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I relieveout my phone to call her It takesthat has gone on,to be enormous, and I don’t even have a job anyht away and try to focus on the issues at hand Rita laughs when I tell her about the look of confusion on Gabriel’s face when Finn had contested to her being legiti her to save the day, but she agrees in the end I knew she’d never pass up an opportunity to show off

Finn and Gabriel have gone already by the time I leave the bathroo at the bar knocking back glasses of Jack Daniels

“Not opening up for business tonight?” I ask as I hop up onto one of the stools beside them

Ethan turns to face ht I think we have all had enough drama to deal with”

“True,” I reply, before rising up to lean over the bar and grab a clean glass forpresulass al about e

“So, how have things been going with A my attention to Lucas

His golden eyes shift to“Very well, I have grown somewhat fond of her oddly coloured hair and the h her nose”

I knock back a gulp of whiskey before replying, “You do know that I’ll hunt you down and torture you if anything even reht?”

Lucas sn the last of his drink and gets up “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he answers s the room

I shakeme to numb the after effects of the fear and pain and anxiety I’ve been through tonight All of a sudden I’m hyper aware of the fact that I’ht flood my head and I have to actively drown thelass around and around on the surface of the bar out of nervousness

“I’m still unhappy about what happened with Drusilla,” says Ethan in a low voice, not looking at me

“There’s no reason for you to be unhappy,” I tell him “It wasn’t a rational decision that I ht and needed somebody to take the pain away That’s all there was to it I know you suspect it wasbreath and then go to refill et to the bottle

“You know,” he says, voice still low “I have had nothing but trouble since you walked into my life”

“I’d walk straight back out of it if only you’d letthe bottle, tipping the last bit into lass

Ethan leans back in his stool, regardingminute of silence “As Lucas said, I wouldn’t have it any other way” Then he brusheskiss on my lips and leaves me alone at the bar I s back the rest of the Jack Daniels and call Nicky, asking her if she’d be interested in giving me a lift home