Sweet Red

Sweet Red
After taking a walking tour of a few of the most opulent casinos on the Las Vegas strip, a little gambling and a late dinner at a buffet the two headed home. For the first time since the break-up Serena began to feel like herself before ending things with Wes.

Paul opened the door to his home, stepping aside so she could enter. Although his home was a palace compared to her own little cottage Serena felt the cold and distant atmosphere the moment she stepped inside his home earlier. Yes, it was sparsely furnished with the basics but even the color schemes lacked warmth and welcome. Every space looked like the room before and after - it was all gray floors, slate walls, and charcoal-colored accents. Even the kitchen had chrome appliances, which would have stood out in any other home, but here, they just reached into her heart and pulled out a handful of sadness and hopelessness.

There weren't even pictures of people on the walls - just busy street scenes or pictures of the strip.

After the front door was closed and secure he invited her to sit in the living room for a little while. She agreed without hesitation already feeling much lighter than when they had landed.

She sat on one end of his black leather loveseat, and he sat on the other. She sat at an angle to face him easier.

"Thank you for this trip," she told him, realizing it was even easier to breathe now. "It was exactly what I needed."

He slapped her knee, standing again. "Can I offer you a drink? Maybe some wine?"

She nodded, looking at his retreating body. "Do you have anything sweet by chance?"

Paul walked to the open kitchen behind the loveseat. "I do, actually." He opened a cabinet, pulled out two wine glasses and then walked to the wine fridge next to the refrigerator. "I got a bottle as a Christmas present from my new editor," he said. "I didn't think I'd ever open it since I can't stand the stuff."

"Then I better make sure to drink it all tonight. Leave the glass, bring me the bottle." She joked.

Paul laughed as he pulled two bottles from the appliance. "There's the girl I know." He boasted as he busied his hands opening each bottle and filling the glasses.

She smiled. Looking at him in the kitchen right now, preparing the nightcap, she could easily picture domestic bliss with him back home. "Paul?" She called out.

"Hmm?" He responded as he put the bottles back in the wine fridge.

"Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you had stayed in Apple Bay?" She asked.

Without skipping a beat Paul shook his head. "There's no use in wasting time pondering over what didn't happen, Serena. I played the cards I was dealt not only to survive, but to thrive." He grabbed the glasses from the counter and walked back to the living room handing her a wine glass full of a burgundy-colored liquid as he held on to one with white.

"Cheers," he said clinking her glass before sitting.

"Chin chin," she responded before taking a small tentative sip. She felt the tart sweetness invade her tastebuds making sure the taste was to her liking before taking a longer swig. "Mmm, this is delicious," she said as soon as she had downed the contents. "Do you mind if I get more?"

Paul chuckled as he handed her his drink, which was still quite full of the original contents. "I'll get it," he said standing and walking back to the kitchen.

Serena leaned back against the support of the sofa enjoying the warm feeling of the wine as it invaded her body - like a set of standing dominos that fall in orderly sequence is how she felt the alcohol travel throughout her being. She began to feel heady already.

Paul returned with a new glass switching it with his own. "It looks like you're ready for bed," he said amusingly.

Serena looked at him with an extremely relaxed expression and a closed-lip smile to match. "Not before I help you with that bottle," she sat up to have another sip.

"Sip it slowly," Paul advised, looking at her with mirth. "It can sneak up on you."

Serena took a long swig, but when she attempted another, she found she couldn't stomach another drop. Not to mention the burning sensation she felt in her esophagus. She handed Paul her glass unceremoniously. "I think I'm done," she said as she began to stand. "I think I need an antacid. Do you have Tums, or maybe Pepto Bismol?"

Paul placed the wine glasses on the black coffee table in front of them. "I do," he said as he began to stand.

Serena had intended to follow him, but as her body turned to try to keep up, her feet remained crossed, making her lose her balance.

She gasped audibly, seeing as Paul turned to catch her before she fell onto the coffee table.

"Woah there," he said as he rescued her swiftly, staring into her eyes, brushing her hair away from her face. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "My face feels so numb," she whispered as she pressed a finger against her cheek. "It feels like my cheek is swollen, yet at the same time it feels like it's gone missing."

Paul laughed, "I'm cutting you off," he said as he lifted her in his arms and began walking up the stairs.

She stared at him intently as his eyes remained on the path ahead. "I wish my hugs could reach the child that you used to be." She blurted. "I wish I could let him know just how loved he was and continues to be."

Her words caused him to halt outside her bedroom door. His gaze was expressionless as he stared ahead.

Serena dropped her feet to the ground climbing out of his embrace, but holding on to him for balance. She placed ginger fingers under his chin, turning his face to her gently, waiting for him to look at her before she continued. "I'm glad I got to know the child you were, Paul. Even after you left, knowing you were somewhere in the world brought me peace when I needed it the most."

As he looked into her eyes, Serena noticed as Paul's stare gradually went from stoic to emotional. The visual connection felt as if it lasted an eternity before Paul finally wrapped his arms around her body and buried his face in her neck.

Despite the alcohol-induced haze, it was when she felt the unexpected pricks of cold moisture falling against her shoulder that she understood just how broken Paul still was.

Serena wrapped her arms around Paul as tightly as she could wishing she could absorb some of his pain.