Chapter 81: Stinky Man
Mia covered her mouth in discomfort. She heard Louis calling her from the doorway, "Mia—"
She felt too sick to respond.
Louis's eyes welled up with tears when he saw Mia.
His first instinct was to dump James on her. "Mia, I'm leaving James to you. You have no idea—he wouldn't let anyone touch him, kept calling your name the whole time. It took everything I had to get him back here."
As Louis spoke, he wanted to shed some tears of self-pity.
He'd been too careless.
How could he have known that James, usually so calm and composed, would be so violent when drunk?
He would've been better off as a punching bag.
In the training room, he'd used every trick he had to dodge left and right, thinking he'd saved his handsome face.
But who could've guessed that in the end, James still beat him black and blue.
"I'll help you get him upstairs."
Louis forcefully pushed James onto Mia, but quickly reached out to help steady them.
That was close!
If Mia had gotten hurt!
He would've gotten more than just his face injured!
Louis broke out in a cold sweat as he steadied James again, taking most of the weight.
Mia had no choice but to support James.
He seemed to catch her scent. His face, which had been cold and hard just moments ago, naturally leaned toward her neck. His hot breath hit her ear as he called her name in a drunken haze, "Mia..."
Mia ignored him.
With Louis's help, they got him upstairs.
She was about to suggest the guest bedroom when Louis, eager to leave, took a big step straight into the nearest room—the master bedroom.
Mia couldn't really say anything and just let him help James inside.
Once in the bedroom, they got him to the couch.
Mia let go first and stood up.
The alcohol smell was making Mia sick. She'd been holding it in the whole way up, but now she'd reached her limit.
Without even having time to speak, she covered her mouth and rushed into the bathroom, throwing up.
Louis laid James down on the couch. Without Mia's scent nearby, James sensed someone moving him and immediately raised his hand, slapping out.
Louis wasn't prepared and got hit again.
Furious, he lifted his foot and kicked James.
...
In the bathroom, Mia heard a loud thud. She pushed down her nausea and came out.
James, who had been lying on the couch, had somehow rolled onto the floor.
That sound must have been him falling off.
Looking at James sprawled on the floor.
Mia was still very angry and didn't want to deal with him.
She stood up, ready to go sleep in the guest bedroom.
But as she reached the door, her steps stopped.
Even though the house had climate control, sleeping on the floor all night—
She was so angry with him, furious.
She shouldn't care, but thinking about how sick he'd been last time.
She still couldn't harden her heart.
Mia cursed herself internally, then turned back toward James.
She crouched beside him and pushed his arm. "James, wake up."
James didn't respond. Mia was so frustrated she could grind her teeth.
With great effort, she slowly helped him sit up from the floor.
He was so heavy, she couldn't lift him at all. She spoke irritably into his ear, "James!"
Bullying her during the day, and now coming home this drunk to torment her at night.
James finally showed some response. He opened his bleary eyes, seeming to try to figure out if she was real.
He did something he'd never normally do—raised his hand to pinch his own face.
Seeming to feel the pain, he smiled at her.
His whole body relaxed as he reached out both arms to hold her, his voice soft, leaning close to her ear, murmuring, "Mia—"
His face was right by her ear, the alcohol breath going straight up her nose. Mia felt another wave of nausea and pushed his face back. "Get away, you stink."
James was such a jerk!
Taking advantage of her love for him to bully her!
Hearing her say he stank.
James slowly raised his arm and sniffed near his own nose.
He frowned too, moving his arm away with disgust on his face. "Stinks!"
Mia, who had been so annoyed, almost couldn't help laughing when she heard James insult himself.
It was both infuriating and funny.
She really hadn't expected drunk James to be like this.
Without his usual sharpness, his reactions a bit off, slightly silly.
It made him impossible to stay mad at!
"Don't be angry, Mia. I'll go shower, then I won't stink anymore."
James looked at her furrowed brow through his drunken haze, raised his hand to smooth her forehead, then braced himself on one side trying to stand up.
But he'd really had too much to drink. He struggled to his feet but swayed like a roly-poly toy.
Mia, who had stood up with him, helplessly stepped forward to steady him and led him into the bathroom.
As soon as he entered the bathroom, he stumbled toward the showerhead, desperate to clean himself.
Too drunk to tell hot from cold water.
He turned on the hot water directly.
Mia was about to leave when she saw this. Her heart in her throat, she rushed forward, pulled him back, and pushed him down onto a chair. "Sit here, don't move."
James obediently sat down, hands on his knees, like an elementary school student in class.
Drunk, he was really very obedient.
If only he could be this obedient when he wasn't drunk.
Doing whatever she said.
Not lying to her, not making her so sad.
Mia sniffled and went to run him a bath.
In his state, he clearly couldn't stand steady in the shower.
When she turned around, James was still sitting in that obedient position. Seeing her look at him, he said uncomfortably, "Mia, I want to take off my clothes."
His clothes reeked of alcohol.
Ever since Mia said he stank, his sense of smell seemed sharper.
He kept feeling like he stank, but Mia had told him not to move.
Mia really didn't know what to do with him.
This version of James—she couldn't even stay mad at him.
Seeing the water was almost ready, she told him, "Go ahead."
Like he'd received a pardon, James immediately reached to undress.
He tried to unbutton his shirt with one hand, fumbling for a long time without success.
He immediately looked to Mia for help.
Mia had no choice but to walk over and rescue him.
Not wanting to waste time, she quickly unbuttoned his shirt, then his belt, efficiently helping him out of his clothes.
The whole time, Mia kept her eyes straight ahead. When he was finally undressed, she said, "Done."
The water was also just full. She turned to shut it off.
With his clothes off, James asked uncomfortably, "Can I wash now?"
Hearing Mia's affirmative response, he stood up and headed toward the tub.
His steps were unsteady, swaying. Mia turned around and saw him already at the edge of the tub, about to topple in.
Mia immediately reached out to pull him back.
But James was tall and heavy—supporting him was already hard enough, let alone pulling him back.
She couldn't hold him, and instead got pulled toward the tub herself.
Mia's face went pale with fright.