After finishing the entire bottle of liquor, Laney was totally plastered. She couldn‘t support herself and
had to lean over the bar counter, muttering drunken gibberish.
“I don‘t need a man. I have friends. That‘s more than enough. Isn‘t it good to be single and free? Why
would I want a man?” Listening to her drunken ramblings, Janet didn‘t know how to respond. She
carefully draped a coat over Laney‘s shoulders and patted her on the back. Then she caught a glimpse
of the man sitting in a booth near them.
The dim light in the bar illuminated Garrett‘s face, exposing the complex emotions in his eyes. He was
looking at Laney in pensive silence. After hesitating slightly, Janet nodded at Garrett in greeting. She
had no idea he had followed Laney there. 1 Laney suddenly reached out and tugged Janet‘s sleeve.
“Hey, why‘d you stop? Let’s have another round. Didn‘t you say you‘d get hammered with me?”
“Okay, okay. Let‘s drink.” Janet turned around and continued to pour whiskey for Laney as if she hadn‘t
seen Garrett. Perhaps Laney had sensed Janet’s hesitation. She craned her neck and turned to look in
the direction Janet was facing just now.
“What were you looking at just now? Did you see a hot guy? I want to see him, too!”
“I wasn‘t looking at anything. Come on, let‘s drink,” Janet said quickly, wanting to stop her. But she was
too late. Laney had already seen the man Janet was looking at just now.
Garrett stood out amongst the crowd. Maybe it was because the rest of the people in the bar were
pretty bland–looking, or maybe it was simply because Garrett was outstandingly handsome that
Laney‘s eyes were drawn to him almost instantly.
After the two locked eyes, Laney quickly withdrew her gaze. She staggered to her feet, picked up her
things, and grabbed Janet‘s arm.
“I don‘t want to drink anymore. Let‘s go.” However, before they could leave, Garrett suddenly reached
for Laney‘s hand and said gently, “You‘re drunk. Let me drive you home.”
But Laney pushed him away. Her legs were a little weak, so she staggered a little.
“I don‘t need you to take me home. You already know that I‘m drunk, so why do you still offer me a
ride? What do you expect to happen, huh?” Janet hurried to Laney‘s side and shook her head at
Garrett.
“She doesn‘t want to see you for now. Don‘t worry. I’ll take her home.” Garrett didn‘t try to insist. Janet
hailed a taxi and then helped Laney in.
The second Laney got back to her apartment, she slumped over her bed, murmuring something
incoherent. Janet was worried about Laney. After tucking her in, she texted Ethan, telling him that she
would stay the night at Laney‘s place.
The following morning, Laney woke up with a splitting headache. Her grumpy expression, coupled with
her pale, chapped lips, made her look even more depressed.
“Laney, you don‘t look so good. Do you want to go back to bed and sleep some more?” Janet had gone
out to get breakfast. When she came back and saw the listless Laney, she was genuinely worried.
Laney rubbed her aching temples and said dismally, “No, I‘m fine.”
Janet set a cup of coffee in front of Laney and said, “Time heals all wounds. Do you want to go on a
vacation? Maybe what you need is a change of environment.” Laney sipped on her coffee and
grimaced, still feeling the effects of the liquor.
“Do you have the time to go with me?” Janet smiled. “I can ask for a vacation leave. Besides, I haven‘t
been that busy lately.” Laney fell silent and proceeded to drink her coffee. Just then, Janet‘s phone
rang. Looking at the caller ID, she excused herself.
“I need to take this. Think about it, okay?” It was from Ethan. The second the call connected, he said in
a low, melancholic voice, “Grandma‘s sick. We have to go back to Seacisco today.“
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