Chapter 10

“All right, let’s keep it upright, yeah?”

Erik had his hand wrapped around her waist tightly and had put her arm closest to him over his shoulders. He walked her down the street as she took a misstep with nearly every step. She wasn’t the giggling type, apologizing for her sloppiness like the girl and her boyfriend across the street doing the same thing. She was hard in the face, scowling, daring the sidewalk to try to trip her.

“You know, in all honesty? I was kind of hoping tonight would be a mostly sober night,” he said with obvious frustration she could make out even through her haze.

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“I don’t like kissing drunk girls.”

“Good thing you’re not kissing me then.”

Later, when she was sober, she would come to understand exactly what he meant by that statement and she would cringe just a little bit. But right now, everything and everyone around her was the enemy and she was ready to fight even the tree in that front yard if it got too snippy with her. The problem was, of course, she was fairly certain she would remember this all in the morning. She hadn’t achieved her black out and she knew exactly everything she said and did, and would get the embarrassment to go with it.

“Let’s just get you home,” Erik sighed.

Perhaps it was a good thing he’d managed to find out where she lived the last time they were together. Alessia had absolutely no clue where she was. But Erik directed her down the street, pulled her to turn at certain points, and kept her moving down until the campus came into view. She gained a little more autonomy though she didn’t think the drinks were wearing off anytime soon.

“Everything okay here?”

Alessia would know that voice anywhere, no matter how many drinks she had, no matter if she was at the bottom of the ocean hearing it muffled through thousands of gallons of water. She knew Dr. Tekkin was there before she turned and saw him, felt his presence, maybe even felt a little bit of his heat—or wished that she did. She turned, pulling herself out of Erik’s tight grasp and turning to see him standing there. This time it was in an Aerosmith shirt and she wondered if he didn’t pretend to be obsessed with dad rock to make himself seem older than he really was. His tattered jeans were still there and so were his Doc Martens.

However, outside the lecture hall, outside his domain and arena, he seemed much more vulnerable, much smaller.

“Just trying to get her back to her place,” Erik said, coming back to grab her and Dr. Tekkin scowled.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, so I’m going to head off now.”

Dr. Tekkin stepped in front of them. “I actually think I’ll take it from here.”

Dr. Tekkin thought Erik would try something. She knew he wouldn’t or at least she was pretty sure he wouldn’t. He said himself he didn’t kiss drunk girls and didn’t seem to be faking the miserable look on his face at having to drag her back to her home. But Dr. Tekkin didn’t know that.

“Dude, it’s fine. Seriously. I know where her apartment is. I’m just going to drop her off and make sure she has water,” Erik said, trying to push past Dr. Tekkin and she stumbled with him.

“So do I and I think I’d feel more comfortable if I took her there.”

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t. I’m her friend.”

“And I’m her mentoring professor.”

They were at a gridlock, a stand still. They glared at each other, waiting for the other to do something. It wouldn’t be Erik; she was trapped on his side, and he wouldn’t have much to defend himself with if Dr. Tekkin did make a move towards him. But he stood firm, planting his feet in the ground, digging his heels in like a petulant child. She wanted to tell them both to fuck off, to move away, and let them have their pissing contest by themselves. There was no way, however, she’d make it more than a few steps without tripping, or one of them running after her and the whole process starting over again.

“You can both take me home,” she said. “Just get me there fast. I’m ready to sleep on that bench over there.”

It was another few seconds of staring and glaring before she started moving again. With Erik still latched onto her, Dr. Tekkin was on her other side. He wasn’t touching her. He was just out of arm’s reach. But he was watching her, very closely. His eyes constantly darting over. Her apartment building came into view and Erik asked her for the key to the front door. She dug around in her pocket for it, pulling it out and handing it to him. She forgot to tell him which key was which, so he fumbled for a bit with them until he got the right one in the front door, and they made their way in. She directed them to the correct floor in the elevator and the process of trial and error with the keys started all over again at her apartment door, until the familiar and welcoming smell of her apartment hit her in the face and she was ready to just drop into her bed.

“Thank you, gentlemen,” she said and shooed them to the door. “Good night.”

“I really think you should drink some—”

“Good night.”

They were out in the hallway and she shut the door, locking it to keep them from coming back in. Whatever fist fight they would get into, they could do it in the hallway where she didn’t have to be a witness. She walked back into the apartment, made her way to her bedroom, and dropped into the bed without even taking her shoes off first. She didn’t think the intoxication solved anything; her mind still swam with images of Dr. Tekkin’s face. She didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.