Drunk on Love

A bit of background on this first ever dip of my toe into writing. I was challenged by someone to write a story using this specific narrative, and then publish it here on Literotica.

THE CHALLENGE: "Two people meet at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. She is 28 years old with a child and massive debts, and he is 19 years old and in college. Build it up. Skip through the college years without them hooking up until after he has an entry-level position in a company, and she has a steady job and is comfortable with her life. Her family has just come back into the picture, and are supporting her now which she cannot do without; but they would disappear, if they found out about his age and prior addiction. Make it a happy ending."

So here it is, exposed and raw.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olivia stood on the steps of Andover House; this was a big step for her. She could walk away now and go back home to her daughter and carry on as normal; but this meant that social services would remove Alicia into care, and she may never see her again. So slowly, but with conviction, she climbed the steps to the front door. This was it, if she walks through these doors now, she finally must admit that she has a problem.

Walking into that hall was one of the most daunting moments in her life, even in her slightly inebriated state, the nerves were palpable, and she almost turned and fled back the way she came.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket, the Lock Screen was a photo of her daughter, only six years old, and a product of a drunken night with whomever she was with that night. She really couldn't remember, but she also didn't care. Alicia was her reason for living and the sole incentive of being in the room she was now.

She wasn't the first, there were three other people sitting on various chairs arranged in a half-moon in the back of the hall. One was an elderly gentleman who was inventively reading the leaflet that was left of every seat, then two other young women who were deep into a quiet in-depth conversation, both appeared much younger than her 28 years.

Quietly she approached the seating, but nobody looked up, or took any notice of her. Choosing a seat furthest away from the others, she sat down and stared at the photo of Alicia on her phone, trying to ignore the gut-induced feeling to flee.

Through one of the side doors, a man who appeared to be in his mid-50s entered the hall. Approaching the seating, he sat in a wooden backed chair that faced the half-circle. Introducing himself as Mike, he then welcomed the four of us to this session of Alcoholics Anonymous. Mike seemed to know the other three already and then locked eyes with Olivia. Her palms were damp with perspiration.

Just as Mike was about to say something to her, the doors at the back of the hall were flung open and a young man stormed through, shouting back at an unseen party in the hallway outside. He was clearly incredibly angry, so Mike stood up and walked over to him.

Taking him back through the doors, he spoke to the person on the other side and the angry young man who had so rudely interrupted the start of the meeting. Olivia was quietly pleased that this infraction had happened, as it excused her from having to talk to Mike, at least for the time being.

After a few minutes, Mike returned with the now much calmer young man in tow. He sullenly collapsed into a chair opposite Olivia and glared at the floor obviously still quite angry. Under all that emotion, he was very handsome with dark unkempt hair and piercing green eyes.

"Right then," said Mike, "if there are no other distractions or interruptions, we will begin the meeting."

One by one the others spoke. Introducing themselves as Heinrich, an old, grizzled truck driver who had lost his driving license for driving under the influence; Serena, a street worker who wanted to start a new life; and her friend Harriet, a croupier at the local casino, who was told she would lose her job if she didn't get her drinking under control. Then once again, Mike looked at Olivia.

Feeling under intense scrutiny, she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Olivia," she began, "I've been drinking since my late teens after my father died from cancer. My mother fell apart and I went to live with my grandparents. I got in with the wrong crowd and kept getting into trouble. As soon as I turned sixteen, they threw me out on the street, and it went downhill from there."

By now, the tears were flowing from Olivia and even the sullen young man looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

"I lived on the street for the next few years only grabbing a bed if I could meet a man for sex in bars or clubs. One of these nights resulted in my daughter being born. I was offered social housing by the local government-run charity, so I had a safe place to bring up Alicia. I have tried my hardest to be a good mother, but the booze is my only support, my family wanting nothing to do with me, and my debt has risen so out of control that I cannot even begin to pay it back. Now I'm here as they want to take Alicia from me, to put her into foster homes. I couldn't stand that to happen."

