Chapter 6: Antique Ring

Hallie’s POV

I look up at River to see his eye flickering between me and Abby. I can sense the hesitation from Abby in the way she continues to grip me tightly as if she’s worried about letting me go home with River alone.

“How do I know I can trust you?” Abby counters and tilts her head, “You might be River Knight, but that doesn’t mean you can just do whatever you want.”

Abby’s words do nothing to affect River because he simply chuckles and flashes her a warm smile. “Hallie is in good hands with me. I haven’t had anything to drink tonight and was planning to head home anyway. I’m sure she told you we live in the same building, right?”

Abby releases her grip on me and folds her arms over her chest. “She did mention that. But how do I know you’re not going to try anything with her while she’s like this?”

River holds his hands in the air in defense. “I would never do such a thing, I promise. I’ll be sure to take her home, give her some food, and put her to bed – that’s it. I only want to help.”

My head is still fuzzy and like it’s spinning in circles as I watch Abby look River up and down before nodding in agreement. I silently thank her for letting me go home with him because it means I get to spend more time with him and get a better sense of who he is.

But on the other hand, it’s possibly the worst thing that could happen because I just know my mouth and thoughts aren’t going to have a filter with how much alcohol I’ve consumed tonight.

“You won’t regret it,” River says with a smile as he takes a step forward. He hoists my left arm around his shoulder and effortlessly lifts me out of my seat. “I’ll get her home safely.”

I wave goodbye to Abby as she continues to stand by our table. I try to call out to her, but my words get swept away in the loud music blasting across the room. My body feels heavy as I lean my head against River’s side for support. He smells of what I can only assume is lavender and a hint of cedarwood. Don’t ask me how I know that.

When we step out onto the street, I tilt my head to look up at River. His eyes are searching the street for something. “You smell nice.”

My comment causes River to laugh as he guides us down the street. “So do you.”

“How tall are you?” I can’t seem to stop the questions that have been plaguing me from spilling out of the container I had them locked in. Maybe drinking as much as I did wasn’t such a good idea.

River stops in front of a black car with a Mercedes symbol on the front. He opens the door to the passenger side. He lowers me in and buckles me in the process. “Six foot two. I hope that answers your burning question, strawberry.”

“It does,” I smile to myself. Not only is this man insanely attractive that oftentimes I’m left speechless in his presence, but he is also a whole foot taller than me.

I watch through my blurry vision as River walks around the bonnet of the car and slides into the driver’s side. He turns to look at me, his eyes looking me up and down. “If you’re going to be sick, let me know beforehand so we don’t have an accident in here.”

“Why would I possibly be sick….” My voice trails off as the car engine revs to life and River pulls away from the sidewalk.

“Trust me, it could happen,” he mutters as he uses one hand to steer the car and the other rests on top of his knee.

I want to say more to him, but my mind is fuzzy and incapable of forming a coherent sentence right now. A little bit of shut-eye should benefit me in the long run because I’m already having trouble keeping them open.

I let my eyes flutter closed for what feels like hours as I let sleep consume my body, but moments later I’m woken by River opening the door beside me and helping me out of the car.

“Did we fly home?” I ask in disbelief, unable to understand how we got back so quickly.

River chuckles as he locks the car and guides me to the front of the building. “It was a five-minute drive. D*mn, you must be really drunk, huh?”

“I think so,” I mutter to myself as I lean into River’s side for support.

I try to keep my eyes open as we climb the levels in the elevator until we reach the fifth floor. River wastes no time directing me to the kitchen and sitting me down at one of the wooden tables.

I watch him through blurry vision as he looks through the refrigerator. He pulls out contents to make a sandwich and it takes me a few seconds to realize he was looking through my shelf and is using my products.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I slur as I sit up straight in my seat, watching as he lowers the contents onto the table across from me and takes a seat. “That’s my stuff.”

“And your stuff is going to make you a sandwich before you go to sleep,” River counters as he begins buttering one of the slices of bread. “You need to eat something otherwise you’ll feel worse in the morning.”

Since this is my first time drinking alcohol, I also have no clue as to what to do once you’re back home and trying to avoid a hangover the next day. I always thought having something to eat while your stomach is filled with alcohol wouldn’t be a good idea because it might not mix well, but maybe I’ve gotten my information mixed up.

I exhale slowly as I try to compose myself. There are so many things I want to say to River, but they all seem to be jumbling up in my brain as they fight to try and be the first out of my lips. I have a feeling that won’t go down well.

“I find you a little odd.”

River stops his actions, his hand holding a slice of ham hovering in the air as he slowly lifts his eyes to mine. I try to catch the emotion behind it – it looked like confusion and nervousness at first, before it slipped away.

“What makes you say that?” He says slowly, unlike how he usually speaks. He tends to speak with confidence, but at this moment he seems unsure.

I shrug, not knowing how to explain why I think that when my brain is working at the pace of a snail with the alcohol coursing through my veins.

“Well, I often find you staring at me before I even notice you, and I can’t get past the fact that I haven’t seen you eat a d*mn thing every time I see you in here.”

I take a deep breath and shake my head, “I don’t know. I guess what I’m trying to say is I find you interesting because you’re unlike any person I’ve ever met before.”

River exhales sharply and nods, “And what do you mean by that?”

“You’re just…different. I don’t know how to explain it, but I can just feel it, you know?”

We sit in a long silence while River continues to make a sandwich, not saying anything back to my confession. If I were sober, I’m sure I would be mortified by what just came out of my mouth. But because I’m drunk, I seem to care less.

My eyes travel over River’s features, taking in his messy hair, sharp jawline, and long slender fingers as he delicately assembles the sandwich. He is effortlessly gorgeous in anything he does.

It is while I’m watching him that I notice a large ring on his right hand. The red gem in the center of the gold ring sparkles under the fluorescent lights in the room. I squint to get a better look, but it’s no use with my current vision. It’s a ring unlike any I’ve ever seen before.

“That’s a cool ring,” I gesture to his hand. He stops what he’s doing to look down at it. “Where’d you get it from?”

River swallows hard and clears his throat before putting the second slice of bread on top of the sandwich and pushing it across the table toward me on a plate. “It’s a family heirloom.”

“Can I look at it?” I push because I need to get a better look at it.

“Not tonight,” River shakes his head and nods at the sandwich. “Eat.”

I shake my head in protest. “My stomach hurts. I don’t want to eat it.”

River sighs and licks his bottom lip. “Please?”

I shake my head once more and River drops it. I watch as he gathers my food products and puts them back in the fridge before walking toward me. “Let’s get you to bed. Take your sandwich. I can grab you some extra blankets from my room.”

I follow River out of the room with my sandwich and stand by his door as he goes inside. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I peer in just to take a peek. My eyes scan the tidy room before landing on a jar of red liquid on the bedside table.

“What the hell…”

River appears in front of me, slamming the door behind him with such speed that my hair flies over my shoulders. “Let’s get you to bed, strawberry.”