Wine Night

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"I'm going to bed," Bella said the moment they arrived home. She didn't wait for their reply. She went directly to her bedroom.

Laurie watched Bella climb the stairs to the second floor. She couldn't blame her after what she had to experience because of her squabble with Hideaki.

With Andrei driving the rest of the way home, the drive was quiet. But not until Andrei shut his mouth from cursing Hideaki with what he did.

"Are you okay?" Andrei asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

After taking off her shoes, she didn't bother wearing house slippers. She walked barefoot to the living room and dropped herself on the couch.

She closed her eyes and placed her arm over them.

"That's a deep sigh. Care to tell me about it?"

Andrei followed Laurie to the living room with two cups of steaming hot coffee. When Laurie inhaled the delicious scent of caffeine, she removed her arm from her eyes but didn't move from lying down on the couch.

"I don't know if it was the right decision to come here," she whispered with her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"You are already here. But if you think it's a mistake, you can always pack your bag and leave."

She scoffed, "Would you believe me if I tell you that I'm tired from moving around. I wish I could find a place where I can settle down."

"Laurie, is there something about Japan that made you come back?"

"The country? Not really. The people, yes."

She lifted her leg in the air, kicked it upwards to pull herself up from the couch. Once she was seated, she picked up the coffee Andrei made for her.

"You don't look happy, Laurie. What happened?"

"Do I have to look happy?" she laughed wryly.

"Not really, but I know you."

Laurie didn't appear to notice the curiosity in his eyes as he cast a questioning glance at her. She just stared at the cup of coffee in her hands.

"You look as if you are feeling down. And I know that this only happens when you are dealing with something that is beyond your control."

"Laurie?" he called her softly for she sat like a brooding statue, perched on the edge of the couch.

"Hmm," she raised her eyes to meet him. "I heard you. I was just thinking about what you said."

"I said a lot of things. Which one?"

"Packing up and leave."

"Well, yes, I did say that. But what do you really want?"

"I don't know. It occurred to me today that it is not my responsibility to fix what I broke here. With what happened today, it made me think — am I the one who needs to fix those things?"

She put down her coffee and sighed, "You know, I even wonder if those things need fixing or it is something that is best left forgotten."

"I don't know what happened in the past, but what I know was, you didn't set foot in this country after you graduated from high school. But now you are back. Should that be enough indication that you had already decided to fix whatever you think you need to fix here?"

She chuckled, "Sometimes you actually act like you have a brain, Andrei."

"Insulting me won't get you anywhere, Laurie. It's the same thing with me, trying to fix the past by giving you half the blame for what happened when I knew in myself that there was no one to blame but me and only me."

"Andrei, if we are going to talk about these shits again, shouldn't you prepare alcohol instead of caffeine?"

"My bad," he stood up from his chair and went back to the kitchen to search for some alcohol.

"Except for cooking wine, there was nothing that we could drink there." She put her hands on her knees and pushed herself up the couch.

"Come, follow me. I know a place where we can get alcohol."

She led Andrei to the basement. They took the short flight of stairs and found an abundant supply of top-shelf alcohol. And from what Laurie sees, the liquor cabinet was recently replenished with most of her favorite drinks.

A thought came to her mind as she watched Andrei pick up the alcohol he wanted. The person who stocked up on alcohol knew her. For how else would they know her personal preferences when it comes to alcohol?

"Get more so we don't have to come back again," she told Andrei when he closed the door of the liquor cabinet.

She picked up the three bottles of Pinot Noir that Andrei took out from the cabinet, "Get those Merlot too."

Andrei took a bottle, but Laurie clicked her tongue, "What's with you? I said, get more of it."

"Laurie we are not going to get totally wasted."

"Huh! You only say that now. Later you will change your mind before we crack open the second bottle, that's for sure!"

Andrei pulled out another bottle of Merlot and faced Laurie, "These should be enough."

"Whatever!" she huffed at him and turned to her heels, cradling the three bottles of Pinot Noir in her arms as though they were delicate children that needed her utmost care.

She put down those bottles of Pinot Noir on the island counter and opened the overhead cabinet in the kitchen to search for the wine bucket.

She found what she was looking for at the second cabinet to her right.

She was already putting some ice on the bucket when Andrei came out of the basement.

"Which one should we open first?" he asked, putting down next to the Pinot Noir the bottles of Merlot.

"Pinot Noir of course," she grinned, putting one bottle to the ice bucket. She picked up one Merlot and one Pinot Noir and hid them in the pantry.

The remaining two bottles, she put them inside the fridge to chill.

"Carry the ice bucket to the garden. The night is warm enough to drink outside."

"Should we ask Bella to join us?" he asked as he walked to the garden with the wine chilling in the ice bucket, she followed him carrying two glasses of wine.

"No." she curtly replied.

She has something to talk to Andrei that Bella does not need to hear.