Chapter 18: Drunk in Public

I was more than anxious to get inside Que Bueno; I was starving. As soon as Vincent and I walked through the door, we saw Cid trying to flag us down.

“I’m gunna use the bathroom real fast,” Vincent leaned down to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be over in a couple minutes.”
“Okay,” I smiled and turned towards where Cid and Cloud were sitting.
“Where’d Vince run off to?” Cloud smiled as he pulled out a chair for me.
“To the bathroom,” I sat down, and he pushed me in. “Sorry I made you two wait…”
“Nah, no worries, Miss Ama,” Cid winked as he took a sip of his beer. “By the way, Cloud and I ordered a quesadilla for an ap’tizer. Oh and we got you and Vincent a beer.”
“Thank youuu,” I smiled as I gripped the mug in front of me. “I needed a drink… But what about you Cloud? Not drinking?”
“Nah, not in the mood,” he laughed lightly. “Plus I gotta be sober in case Cid drinks himself to death.”

“Who me?” Cid laughed obnoxiously loud. “No way, not me… I swear it only happens once a week.”
“Yeah whatever, Cid,” Vincent said as he approached the table. “I’ll believe that when you pay me back for the broken window.”
“Hey th’ fireworks don’ work perfectly in limited space, ya know,” Cid smiled nervously.
“Fireworks? Still messing with rockets, Cid?” Cloud laughed and punched Cid playfully in the arm.
“Yeah yeah…” Cid scratched the back of his neck.
“So who’s hungry, huh?” Vincent grabbed a menu.
“I’m starving,” I whined and then quickly chugged the remainder of my drink. “I already know what I’m getting. I get the same thing every time.”
“Well give us ‘newbies’ a minute to look over the menu,” Vincent said as he pulled the empty mug from my hands. “And you take it easy on the alcohol. I don’t need you getting sick on me.”
“Miss Ama, are you even 21 yet?” Cid smiled as he drank the last of his beer. “I coulda swore ya told me only las’ week yur 20.”
“Yeah yeah…” I blushed and sunk down in my chair.
“I let her drink,” Vincent wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I decided I could trust her… As long as she’s with someone older, she can drink. Chugging is a no-no, however.”
“A ‘no-no’?” Cloud laughed. “I’m sorry Vince. I don’t mean to laugh, its just I’ve never seen or heard you like this.”

“Time can change a person,” Vincent nodded as he sipped at his beer. “It’s been 2 years since the Deepground incident, and that’s when you saw me last.”
“Not time; love,” Cid nudged at Vincent’s side. “Actually being loved back and in a relationship has done you wonders… And since you got over Lu-…”
“Overly lucky at finding you,” Cloud butted in to keep Cid from saying something. “You’ve done a lot for Vincent, Kim… Whether you notice the changes or not, they’re there alright.”
“R-right…” Cid stuttered and then mouthed something at Vincent. “Well, here comes the waitress.”

Time passed. Cloud started drinking. The waitress had come and gone. Now Cloud, Cid, and Vincent were all talking about some airship ride they’d went on together… I sat through it in utter confusion. I was on my third, possibly fourth beer… Vincent not paying attention really gave me the opportunity to sneak a few. I think he was beginning to catch on though; my mouth was getting ahead of me. I kept interrupting their conversations and laughing uncontrollably at the simplest things.

“Miss Ama… I do believe you’ve had one too many, hunny,” Cid said as he grabbed my mug from across the table. “Yur startin’ to say things that make no sense.”
“Hmm… Yeah,” Vincent scratched his chin as he looked at my eyes. “You are drunk, Kimberly.”
“Oh boy…” Cloud laughed. “We’ve got ourselves a dilemma on our hands. Let’s quit on the drinks too so that we know we can keep an eye on her 100%.”
“I’m not drunk,” I giggled as I laid my head against the tabletop. “Nope. Drunk me not.”
Cid, Cloud, and Vincent all looked at each other and then said the exact same thing at the exact same time: “Not drunk my ass!”

Laughter soon followed as I began to make a fool of myself dancing on the stage up front. Vincent quickly rose from his seat though and came up to get me. Surprisingly, people began to boo at him as he pulled me off-stage.
“She’s a hit,” Cloud laughed.
“She needs to sleep it off,” Vincent sighed.
“Well then, shall we go?” Cid laughed as we all exited the restaurant.