Chapter 27: Are You Drunk?
"Am I... drunk?" Sienna whispered, blinking slowly.
Then she laughed.
"Nope. No way. I’m still... very professional."
She raised her glass slightly.
"To professionalism."
But then she fumbled, and the wine nearly spilled on her.
"Ups! Okay... maybe slightly drunk."
Her attention was distracted when her phone vibrated on the table.
She squinted at it, grabbing it with slightly delayed reflexes.
"Arrived home." From: Mia
"See? I didn’t go to the bar." From: Riley
She stared at the messages with Riley’s selfie in his house’s parking lot.
"...Good for you," she mumbled and ignored them completely.
But as she placed her phone down—
A face appeared in her mind, Zachary. Mr. Calm. Mr. Handsome. Mr. Dangerous-for-her-sanity.
Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at her cell phone. Slowly, her heart pounded when she started to hear her own thoughts.
’Girl, you should call him!’
Sienna shook her head, trying to clear her mind, but she failed.
"Yes! Yes! I need to call Mr. Handsome Zach. I miss hearing his voice..." She giggled like a teenager.
When her brain said "NO!" her heart said "YES!"
And, her drunk self? Absolutely said, "YES!"
Without another thought, she pressed his number.
And just like that, the night became very bad... or very interesting... decision.
"Huh, why didn’t he accept?"
When Sienna thought the call hadn’t gone through, a low, slightly surprised voice finally came from the other end.
"Hello...?"
She blinked. A few times.
For a second, she just stared at her phone as if it had suddenly become a magical object.
Her mind felt slow, like it was wrapped in soft cotton, and her head leaned slightly to one side as she processed the voice.
"Wow... wow..." she whispered, her lips curving into a wide, delighted smile. "Mr. Handsome Zach, it’s you..."
There was a brief pause.
"Yes, it’s me," Zachary replied, though now his tone carried a clear trace of confusion. "Sienna... are you drunk?"
"Wow, I’m surprised! Mr. Dangerous-for-my-sanity, you accepted my call..." she continued instead, completely ignoring his question.
Then she laughed.
It wasn’t her usual quiet laugh.
It was light, free, and a little too loud for someone sitting alone in a dark apartment.
The sound filled the room, bouncing off the walls, making her feel like she wasn’t alone at all.
On the other end, Zachary stayed silent for a moment, clearly trying to understand what exactly was happening.
"Sienna," he said again, more firmly this time, "where are you now?"
She tilted her head, considering his question as if it were a very deep philosophical problem.
"Why? Why did you ask?" she asked instead, her voice playful and slightly slurred. "Mr. Handsome Zach, are you coming to me if I tell you?"
Another pause.
This time, a little longer.
"Are you alone?" he asked, the concern in his voice now more obvious. "Answer me, Sienna..."
Sienna slowly turned her head, her eyes scanning the dim living room.
The lights were still off, and the only glow came from the city and the lonely full moon outside the window.
"Yes..." she answered softly, then added with a small, amused smile, "I’m alone here..."
As if to confirm her statement, she lifted the wine bottle and poured the last bit into her glass, though most of it almost missed.
Then she drank it anyway.
Silence followed.
Sienna waited.
And waited.
Her brows slowly furrowed.
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"Huh?" she mumbled, pulling the phone closer to her ear. "Mr. Handsome Zach... why did you hang up on me? You don’t like—"
"I’m still here," Zachary cut in quickly, his voice sharper now. "Tell me where you are, please. I will trace your location if you don’t tell me."
For a second, she blinked to hear his words.
Then, suddenly, she burst into laughter.
It was bright, carefree, and completely unbothered.
Which only made Zachary more confused on the other end.
"Can you give your phone to someone else?" he asked again, clearly trying to stay calm. "So I can check your location? It’s not safe for a woman to be drunk alone... This is almost midnight."
"No one here..." she replied, giggling as she shifted her position, sliding down onto the sofa until she was lying flat.
The wine bottle rested dangerously close to falling off the edge, but she didn’t seem to notice.
"Sienna, are you there? Tell me where you are now." His voice sounds more urgent.
"In my house...I’m alone... in my house..." she repeated, her voice softer now, almost dreamy. "In my house..."
She stared up at the ceiling. But instead of plain white paint, she saw his face.
Clear.
Annoyingly clear.
"Oh my god, Zach..." she murmured, her lips curving again. "I could see you... Your face appears on my ceiling, and you look so annoyingly handsome!"
On the other end, there was a sudden choking sound.
Zachary cleared his throat quickly, as if he had just swallowed something the wrong way.
"Why are you drinking alone?" he asked, his tone shifting, still calm, but now carrying something deeper. Concern. Maybe even worry.
Sienna didn’t answer immediately.
She took a slow breath, her eyes still fixed on the imaginary version of him above her.
"Zach, you know what? I never drink alone..." she said softly.
There was a pause, briefly.
"But now... I’m drunk because I’m sad."
Her voice lost its playful edge.
Just for a moment.
The room fell silent again.
Even her laughter disappeared, replaced by something more fragile.
"I had a very bad day..." she continued, her words slower now, as if each one needed effort. "Actually... a very bad few days."
She let out a small sigh.
"You know..." she added, her tone drifting between seriousness and lingering drunken humor, "I think my boss wants to throw me away like expired milk..."
A weak laugh escaped her.
"And I don’t even know if I’m...expired yet."
On the other end, Zachary didn’t laugh.
"Sienna," he said quietly, her name sounding different now, gentler, steadier. "Listen to me."
But she wasn’t listening anymore. Or maybe... she was, just not in the way he expected.
"Mr. Handsome Zach..." she whispered, her eyes slowly closing, her voice soft and almost sleepy now. "If I really lose my job..."
She paused to take a long, deep sigh before continuing, "...can I work for you, like, immediately?"