Olivia was exhausted, it had all come tumbling out in one long stream of words, her face soaking and streaked from the tears; but she had done it. This was a new step for her, a corner turned.

After she sat, she stared at nothing in a daze and barely noticed when the young man started to talk. His name was Ben, a college kid who, like her, got in with the wrong crowd. They were drinking and partying more than they were studying. A few had already dropped out and he was on the fine line to losing his scholarship when his father stepped in and talked the chancellor into allowing him to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous group before they make their final decision. He was quite a well-spoken kid and obviously from a decent family but had travelled the wrong road which found him stood in front of her now.

Olivia found herself drawn to Ben, his sincerity in the way he spoke, plus he was devilishly handsome with gorgeous striking green eyes. She tried to shake it off, he was a child for God's sake, no older than eighteen or nineteen. She shook his face from her mind and tried to concentrate on why she was there - Alicia.

After the meeting finished, Heinrich left quickly without even a goodbye, but the rest loitered a bit, taking advantage of the tea, coffee and biscuits that Mike had laid out. Mike beckoned Olivia over and started to talk about how the next few weeks could be utilised in getting her sober. She needed a "buddy" support friend though, and as Harriet and Serena were already paired up, it just left Ben as the only free person to join with. This wasn't an unpleasant thought, but could someone so young be support for her during this difficult period?

Mike called Ben over, and the three of them hashed out a support package for the next twelve weeks to be re-evaluated after that time.

As the weeks came and went, Ben and Olivia became remarkably close, both incredibly supportive of each other. The drinking stopped, and where Olivia concentrated on becoming the best possible parent to Alicia, Ben removed himself from his deadbeat friends and started putting his studies first. As time went along, neither needed to visit the AA group every week, then weeks turned to months.

While Olivia and Ben still text each other from time to time, they slowly drifted into separate circles and moved on with their lives. Olivia could never forget those eyes though, the pools of green that she had never seen in any person before.

-------- x --------

A year passed. Olivia had been completely sober now for eighteen months. Alicia was happy in school and had finally met her great grandparents who adored her. After a few weeks of crisis talks with her grandparents, and the promise of a clean slate, Olivia had been given a position at her grandfather's Real Estate business, and was about to move to her first real home with Alicia. No more social housing. They had also paid off her debts and Olivia promised that she would not apply for any more credit cards. It had been a battle with demons, but she felt that she had finally beaten them, and a normal life could finally be hers.

Turning up at the office one rainy day, she decided that for lunch she would try the new delicatessen across the road. The sign outside advertised some delicious sounding sandwiches, and it was just too wet to trudge down to the usual lunch haunt in the town centre. Crossing the road, Olivia was halfway across when she spotted a familiar figure that she never thought she would see again. Ben!...

She almost did a double take as it caught her so off guard. A car honked its horn as she realised, she was still standing in the middle of the road. Quickly getting out of the way, she considered calling his name, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.

Something must have caught his attention as he stopped at the newsagents' window next to the deli, then with a quick turn, he was looking at her. He had the biggest smile on his face.

"Liv!" he shouted waving, "this is great! I was just thinking about you yesterday and here you are."

He pulled her in for a hug. Catching her breath, Olivia responded by hugging right back.

"Ben, it's fantastic to see you, you look great. You've had a haircut."

Ben laughed, "almost two years and that's what you noticed?"

Olivia blushed. She couldn't help herself; he was devilishly handsome and had matured in his face since she saw him last, but it was those eyes, those beautiful piercing green eyes...

"So how have you been?" Ben asked.

Olivia summarised the past eighteen months to where she was now. Ben was smiling broadly as she narrated her story to him.

"This is fantastic news," he replied, once Olivia had finished talking. "I never doubted you would get back on your feet."

Ben then added, "I kept meaning to keep in touch, but so much time elapsed that I became ashamed to ring or even text."

"It's okay," Olivia said in reply, "you were busy with college and rebuilding your own life, I didn't want to get in the way of that. I was a mother of a small child and totally would have cramped your style."

