Burning Obsession

‘I will not!’ she said angrily, shaking him as his eyes began to close. ‘Wake up, Jordan. Come on,’ she pulled at his arm. ‘You can’t stay here.’

‘I can stay where I damn well please,’ he scowled at her.

‘You should be in bed,’ she told him impatiently.

His expression was scornful. ‘What’s the point, you won’t share it with me.’

Deep colour flooded her cheeks. ‘Go to bed, Jordan,’ she said tightly.

He turned over, closing his eyes. ‘I’m perfectly com—com—I’m all right where I am,’ he amended sleepily.

‘Jordan!’ Kelly shook him again. ‘Jordan, wake up,’ she ordered desperately, but made no impression on his drunken state.

Her father suddenly appeared in the doorway, taking in the situation at a glance. ‘Need any help?’ he asked gently.

Kelly gave him a grateful smile. ‘Could you help me get him to bed? He—he isn’t well,’ she blushed.

A taunting laugh was emitted from Jordan, despite his having seemed to have been asleep. ‘What Kelly means,’ he rolled over, almost falling off the edge of the couch, ‘is that I’m stoned out of my mind,’ and he laughed again.

Her father came into the room, his dark hair tousled, a bathrobe covering his navy blue pyjamas. ‘I didn’t realise you were having a party,’ he said dryly.

‘Oh yes,’ Jordan looked up at him with wide bleary eyes. ‘For one,’ he gave a bitter laugh. ‘Isn’t that so, my love?’ He gave a taunting smile in Kelly’s direction. ‘Tell your father the reason for my solitary party,’ he encouraged, half sitting up. ‘Tell him—’ and he sank slowly back on to the couch, completely unconscious.

‘Oh God!’ Kelly buried her face in her hands. ‘I’m sorry, Daddy. So sorry you had to see this.’

‘That’s all right, love,’ he put his arm about her shoulders. ‘Had an argument, did you?’

‘Yes.’ She hid her face against his chest.

‘A bad one?’

‘Quite bad.’ Her voice was muffled.

‘Never mind. Even the best marriages have them.’ He held her at arm’s length. ‘Cheer up, love. No marriage is a success if you don’t have the occasional argument. Think how bored you would be if you agreed about everything.’

‘I suppose so,’ she sniffed inelegantly. Her father couldn’t possibly realise how bad things were between herself and Jordan. But why on earth had Jordan got drunk like this? It certainly wasn’t because of the argument they had had. Maybe he found this pretence too restricting to his own social life. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t stay here. ‘We have to get him upstairs,’ she told her father. ‘He can’t be found by Mrs McLeod in this condition.’

‘No, you’re right. You take one arm and I’ll take the other.’ He pulled Jordan up into a sitting position.

‘Are you sure you’re up to this?’ Kelly frowned her concern.

He laughed. ‘Don’t worry about me, I’ll be all right. I think it’s Jordan you should be worrying about, he’s going to have a terrible hangover when he wakes up.’

‘That’s no more than he deserves.’

‘Bitchy!’ he chided softly. ‘Everyone is entitled to get drunk occasionally. Although I must say I’ve never seen Jordan like this before, I thought he had too much self-control.’

‘Oh, he has self-control.’ They hoisted him to his feet, supporting him either side as they half walked, half carried him upstairs. ‘It just lapses sometimes,’ although not usually in this way!

‘Here we are.’ Her father pushed open the bedroom door and they laid Jordan down on the bed.

Too late Kelly realised they were in the bedroom Jordan had moved out of only that afternoon. Oh well, it was too late now to worry about that. Anyway, she could never explain the use of a different bedroom to her father.

‘Need any help getting him undressed?’ Her father looked down at Jordan as he lay sideways across the bed.

‘I don’t think I’ll bother,’ Kelly grimaced. ‘Better to let him sleep. I’ll just take his shoes off,’ and she proceeded to do so. ‘You get back to bed, Daddy. I’ll be all right now.’

‘Night, love,’ he bent to kiss her on the temple. ‘And don?