Learning to Trust: Changing Places Read Online Free Page B

that?" I said snidely.
    "This is just for spilling," he said. "I use only the finest."
    I giggled and took a sip. "It's good!" Somehow, this was softening me up, mostly because I wasn't expecting it at all. Even though there were bigger forces at play, I figured it was okay to laugh and smile sometimes. I was trying to be undercover as a human, not as an alien .
    "To our future!" Roland said. He clinked his glass against mine even before I could put in the effort. Even more spilled.
    " Roland!" I complained. Some of it had spilled on me . I grabbed my napkin and scrambled to soak it all up. "This is a catastrophe."
    " I couldn't have said it better, pet." With a look of determination, h e chugged his glass and then grabbed the bottle to give it another shot. He succeeded. Not a drop spilled. "See, I told you I could do it."
    "That's one out of three," I said. "Not the best odds. I could definitely do better."
    He slid another unopened bottle of champagne over. "Go ahead then."
    I worked slowly, but I got the cork out and gave him the cockiest smile I could muster. "Just for you, Roland."
    My grins were met by his playful frown, his mouth looking as if it had literally been turned upside down. It was actually proving to be a fun, relaxing night for both of us. But moments like these just reminded me of how far Roland could go, just how much he could change himself to adapt to any situation. Here we were drinking and having a good time while millions of dollars went from place to place in the background—and people vanished entirely. Honestly, the alcohol did wonders in helping me to forget about such heavy thoughts .
    We sat around and drank like that until we'd both had far more than we should have. Wobbly and with the world spinning, I stumbled up the stairs to my room at the end of the night, totally unaware that this would prove to be the last real night of innocence, the last night of my vague suspicions that still couldn't be verified. As of right now, my hands were clean—and that wa s about to change very suddenly and without adequate warning.
    No, I couldn't think about it now. I was drunk . Tomorrow, Marisa. Tomorrow...
     
    TO BE CONTINUED...
     
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