Why Sober?

Chapter 20 - Why Sober?

It was finally barbecue night, and by the time the sun had disappeared, the lawn in front of the building had been transformed into a small gathering place. Torin and Gia had spent most of the afternoon preparing everything. Several trays of marinated meat were arranged beside the grill, side dishes covered the tables, drinks were packed into large buckets filled with ice, and enough chairs had been placed around the lawn for practically everyone in the building.

The first guests began arriving soon after. Since everyone living in the building had been invited, the gathering quickly became crowded. Tenants came down with their wives, husbands, children, and friends, greeting Torin and Gia as they arrived. The smell of grilled meat soon spread through the entire area, mixing with the sound of conversations and laughter.

After some time, Alisha finally arrived.

Torin happened to be carrying a tray when he looked up and saw her walking toward the gathering. She was dressed more elegantly than he had expected, and for a moment, he almost forgot what he was doing. She looked especially stunning under the warm outdoor lights.

But what caught his attention wasn't Alisha herself.

She wasn't alone.

A woman was walking beside her, and Torin immediately recognized her after Alisha introduced them.

“Torin, this is Kelly. She's Tina's mother.”

Kelly smiled warmly and extended her hand. Torin placed the tray down before shaking it. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Kelly replied.

Her manner was surprisingly friendly. There was none of the arrogance Torin might have expected from someone with her background. He remembered seeing her years ago, back when he had been a student. He had greeted her politely one morning, but she hadn't even looked at him. At the time, he had simply assumed she hadn't heard him.

Now, remembering that moment while looking at her again, a small suspicion formed in the back of his mind.

Is there something she wants from me?

He couldn't think of any other reason someone like her would suddenly take such an interest in him. Still, he didn't let the thought show on his face. Whatever Kelly's reason for coming was, there was no point ruining the evening by worrying about it.

“Anyway, welcome,” Torin said with a smile. “There's plenty of food and drinks, so make yourselves comfortable.”

Kelly thanked him, and Alisha quickly joined the other guests.

As more people arrived, the lawn became increasingly lively. Children ran between the tables while the adults gathered around, talking over one another. Someone turned on music, and the atmosphere gradually became less like a simple neighborhood barbecue and more like a proper celebration.

Once everyone had arrived, Gia's father stepped forward and tapped his glass to get everyone's attention. The conversations slowly died down, and people turned toward him.

He gave a short speech about the gathering, thanking everyone for coming and talking about how important it was for the people living in the building to know one another. Afterward, he turned toward Torin and called him forward.

Torin walked over, slightly surprised to suddenly have everyone's attention on him.

He gave a small smile before speaking. “Thank you all for coming tonight. I know everyone is busy, so I really appreciate you taking the time to come down and spend the evening together. I also want to give special thanks to Gia. Without her help and support, none of this would have been possible.”

Gia looked slightly embarrassed by the attention, but she smiled as everyone applauded.

Torin nodded to the crowd before stepping away from the center. “That should be enough speeches for one night,” he joked. “Now let's eat before everything gets cold.”

Laughter spread through the crowd, and the barbecue officially began.

Torin spent most of the evening standing beside the grill. He turned the meat carefully, watched for anything that was beginning to burn, and placed cooked pieces onto plates whenever someone came over. The other men gradually joined him, taking turns at the grill and carrying plates back to their families.

The night passed quickly.

Plates that had been full were emptied one after another, while bottles and glasses were constantly being refilled. Conversations became louder as more people drank, and eventually several of the guests were laughing at things that probably wouldn't have been funny earlier in the evening.

Torin himself stayed relatively sober. He continued moving between the grill and the tables, making sure everyone had enough food.

At some point, Alisha approached him with Kelly beside her.

Both women were clearly tipsy. Alisha had a slight sway in her step, while Kelly was smiling more than usual and seemed to find everything amusing.

“Torin…” Alisha began, but before she could continue, Gia appeared beside them.

“You two have had enough,” Gia said, taking Alisha gently by the arm.

Alisha protested, but Gia simply laughed and led both women toward the open space where several people had already started dancing.

Torin watched them for a moment before turning back toward the grill. He had barely taken another step when something suddenly bumped into his legs.

He looked down. Misty was standing there.

A second later, Leena came running after her.

Unlike almost everyone else at the barbecue, neither of them looked drunk. Leena's expression was completely sober, while Torin simply stared down at Misty's sleepy eyes.

Torin looked at Leena and smiled. “Didn't you enjoy the party?”

“I didn't drink,” Leena replied.

“Yeah, I figured. I didn't either.” Misty reached her arms toward him, and Torin immediately understood what she wanted. He bent down and picked her up, settling her comfortably against his chest.

For a while, the noise of the party continued around them while the three of them spoke quietly. Torin eventually lowered his voice and asked about the matter they had discussed before.

“Did you get any information about Brask?” Leena shook her head.

“Nothing useful?”

“Nothing,” she replied.

She looked somewhat frustrated before changing the subject. She told Torin a little about her work and how difficult things had become lately. Her employer continued taking liberties with her whenever he could, making the job increasingly uncomfortable. Even so, she kept going back every day because she needed the money.

She glanced at Misty. “I can't just quit.”

Torin understood immediately.

He looked down at the little girl in his arms. Misty's eyes had already closed, and her breathing had become slow and steady. At some point during their conversation, she had fallen asleep against his chest.

“She must be exhausted,” Torin said.

Leena looked at her daughter and nodded.

“Let's take her to your apartment,” Torin suggested. “She'll be more comfortable there.”

Leena agreed, and the two of them left the gathering together.

The sounds of laughter and music gradually faded behind them as they walked through the building. When they reached Leena's apartment, she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Torin followed her into Misty's room.

He carefully lowered the sleeping girl onto the bed, making sure not to wake her. He pulled the blanket over her and watched for a moment as she settled into a comfortable position.

Leena stood quietly near the doorway, watching him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Torin gave her a small nod.

They left the bedroom and returned to the living room, where Leena sat down on the sofa. Torin sat beside her, leaving only a small space between them.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The apartment felt strangely quiet after the noise outside. The muffled music from the barbecue could still be heard through the windows, but it was distant enough that it almost sounded like it belonged to another world.

Leena kept her eyes lowered, her hands resting together in her lap. Torin glanced toward her several times, wondering what was going through her mind. There was something different about her tonight, something he couldn't quite understand.

Eventually, he turned his head toward her.

Leena was already looking at him. Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away. Before Torin could say anything, Leena leaned closer and kissed him.

The kiss was quiet and hesitant at first, as though she was still unsure whether she should have done it. Torin didn't pull away. After a moment, he returned the kiss, and the hesitation between them slowly disappeared.

Leena moved closer, and Torin wrapped an arm around her, holding her against him as the kiss deepened. Neither of them spoke. Outside, the barbecue continued without them, but inside the apartment, everything seemed to have gone completely still.

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