Read In Search of Lucy for Free Online

In the dark he wouldn’t notice her looking for the pills, so she began feeling around.
    “Oh, I’ll turn the heater on for you,” he said.
    “Thanks,” she said, still running her fingers around. Then she felt them in the crease of the seat. “Mind if I have a sip of your water?” She gestured to a bottle with her head.
    “Sure, but it’s been there a few hours.”
    “That’s okay. My throat is really dry.” She turned her head to look out her window, popped the two of them in her mouth, and took a long drink from the bottle. “Thanks.”
    “No problem.” He smiled but kept his eyes on the road.
    Ten minutes later they arrived at a two-story home in a family-style neighborhood. Kyle grabbed the bag, got out of the car, and started to walk around to her side intending to open her door. Before he got there, she was already opening the door to get out. The cool breeze felt exhilarating on her skin and flying through her hair. She froze for a brief moment to enjoy it, and then her expression faded.
    “Don’t worry,” he said as stood next to her. “Everyone here is really nice.”
    “Did I say I was worried?” She walked up the driveway towards the house as Kyle followed closely behind. She felt his eyes on her and knew he was trying to figure her out. And that eventually he may want to get to know her better. That was something that never seemed to work out very well for Lucy.
    Walking through the door without knocking, they were greeted with “Kyle!” shouted in unison from half a dozen people. Lucy noted his obvious popularity. Like magic, a woman appeared from a doorway and handed them each a margarita. That will work. For the few cars that were outside, there were more people than she expected. The house was dimly lit, and there were several candles lit throughout the main living area. Most of the guests were standing in and about the living and kitchen area, and a couple was sitting outside, talking as if they were having a very serious discussion.
    Kyle introduced Lucy as a friend to most of the guests, but she barely remembered anyone’s name. They’d only been there for about thirty minutes, but the alcohol-pills-alcohol schedule she was executing caused her head to spin, fast! She spied a seat at the end of the sofa and went straight for it without letting Kyle know. She didn’t want to interrupt his conversation with a beautifully dressed woman who appeared to be the hostess. From the sofa, she watched as Kyle smiled and touched the woman’s arm during their conversation. Instinctively it made her smile for a moment. All around her she listened to bits of broken chitchat on various topics, until Kyle finally turned and noticed her on the couch.
    “I’ll be right back,” he said softly in her ear after walking over to her. “Do you need to go?” He gestured toward the hallway, and she assumed that meant the restroom.
    “I’m fine,” Lucy replied, taking note of the gentle way about him. It was like he was speaking to a timid child. She assumed he was that way with everyone based on her earlier observation; otherwise, she may have been offended. Or maybe he was treating her with kid gloves. She wasn’t sure of anything at that point except that her head was starting to feel inflated.
    Lucy watched Kyle as he walked off and disappeared down a hallway. How the hell did I get myself into this one? she thought. She figured that her best bet was to apologize and ask him to take her home. On the other hand, she absolutely hated asking people for help or being an imposition. Before she knew it, she was off the couch and headed for the door. Walking past a sea of blurry faces, the door seemed to be getting further and further away. An arm that didn’t appear to be attached to anyone reached out to her.
    “Are you okay?” a voice murmured in slow motion.
    Lucy picked up the pace and started running. She finally reached the door and bolted outside. There was no way she could make it home