oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine; you think your dreams are the same as mine.

voicemail @ 9:27 PM

Hi sweetie, it's Mom. I just wanted to let you know that your aunt Dorothy passed away this afternoon. You know she's been fighting lung cancer. Her poor body just couldn't take it anymore. Your grandmother isn't taking it well, so I'm flying out first thing in the morning. I hope you'll be coming soon. We're not sure when the funeral will be, but I'm expecting Tuesday or Wednesday. I know you have work, but they excuse you for these things, don't they? [huffing can be heard] I've already talked with your sister and she said she'll be coming out Sunday, so you could fly with her. Your father won't be making it because of some pressing matters at work, so I really need you girls. Alright. I'll talk to you later. Call me back, please! My flight leaves at eight tomorrow, so I'm going to bed here shortly. Call me tomorrow or leave me a message and let me know your plans. I love you, baby. Bye-bye.

voicemail @ 10:43 PM

Hey, Aids. It's Dee. I'm sure Mom's already called you about Aunt Dorothy. I went ahead and booked us both for a Sunday morning flight - you can pay me back when we meet up. It departs JFK at 9:30. Since I wasn't sure when the funeral was, I have a tentative return for Thursday afternoon. I didn't know if I should book a seat for Chris too, so if you could let me know as soon as possible, that would be great. Talk soon. Later, sis.

Nora's birthday had been a success in Aida's opinion. Dinner had been amazing, and the dancing that followed had been even more so. After the snowstorm and the stress that came with commuting to and from work in it (not to mention the fallout), it was a nice way to wind down the week. Instead of going home to change, Aida had instructed Chris to meet her at the restaurant. Since her shift ended at seven and dinner was set to start at eight, she had to hustle and so she'd taken a dress in to work with her, leaving her scrubs in the tiny cubby where she left her belongings throughout the day. Hopefully no one would be inclined to steal them, but if so, that was the breaks. At that point, Aida truly didn't care what anyone did with her scrubs. Since the temperatures were well below freezing still, she'd chosen a dress that was more modest than she normally would have. It was long-sleeved and the hem was just below her knees. The back was cut out however, so there was still a tiny bit of sexiness to the otherwise simple dress and the heels she wore would have had most towering over others. Due to her height however, Aida was merely of average height in them. She'd take it.

By the time she reached the restaurant, she was nearly half an hour late. She'd fortunately had the foresight to shoot Nora a quick text letting her know of her expected tardiness. Arriving at the café, Aida was a bit surprised to see that Chris stood waiting near the entrance for her instead of joining the party. Of course he'd never met Nora, but still that was no real excuse in Aida's opinion. Hell, he was the one that had the bottle of wine. She didn't remark on it though and aside from a puzzled look, it wasn't addressed and instead Chris was seated along with her upon her arrival. From there, time practically flew. The restaurant closed at 10:30, so the party moved on shortly after. She checked her phone and noted the missed call from her mother, but dismissed it. Rosalie Howard always had the worst timing when she decided to give her youngest daughter a call to chit-chat.

As the night wore on and the drinks flowed more heavily, Aida's inhibitions dropped drastically. Ever the proper gentleman, Chris was conscientious of how much he drank and as Aida grew more boisterous and outgoing - if that was even possible - he seemed to fold in on himself. He was present, but not really. In her state, Aida didn't notice or if she did, she certainly didn't mind. Chris had never been overly fun on a night out such as this. He wasn't always a drag, but he was never fond of her when she drank too much. That night, Aida didn't care what he thought. She was tired and she was wound up from the past few days of work. She needed this, but that didn't seem to register with her boyfriend. Every attempt to get him to join the fun-everyone else was having a good time-was thwarted and so she simply quit and instead turned her attention to the other guests. Shaun for one was always up for a good time. And then there were those that weren't part of the party. Aida couldn't say how many men she flirted with. Perhaps that wasn't the wisest thing to do in the company of her longtime boyfriend, but she was having fun and Chris was anything but.

