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He parts his lips, but no sound comes out. He smells of alcohol, making me realize he’s already drunk a lot tonight. His eyes are glassy.
I feel a twinge of sadness because I’m sure that before Debbie’s accident, he was a nice guy. But now he just seems…empty. A shell of flesh with no feelings other than sadness. The light inside him went out the day Debbie was taken from him.
“Would you like a glass of water?” I continue kindly.
I would like to help him, but how? I feel helpless and I hate it.
“A beer,” he says through his teeth.
I stand still in front of him, unsure. He’s already had quite a bit to drink. I don’t want to watch him sink any further.
“Dan,” I murmur, leaning towards him. “I’ve tried to escape with alcohol, too. It doesn’t work.”
He ignores the words coming out of my mouth.
“I want a beer, Iris…please,” he finishes after a few seconds.
“Dan…”
After a minute of staring at each other, I finally pick up a small bottle and uncap it before handing it to him. I then grab a glass and fill it with water and put it next to him.
“If you’re still thirsty.”
He smiles at my gesture, but I know he won’t touch it.
During my break, I decide to join him, my own beer in my hand. Buck watches me from afar, wondering what the hell I’m doing. I sit down on a stool next to Dan and rest my elbows on the counter.
“Are you okay?”
He digs his heels in, and I can tell he doesn’t want to confide in me.
“I thought you didn’t drink alcohol?” he asks me.
“Yeah, I don’t.” It’s only a beer. I can handle it. But I’ll never touch hard liquor again in my life.
It’s really dark tonight. He takes another sip and finally turns to me. “You and Tucker, huh?”
I raise my eyebrows, not knowing what to say.
“I knew you were going to sleep together, I’ve seen you from the beginning. But there’s more, isn’t there?”
I don’t know why we’re talking about Tucker and me. What am I supposed to say right now? We gave each other dating status the night before.
“Yeah. We’re together.” Saying it out loud makes me feel funny, but it’s not unpleasant, actually.
“I’m happy for Tucker,” Dan says, swallowing hard. “He’s got you. And you’ve got him.”
I understand what he’s saying, but more importantly, I understand what he’s not saying: he doesn’t have anyone.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper in his direction. “I’m sure Debbie will get better eventually.”
He suddenly squints. Shit, maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say. I’ve never been good at reassuring people.
“Do you want me to call Tucker?” I say to change the subject, hoping to calm him down.
“Call Tucker,” he laughs softly, staring down at his beer. “Always him, right? But Tucker doesn’t understand a damn thing.”
“Okay…” I start slowly, “I think you’ve had a little too much to drink, man.”
