Chapter 7 Inappropriate

Talia didn't know if platonic relationships were possible between a man and a woman, but she did know that Lucien appeared to have had too much to drink. The decanter he'd been holding was nowhere in sight, presumably because he'd emptied the water inside. More importantly, he was now surrounded by a group of people intent on getting him drunk. Thalia was pregnant and in no shape to fend off the relentless, drunken crowd. She'd chided them until she turned blue in the face, but none of them listened. Lucien was forced to down another few glasses, and his gait began to grow unsteady. Talia shot to her feet and excused herself from Jimmy's company. "Sorry, I need to check on Lucien." Jimmy stopped asking her strange questions and nodded as he said, "Sure, go ahead." Talia hurried over to Lucien and made it in time to snatch the new drink out of his hand. Someone groused, "Hey! Who the hell is this?" Talia paid the others no mind. She clutched Lucien's arm and asked, "Are you okay, Lucien?" Lucien held her gaze for a moment before finally recognizing her. He shook his head. "I'm fine." They spoke too softly for the drunken crowd to hear. Assuming Talia was a waitress at the bar, they immediately grabbed her arm and made to pull her away from Lucien. "Who the hell do you think you are to lay your hands all over Lucien? You must be one of those crazy, gold-digging women!" Lucien pried the person's hands off Talia, then shielded Talia behind him. Frowning, he snapped, "Don't touch her!" "Lucien, don't stand up for her! She's probably after your money! I've seen plenty of women like her—" "She's my wife," Lucien bit out icily. The drunken crowd suddenly sobered up at the announcement. Their eyes darted to Talia, who stood behind a protective Lucien, then to the ashen-faced Thalia on one side of the room. They asked in confusion, "No, wait… If she's your wife, what does that make Lia?" Everyone stared at Thalia in the background. She was still holding onto Lucien's jacket, though her expression was nothing short of flustered, and her eyes were rimmed red as well. "Like I said, Lucien and I are just friends." But her smile looked stiff and unnatural, almost like it was forced. Everyone was smart enough to read the room and realized they'd stumbled upon a sticky situation. Judging from Thalia's behavior, something was definitely amiss between her and Lucien. "Lucien, did you and Lia—" Lucien straightened up, and his eyes cleared as he cut the person off quietly, "It's getting late. Let's wrap up this reunion, shall we? Come on, Talia, let's go home." "Okay," Talia said with a nod. She glanced at Thalia and extended a hand toward the latter. "Thank you for holding onto Lucien's jacket, Ms. Griffin. I can take it from here." Thalia clung to Lucien's jacket, refusing to let go. "I'm coming home with you guys anyway. I can hold onto it just fine." With the crowd watching them, Talia stared at the other woman for a moment and decided to drop the subject. "Fine, then. I have to hold onto Lucien anyway, so thanks for lending a hand, Ms. Griffin." Lucien interjected, "Let's get going." Talia led Lucien toward the exit, while Thalia followed suit with Lucien's jacket in hand. The rest of the crowd lingered in the bar, their mouths hanging open. "What the hell is going on here?" "Your guess is as good as mine!" Jimmy sauntered over with a glass of wine at that moment, craning his neck as he downed the drink in one gulp. He shook his head and sighed. "Some people just don't know a good thing until it's gone…" Someone guffawed. "Damn, Jimmy, getting all sentimental after a few drinks? What do you mean by that anyway? Enlighten us philistines, will you?" "It means…" Jimmy slammed his empty glass down and stared at Thalia's forlorn, retreating figure, sighing again. "If she'd known this would happen, she should've tried harder in the past." The cold night breeze greeted Talia the moment she stepped out of the bar with Lucien. She shuddered, grateful for the heat that rolled off Lucien's body and scattered the chill from her bones. Well, half of it, anyway. Lucien was in no state to drive after all the drinks he'd had. He suggested, "I'll hail a cab." Thalia instantly whipped out her phone to do just that, but Talia interjected, "I'll drive." "You know how to drive?" Lucien was a little surprised by this. Talia laughed. "Yes, but the opportunity almost never presents itself." For the last three years, Lucien had been the one dropping her off and picking her up at the hospital. He stuck by his duty as a driver even when she had to work late-night shifts. Today was the first time he hadn't insisted on giving her a lift to the hospital. She asked, "Where are your keys?" "In my pocket." No sooner had he said this than Thalia rummaged through the pockets of his jacket. "I don't see them." Lucien must have had too much to drink, for he was bracing half his weight against Talia. He rested his head on her shoulder, frowning as he clarified, "The pocket of my pants." "Well, you need to straighten up, or I can't reach them," Talia said. "I can do it! Let me!" Thalia volunteered loudly as she approached them. She reached toward the pocket of Lucien's pants. Talia stopped her. "Ms. Griffin, I don't think it's… appropriate for you to reach into his pocket."