To his credit, Chris kept up with the party throughout the night, but he was quick to call it a night just after midnight. In truth, Aida was grateful for that and really, she was grateful he was there even if he was a tiny bit of a drag. She was exhausted, but more than that, she was drunk and at the moment she was happy. When Chris hailed a cab instead of taking the subway, Aida was practically giddy. Less walking in the five inch heels she wore. Her feet were already aching from working on them all day and then dancing in the heels all night. The cab would be warmer than the subway too. Once ensconced in the back of a cab and Chris had given the driver their address, Aida practically crawled into his lap. The response she got wasn't exactly what she'd been hoping for.

The sloppy kisses weren't reciprocated and when her hands went to fumble with the buttons of his shirt, Chris gently extracted himself. No matter how gentle or how courteous he was meant a thing Aida. All she knew in that moment was rejection and as her moods were wont to do while intoxicated, it shifted dramatically. Her glee quickly soured into something more akin to surliness as she settled against the backseat. Arms crossed over her chest, she glowered at the back of the seat in front of her. Chris had been privy to her mood swings when she drank too much and so he was prepared for it even if he wasn't particularly fond of it. Even as she stubbornly tried to put as much space between them, his fingers wrapped around her hand gripping tightly enough that she couldn't pull away. Aida wouldn't fully remember the exchange, but Chris was as patient as ever even when made uncomfortable by her antics and she'd undoubtedly be ashamed later.

It was while huffing and stubbornly ignoring her boyfriend that Aida fumbled for her cell phone to see she'd missed a second call, this one from her sister. That was odd and after a couple of tries, she managed to replay the two voicemails. She could feel Chris' eyes on her and her face was strangely devoid of emotion as she replayed the voicemails a second time. Through the drunken haze, it took her a moment to comprehend what had happened. A wave of emotion rolled over her then and had she been sober, Aida would have been humiliated. She was never overly emotional, but with the alcohol and the feeling of rejection, her emotions were indeed running thin. Her cell phone fell from her hands to the floorboard of the cab and she turned into her boyfriend's embrace and sobbed. God only knew why she cried. Maybe part of it was because she felt she should. She'd never been all that close with her great aunt, but her death was still sad, right? The last twenty minutes of the ride were split between Chris attempting to comfort her and Aida doing her best to relay exactly what had happened.

"We'll make plans in the morning, okay?" His voice was soft, his hands gentle as they brushed at her face. "I'll make reservations for us to fly out. We can go as soon as you want." He gave her a reassuring smile and leaned in to press a kiss to her brow.

A knot of panic unfurled in her belly for some crazy, unknown reason and her sister's voice rang in her mind. I didn't know if I should book a seat for Chris too… "No!" Her quick, nearly shouted retort took them both by surprise. The one thing that would stick with Aida even in her state was the look of pain that flickered behind his blue-green eyes. Ever selfless and quick to hide any discomfort he felt (just as he had all night long), Chris merely raised a brow. Looking anywhere but at her boyfriend, Aida hastened to elaborate. "It's - my sister's already booked a flight." She forced a smile. "Besides, you've got work you can't miss." Like she was doing him a favor.

Chris didn't utter a word in protest, but anyone could see that there was more going on in his mind than he was letting on. Aida chose to ignore this and instead tried for peace. Pulling his arm around her, she snuggled close for the duration of the ride down to Brooklyn. Not another word was spoken as they departed from the cab. Chris picked up Aida's forgotten phone and paid their fare before following her up the steps to the brownstone they shared. He might not have said anything, but it was clear that he was troubled by the fact that his girlfriend of over three years didn't want him to accompany her to a relative's funeral. He wasn't stupid-far from it in fact-but she gave him so many mixed signals sometimes, that he wasn't sure which way was up and which was down. As they settled into bed, he glanced over at Aida, his expression neutral. "I actually forgot, I do have to go in to work for a little while tomorrow." Her response was little more than a noncommittal grunt as she burrowed under the covers already close to unconsciousness. Chris would be gone when she woke, already holed up in his office hard at work.