"It wasn't that at all!" Ben explained, "I was beginning to develop romantic feelings towards you, and I was scared, concerned that I was so young, and you could never feel the same way. I distanced myself to try and get over those feelings."

Olivia was stunned, she had no idea. Were the signs there? Was she just so engrossed in her own problems that she just missed all the signs?

"I'm sorry Ben, I had no idea," she said. Olivia didn't know what else to say and there was an awkward silence for a brief moment before Olivia continued, "So, what are you doing with your life these days?"

"I'm working in the accounting firm across the road" he replied, "been there for about a week now".

"You're kidding?" Olivia exclaimed, "I work at the real estate office three doors up, it's my family's business. I was just coming over to the deli here to pick up some lunch when I saw you."

"Well, if that's the case," said Ben, "let me buy you that lunch, we can eat inside and have a coffee or two as I'm on my lunch break, too."

The hour went much too quickly as they talked and laughed. It was like they had never been apart; it felt extremely comfortable being together. They both felt it.

"I have to go back to work now Liv, but can I see you again?" Ben asked. "I'd like to take you to dinner if you would let me," he continued.

Olivia felt herself blush again, "I'd really like that," she replied, "here's my number, it's a new one".

"I will ring you later Liv," and with that Ben rose from the chair, leant over and kissed her on the cheek. Then he was gone.

Olivia just sat there; varying emotions were running through her. She felt like a teenager who had just been asked out on a first date. Slowly, she rose and walked out of the deli back to her office. The rest of the day passed in a blur; she tried to concentrate on her work, but all she could think about was Ben. She was willing away the hours until he would call her.

-------- x --------

Alicia ran to the front door when she heard the key in the lock, Olivia walked into the apartment she was temporarily living in above the Real Estate office and Alicia launched herself at her. "Hi Mummy" she squealed. Olivia swung her up in a big hug.

"Hey sweetie," Olivia said to Alicia, "have you been a good girl for grandma today?" Alicia nodded and pointed at a picture she had drawn. It was a picture of Olivia and a dog. She was so desperate for a puppy, but the apartment wasn't really suitable for a dog; but maybe when they moved into their new property, she could re-evaluate the idea.

It was already 6:00pm, so she needed to make dinner for herself and Alicia. She thanked her grandmother for collecting Alicia from school and minding her until she came home from work. In all honesty, she didn't know how she would have managed over the last few months without her grandparents. While preparing the vegetables for a stir fry, Olivia's mind wandered back to the lunch she had enjoyed with Ben at the deli that afternoon.

The revelation he revealed about why he had slowly disappeared from her life back then, both saddened and warmed her. She was sad that she hadn't realised, but excited that he even thought of her in that way. It was probably a good thing that it hadn't progressed to anything back then, neither of them was in a stable enough frame of mind to have been able to deal with both a relationship and alcohol withdrawal at the same time. It just would never have worked out.

Olivia was nervous, kept looking at her watch, then chastised herself for doing so.

She was thirty, not sixteen, she needed to get a grip. 7:30... 7:50... Almost time... 7:55... then her mobile rang. It made her jump a bit. She answered after three rings, "Hello?"

There was a brief silence.

"Hi Liv, it's Ben, I hope you weren't busy."

They chatted nonstop for over an hour, Olivia was draped across the armchair, one leg dangling over the arm, and she giggled and smiled like she hadn't done in a very long time. She had forgotten what a bit of real male attention felt like. She was enjoying just listening to him talk, she always thought he'd had a pleasant-sounding voice with a beautiful timbre to it. They agreed on a date and time for dinner Saturday at 7:30pm, only a few days away at this new American-style diner called, The Giant Redwood, just down the street from the apartment. It had literally just opened a few days ago and the initial word on the street was that the food was delicious and authentically American.

