Chapter 48

Jadon completely missed his mouth, the alcohol pouring onto his bare chest. For a second, his brain had a hard time comprehending what had happened and the new sensations on his skin.

Then it clicked and Jadon pulled the glass away from him and squinted at it. The glass was empty and none of the last contents had ended up in his mouth. Damn, it was official. He was drunk.

Actually, scratch that. Jadon knew he was beyond drunk and well on his way to passing out on his couch. God, how he wished it would happen already. Jadon was ready to just shut down and not think about anything. But it seemed he needed a few more gulps of alcohol to help him get there.

Barely able to lift his head, he looked around his living room. He blinked several times before he realized it wasn't his eyes that had trouble seeing, but that the room was dim from lack of light. It seemed the day had finally come to an end. Good.

Jadon couldn't remember the last twelve hours of the day. After he was escorted from the company building like a criminal, he had driven straight home and retrieved a bottle of whisky from his kitchen before he settled on the couch and just lost himself in the burn of the alcohol.

Just to be certain he didn't get disturbed, Jadon had turned off his phone and thrown the damn thing in a drawer in the kitchen. He didn't want anyone else talking to him, not today. Jadon was having a pity party for one, and it suited him just fine.

Although, he was shocked neither Ezra nor Kaelo had stormed his front door and threatened to break it down if he didn't open it. He was also amazed that Asher hadn't made an appearance. With the evidence now public for the world to see, Jadon had thought Armageddon would surely follow. But no one had come after him and he had spent the hours alone, marinating his organs.

Jadon must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, insistent pounding at his front door roused him. He blinked heavy eyelids and then froze in confusion when he was met with darkness.

Feeling disoriented and confused as to why he had a pounding headache and the taste of something dead in his mouth, Jadon made to sit upright and grunted when he suddenly lost his balance and tumbled off the couch and onto the carpeted floor with a loud thud.

Right then, another set of loud knocks echoed from the door. "Okay! Okay! I'm coming!" Jadon shouted in frustration.

Jadon then rolled to his hands and knees before he grabbed onto the couch and pulled himself to his feet. It was hard to tell if the room swam since everything was so dark, but Jadon felt as though he was about to go down again. His stomach churned, not helping his situation.

A few seconds later, another knock finally got him moving, and it seemed that was what his brain needed in order to piece together the puzzle in his head. The pictures were out for the world to see. Tapiwa blamed him and told him to stay away. His father had fired him. That last one stung, but Jadon shook it off with a shrug. It was done and there was nothing he could do about it.

Except, remembering the reasons that had led to his solo drinking party gave him pause, only then realizing he didn't know who was at his door and that it could be Asher. Jadon stopped abruptly at the door and only hesitated a second before he flipped the switch and turned on the lights both inside and outside the house.

There was the sound of feet shuffling, but then nothing. Nothing to tell Jadon who was at his door. Jadon blinked a few times, waiting for his own eyes to adjust to the light and stop piercing his still-intoxicated brain like a hot knife. Then he looked through his peephole and froze.

Shocked and half expecting to discover that he was hallucinating, Jadon threw open the door, barely registering how nice the cool night air felt against his skin. He stared at Tapiwa for a long minute, taking in her plain jeans and T-shirt before he found his voice and croaked out, "What are you doing here?"

Tapiwa frowned, her jaw clenched. For a moment, she looked as though she was about to turn around and bolt. Her eyes darted around before they dropped to her feet and then lifted back up to Jadon.

"I'm sorry to just show up like this," she said, every word coming out as though it had been dragged over shards of glass and fire. Tapiwa grimaced and looked away. "I uhm I asked Nicole to get your address from Kaelo."

Jadon blinked, unable to think of a single response to what she had said so far. Especially since she hadn't exactly answered his question, his brain processes were also waddling their way through molasses, so that didn't make coming up with a response easy.

His lack of response seemed to make Tapiwa grow more uneasy, though. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her hands came together in front of her and she proceeded to twist her fingers together almost aggressively.

"I-" Tapiwa cut herself off and drew a deep breath before continuing. "I heard you lost your job. It's all over social media Right along with our Story. I'm sorry."

Those words finally seemed to snap Jadon out of whatever stupor he had been in. He snarled. "I don't need your sympathy. I'm sure you are doing a little happy dance in your head right now."

"What?" Tapiwa looked shocked by his words, which only made Jadon snort. "I'm not happy you lost your job," Tapiwa argued.

"Says the person who's blaming me for all this shit."

"I I may have been rushed in my reaction," Tapiwa said awkwardly.

Jadon's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't adding up. The woman couldn't have just had a sudden dose of common sense or whatever set her thoughts straight. He didn't believe it. Unfortunately, he was still too intoxicated to try to figure it out in his head.

Hence, he just blurted out his thoughts. "Why are you suddenly like a kicked dog with its tail between its legs? What happened?"

Anger flashed in Tapiwa's eyes, but she looked away quickly. Jadon didn't miss it though, just like he didn't miss how her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I lost my job," she gritted out after a beat.

Jadon snorted again, some form of dark pleasure washing over him from hearing those words.  He waved a hand in the air. "Welcome to the club. It must be something in the air."

"This isn't funny," Tapiwa snapped, glaring at him now and not bothering to hide it.

But Jadon only snickered. "Isn't it? Shit hit the fan and we are both bathed in it. I think it's only right we both have a slice of the consequences."

"A slice? Is that what you call it?" Tapiwa shouted, her temper clearly climbing. "I have lost my family, my job, and now even a roof over my head because my friend's parents don't want someone with my reputation anywhere near their daughter. Does that sound like a slice to you? I have gotten the whole fucking cake!"

Jadon's lips pursed. He didn't know what to say. Clearly, the ripple effects of their encounter were causing a tsunami in Tapiwa's life, but what was he supposed to do about it? "Why are you here, Tapiwa? You came to make sure I knew just how badly your life has been screwed up?"

This time, it was Tapiwa who snorted. She shook her head. "No. I came to take you up on your offer. I need a place to stay." As she finished her statement, Tapiwa reached behind her and pulled forward a suitcase Jadon hadn't noticed before.

Well, damn.