Triad

Christine poured herself another glass of Pinot Grigio as she rolled the dice on the game they were playing. Sebastian was putting on another CD; a trip hop group that always set the mood just right. She bit her lip and took a large sip of her wine as she tallied her roll in the candlelight; three fives, a two, and a three, not a bad three of a kind at all. Sebastian, noticing the near empty bottle of wine, walked into the apartment’s kitchen for another bottle.
“It’s your turn slow poke!”
He returned with a full glass and devious grin.
“In that big a rush to lose are we?”
“Big talk from someone who’s two glasses behind me. Roll.”
She smiled tauntingly as she tipped her glass back again. He rolled; four ones and a three. He kept his eyes on his score card as he retorted.
“So what exactly is at stake here?”
She trailed her fingers up her stomach and between her breasts, running them across her shoulder and pulling down a strap of her tank top. His eyes grew hungrier as he rolled the die that had shown the three; four ones and a two. She leaned over and began kissing his neck. Her fingers deftly unbuttoned his shirt as she exhaled softly in his ear. He let the die fall again as he let himself fall back with her atop him; five ones.

She awoke just before noon the next day, and only then because she could not hold her bladder any longer. She stopped in front of her sink and filled a small glass of water. She put a pill in her mouth and tipped her head back, letting the water wash the drug down her throat. It was nice being unemployed. Between her parents and her boyfriend, she had enough financial support to keep up this lifestyle for 2 more months, until her unemployment ran out. She swallowed another pill and contemplated what to watch until Sebastian came back from work at lunch. He should be there in a half hour or so. As she downed a third, different pill, one of 6 in her daily meds, her cell phone began ringing. She walked into the bedroom to answer it, but the sound was coming from the next room. She trotted to the living room and listened for the muffled ring tone. She found it between the second and third couch cushions and glanced at the display before answering.
“Hey sweety!”
She unfurled her panties from the pair of jeans crumpled on the floor and slipped them on.
“Oh, I wasn’t feeling too good last night so I went to bed kinda’ early.”
She momentarily pulled the phone from her ear as she slipped her tank top over her head.
“Huh? Oh, no, I’m fine now. I’m just gonna lay down for a little while, I got up kind of early… No, I don’t feel up for lunch right now, we’re still going to go see that movie tonight though, right?”
She felt around the coffee table for her glasses while she made small talk. She put them on, somewhat crooked from having been sat on at one point or another, and reached for the TV remote.
“Ok then, I’ll see you tonight. I love you too. Bye.”
The phone bounced across the cushion next to her as she turned on the television. She watched over her shoulder as she walked to the refrigerator and got a beer. Before she made it back to the couch, there was a knock on the door.
“Sebastian!”
She bounded to the foyer and unbolted the lock. As he walked in she began kissing him in a way that made very clear her intentions.

Christine walked through her door laughing, her boyfriend, Jayson, following behind with a 12 pack of beer and a bottle of Shiraz. She pulled out her phone and glanced at her missed calls before turning it off and setting it on her counter. Sebastian had tried her three times during the movie. She had told him she was going downtown with Michelle. He knew she wouldn’t be answering. Jayson made his way to the refrigerator and rifled slid the beer in before rifling through the leftovers for something to eat. There was some leftover spaghetti that he didn’t remember eating.
“When did you make this?”
He did not let the curiosity stop him from grabbing a fork and making himself a small bowl.
“Hmm? Oh, I made it for lunch today. I got hungry after I started feeling better.”
“Ah. Wine or beer?”
She didn’t bother answering as she opened the bottle of Shiraz and pulled out two wine glasses.
“So what do you want to do for the rest of the night?”
Jayson wiped his chin with a napkin and chewed to buy himself time to think of something to do.
“You wanna watch something? I know you weren’t crazy about that movie, so I’ll let you pick.”
She gave him a wide smile and darted for her movie cabinet. She pulled out 6 different horror movies before holding up one of her favorites that she knew he hadn’t seen yet. He smirked at her but sat down on the couch.
“Oh come on, don’t act so resigned. I think you might actually like this one. Besides, I’ll make it worth your while.”
She unbuttoned her jeans and slipped them down her legs and over her feet. She tipped back the last of wine in her glass and walked to the kitchen, a seductive sway in her step, to retrieve the bottle. His eyes trailed her body, a dark gleam behind them. She smiled breathlessly at that look.
She lay in front of him on the couch, pushing herself back against his hips. She let him touch. She let him kiss. But it wasn’t until the alcohol took hold that she slipped her underwear down and let him taste. She writhed in pleasure against his mouth. But she stopped him before he could take it any further. She pushed him back, taking control, and began kissing down his chest, down his stomach, down…