-------- x --------

The rest of the week kept her busy, she had plenty of house showings to do, so she didn't get the opportunity to have another chance lunchtime meeting with Ben; but in the evenings, he would send her little funny text messages, she found herself carrying her mobile everywhere with her in case she missed one. One night, Alicia asked her why she was always smiling recently; she had noticed that her mother was happier. Olivia hadn't even realised there was a change to her demeanour; but how could there not be, her inner being was glowing so it must radiate outwards.

"Mummy met an old friend a few days ago", she told Alicia, "he asked me to go for dinner".

"Oh, can I come, too?" Alicia asked excitedly.

"Not this time sweetheart, this is a special dinner just for the two of us, but maybe in time" Olivia replied pulling Alicia into a hug.

Saturday morning Olivia woke early. She had already dropped Alicia off at her grandparents the night before, they were going to enjoy having her for the whole weekend, she'd be spoilt rotten. After showering and dressing, she left to go shopping for a new dress, something classy, but not too dressy. The first two stores were a bit too casual for what she was looking for, but a little independent boutique on the corner of a lane looked promising from what was offered in the window display.

Inside she was approached by a young salesgirl who asked if she could help. Olivia explained that she was going on a first date and wanted something special that would accentuate her figure without being too tight. The girl pulled out a couple of dresses, but they really weren't Olivia's style, so independently she had a quick look around the various racks when she saw one that looked exactly like what she hoped she would find. It was a red shift dress with just the minimal of cream piping down each seam. It came just above the knee, but with a cheeky split up the front that had a button halfway up.

"This!" said Olivia, "this is the one." She picked out her size and went to the changing room.

-------- x --------

Back home, Olivia hung the dress up on the wardrobe, she already had shoes that would match perfectly. It was already 5:00pm, she was getting nervous, there was a fluttering building in her stomach. She wanted to look her absolute best for tonight. She was fully aware that there was quite an age gap, and she didn't want that to look obvious to others. At 30 years old, and Ben being 21, she did wonder what he saw in her that he didn't see in girls who were more his own age.

Sitting down to prepare her hair and makeup, her mind wandered to how the conversation would flow, she was worried that there would be awkward quiet moments. Should they talk about the past? The drinking? She hoped he wouldn't want to order any wine.

6:30pm, she finally decided she would get dressed, she had already found perfect lingerie, it made her feel sensual. Slipping the dress on, she felt like a million dollars; Olivia knew that it looked good on her, skimming her perfect figure and putting on her shoes just accentuated her legs by making them longer looking than they were. A final detail of squirting some of her favourite Chanel No.5 perfume on her pulse spots and she was ready. Now just to wait.

They had arranged to meet outside the diner at 7:20pm, but come 6:50pm the intercom buzzer rang for her apartment.

"Hello?" she asked hesitantly, pressing the reply button.

"Hi Liv, I wouldn't be any kind of gentleman if I didn't come and collect you from your door." It was Ben, and she was giddy with excitement.

"Hold on a minute, let me grab a pashmina and I'll be down."

Olivia almost skipped down the stairs to the door, then stood at the door to compose herself before opening. Ben looked fantastic, he was dressed in a pair of light grey slim-fit chinos which fitted incredibly on his athletic form, with a crisp white shirt, open at the neck and a dark grey tailored jacket.

"Wow," he said, "Liv, you look stunning!", Olivia wasn't good at accepting compliments, she blushed and looked that the floor.

"Thanks," she replied, "so do you."

As they walked to the restaurant, they casually spoke about each other's day and what they were expecting from the diner.

The diner stood out from every other building around it. Brightly lit windows and a large neon DINER sign and another smaller one underneath with the name, The Giant Redwood.

Ben opened the door for her to enter and immediately the atmosphere of the place captured both their attentions. It was typically 1950s American in style, black and white chequered flooring, a complete wrap-around serving area that was lit up with neon underlighting and to complete the look was about a dozen tall stools along the perimeter. There was a jukebox to the left, that was currently playing Running Bear by Johnny Preston. and down the centre and the right were dining booths to offer diners some privacy. The walls were covered in American memorabilia from the 1950s, photographs of the music and sport stars of that period and old antique looking enamel signs covering all kinds of trades.