the attention of someone inside the apartment.
Soon after, the door opened slowly. A familiar deep voice called my name.
"Elena?"
I turned my attention, and there stood Aldrich Dixon, wearing only a thin black T-shirt and knee-length shorts. His hair was slightly messy, his eyes looked tired, but it didn't diminish his handsomeness. And he was the man who made me fall in love, devastated, and heartbroken for the past 5 years.
"It's midnight. What are you doing here?" Aldrich said, his voice sounding concerned, or maybe that was just my imagination?
I furrowed my brow, "Why are you in my apartment?"
"You're drunk, Elena. This is my apartment."
My eyes blinked a few times to make sure the person in front of me was real. I turned to the apartment door and realized I had mistakenly entered someone else's apartment. And... that someone else, Aldrich?
"Ah, I guess I entered the wrong apartment. In that case, I'll leave," I said curtly.
I smiled faintly and turned to leave, but my wrist was grabbed.
He pulled me so hard that I lost my balance and fell into his arms.
'Damn it! Don't do this again!' I cursed silently.
His large hand touched my warm cheek. There was a frown on his face when I looked at him.
"Wait, Elena. You're drunk. You'd better rest here for a while."
There was a bitter tone in his voice, but I ignored it. He had chosen to marry my sister, so I had no right to interfere with his feelings. It was enough for me to suppress my own feelings and pretend that nothing had happened.
"I'm not drunk. Let go of me, brother-in-law! Do you want Monica to misunderstand me, huh?"
I pushed his body with all my strength. But no matter how much strength I had, in my drunken state, I couldn't break free from Aldrich's tight embrace.
"Stay here. I don't want to hear your drunken ramblings. And I don't like being argued with!" Aldrich spoke firmly and decisively.
I was silent. Aldrich's firm voice made me momentarily regain my senses, and I didn't dare to speak or resist once Aldrich had made his decision.
Aldrich carried me bridal style and took me into his apartment. He laid me down on the bed, leaning me back, then handed me a glass of water from the nightstand.
I drank the water to ease my hangover symptoms.
"Go to sleep, I'll get your cell phone and the things you dropped earlier,"
I was silent for a moment to regain my consciousness, then turned to him. "I'm awake now. So, can I leave now, brother-in-law?" I said, emphasizing the word to clarify his status.
"No. You're not sober yet, Elena. It's not good for you to go out while drunk."
Aldrich ignored my words and left.
What does he want? Does he want Monica to hate me even more?
It was so frustrating to see Aldrich acting so selfishly. Didn't he realize that his attitude was making me hope for him even more?
My hand unconsciously pressed against my chest, which was beating faster than usual. "I must be crazy. God, please don't let this happen again..."
I took a few moments to catch my breath and calm my racing heart. I had to hide my feelings as usual, or I would really look evil for liking my brother-in-law.
Let me suffer here alone. Five years of unrequited love. I do love him, but I don't want to be that cruel to their relationship.
I just need a little more time to forget these wrong feelings and find my own happiness.
I exhaled several times. After everything seemed back to normal, I chose to lie down. I was tired, and the dizziness was still attacking my head. So, I thought it would be okay to sleep for a while. Besides, arguing with a stubborn person like Aldrich, I would definitely lose.
I lay on my left side with my back to the door. I ignored the sound of footsteps faintly entering my eardrums.
I didn't know why Aldrich had come back into the room. I would pretend to be asleep and see what he would do.
I felt something sitting on the side of the bed. Suddenly, a hand stroked my head, startling me and making me tighten my grip on the blanket.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Damn, since when did Aldrich become so shameless?
"Elena, you don't know how worried I was when I saw you drunk earlier. If you had fallen into the hands of some scumbag, I really wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
Hearing the word "worried" from Aldrich's own mouth made me smile bitterly. He, who had been indifferent when we met, suddenly said that, of course I wanted to laugh at him.
From stroking my head, I now felt his hand move to my cheek.
"It turns out that in these three years, you still can't take care of yourself properly. You're drunk like this, all alone. Don't you have any self-awareness? If I hadn't found you, do you think you'd still be okay, Elena?"
I listened carefully to Aldrich's worried words.
Not wanting my sleep to be watched over, I turned my head and opened my eyes, looking straight at him.
"What are you doing? You're not thinking strange thoughts about me while I'm sleeping, are you?" I said, looking at him suspiciously.
"No. I just brought you your phone that fell,"
Aldrich put my phone and the others on the table, along with the bag I had brought earlier. He glanced at the wall clock.
"It's already 2 a.m. Just sleep here, then go home later. Monica happens to have a shooting schedule, and she won't be home for a while."
"Oh. Then, I'll go back to sleep. You too, brother-in-law. I won't disturb your time."
I lay back down with my back to Aldrich. I pulled the blanket over my whole body. I ignored him. Whatever he wanted to do was up to him. I didn't care.
"Brother-in-law... that's right. He's been my brother-in-law for three years now," I said softly. I smiled bitterly under the blanket.
Let me enjoy this pain a little tonight after burying it deep inside for so long.