"Whoa," Her heel cladded foot tilted to the side, ready to fall. Hands strapped around her arms and pulled her back into a standing position.
Grace looked down, testing her foot and moving it around. It hurt, but not as much to hinder her from walking.
"Okay," She shrugged off the hands of her shoulders, but they did not disappear. "Hey, I am okay now. Let go."
"Are you okay, Grace?" A deep and cold voice, yet oddly familiar to her, spoke and the hair on the nape of her neck stood up.
Slowly, grace bounced at the hands that were still on her arms, traced them back to a shoulder, and then to the head of the person who was touching her.
One look and it was confirmed.
"Christian." Grace said name after three years.
She took his name in front of him, to him after three long years of no communication. Yet, the word remained on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be used for its owner.
"Grace." He repeated the slide note of his head. Just barely there movement. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Fan-fancy?" She repeated but then got herself. What was she acting like a schoolgirl confronted by someone she had been eyeing for a very long time? That was not the case with her. She could do better.
She was supposed to do better.
"Yes, I am here with Mia."
"Drunk," he noted, "and?"
It took a moment to understand where she was getting out. Appalled, she gave him an offended look. "Just drunk. Drunk and nothing. I've just had some alcohol."
"It is not clearly just some alcohol. You've had a lot and you need to go home."
"Just some." She repeated and realized at the same time that he was still holding her. This time, she just did not shrug his hands off, but physically removed them. She placed her hands on his wrist and took them off her. "Thank you."
"You need to go home, Grace."
She declined. "I came here with Mia, I'm going to go home with Mia. She has a driver so I don't need to get a cab or drive home drunk."
Disapproval flickered in his eyes and she wondered how she recognised the emotion. "Mia is deadly drunk, high and drugged. She's not going to get out of here until the club is closed. Are you willing to stay until four AM in the morning?"
Four? She blinked. That was too much, even by her changed standards of the day. "Uh, yeah." She admitted.
There was no way she was going to admit that he was right. Not after no communication had been through.
"You will not be served Any kind of alcohol anymore, Grace. It is better that you go home before you fall asleep on the counter."
Her vision blurred and she swayed on her feet. Hand caught her by the arms again and gave her a quick jerk, making Grace open her eyes and focus on him. "What?"
"For fuck's sake Grace," he looked pissed as he cussed. "I am taking you home."