Christine eyed the tampons on aisle 5 with a grimace. She should have started her period 5 days ago. She was always on time, that’s why she never felt the need for birth control. She walked a little further and slipped a pregnancy into her purse, glancing around to make sure no one noticed. She left the pharmacy without buying anything.
When she arrived home she when straight to the restroom. She paced around her apartment for a good three minutes before checking… negative. She felt the tension leave her as she let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew, this calls for a celebration”
With that, she popped the cap on a beer and chugged. She was already drunk when Sebastian arrived at lunch. She lay face down on her bed and told him to take her. He obliged with no complaints as to her inebriation.

Two more days passed before Christine considered using the second pregnancy test from her pack. Finally, anxiety got the better of her and she took it into the bathroom. This time she stared at the stick until it responded. When it finally revealed the results the side of her mouth twitched on the verge of a grin. She dropped the test in the waste basket and went to the kitchen for another beer. She drank until the test faded from her mind.
“Positive.”

“It has to be yours… I haven’t been with anyone else.”
“I’m sorry Christine… I already have a daughter. I’m not going to take responsibility for another bastard. Besides, you can’t tell me there’s not even a chance it’s his.”
Sebastian spat out the last word with a tone of resentment. Christine’s eyes welled with angry tears.
“And just what the fuck do you expect me to do? I can’t afford a baby! I can’t even afford an abortion!”
Sebastian stood and walked to the counter, grabbing his wallet and keys.
“Look, Christine, we’ve had a blast together. I hate to leave things this way, but I’m not going to stick around for this. Here.”
He shuffled through his wallet and held out four one hundred dollar bills.
“This should cover the abortion if you don’t want to tell Jayson.”
She stood in stunned silence for a moment before exploding.
“Fuck you! Get the fuck out of my apartment!”
She slapped the money out of his hand and pushed him towards the door. He left without another word. Christine collapsed against the door in tears.

When Jayson finally arrived her eyes were red and swollen.
“Oh god, you know…”
She wiped her eyes and glared at him.
“What?”
He looked puzzled for a second before switching directions.
Oh, then what did you want to talk to me about?
“What do you mean ‘I know’?”
“It’s nothing, you go first.”
She let her anger drive her actions.
“No! You tell me right now! What are you so afraid of me ‘knowing?!”
Jayson looked miserable as he stumbled over what to say.
“Look, um, maybe… let’s sit down.”
He walked to the couch and sat, but Christine merely glared at him.
“Okay, so here goes… I think Sara might be pregnant… and I think it might be mine.”
He winced in anticipation of her response. She only stared though, any expression washed from her face.
“Christine?”
Finally, a laugh slipped from her mouth. Once began, she couldn’t stop the laughter.
“Christine…? Christine?!”
As the laughter moderated into mild chuckles, her gaze whipped to him and her expression flashed to hatred in a heartbeat.
“Get out.”

She had to step carefully to avoid the broken glass on her floor as she walked through the kitchen for the bottle of champagne she kept on her wine rack. She popped the cork without spilling a drop and poured some into her flute. She sipped gingerly as she high stepped back the way she had come. She walked back into the bathroom and took another sip as she stared into the toilet bowl at the bloody mess. She stood motionless for some time, listening to the bubbling of her drink. Finally, she downed the last of her drink and walked into her closet.
…dodged that bullet…
She rifled through some low cut blouses before picking one that matched her miniskirt. She donned some make-up and perfume, slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse, and walked out the door. The bars downtown were open for another three hours, after all, and she had four hundred dollars to blow.