of champagne that I stopped counting. Ian made me breakfast, and I couldnât even look at the food without feeling sick. I couldnât find my purse. My cell kept vibrating and beeping from messages and texts. When I finally found it, there were text messages from Angelique thanking me for such a good time and apologizing for arguing with Ian. I looked over at him as everything started to come back. Weâd told him about the bottle the guy had sent us and how weâd laughed, and Ian called us immature and a bunch of other things. I know Angeliqueâs mouth got a little slick and they were going back and forth before we left. Just as the details of last night floated in my head.
âGood morning.â
âYeah. Good morning,â Ian mumbled.
âWhatâs wrong with you?â
âNothing, I just donât like the way you waste money, Adrienne. And your friend was so out of line last night.â
âWhat are you talking about, Ian?â
âAngelique and your big bills. Last night when I commented on the bill being too high and that you two shouldnât be laughing at that guy, she told me that I needed to get used to dealing with a boss chick.â
âIan, she didnât mean it. I apologize for her. But you know, people talk reckless when theyâve been drinking.â
âNo, people say what they actually mean when they are drunk.â
âAnd what was the problem with the bill?â
âThis is the problem.â Ian forcefully placed my receipt from the night before in front of me. I looked down at the receipt and said a quiet wow to myself. I knew bottle service was expensive, but not two-thousand-and-forty-six-dollar expensive. The pricey tab included a 20 percent gratuity that our server received for just opening our bottle and pouring our drinks.
âThatâs a mortgage payment, Adrienne. You know what you could buy with that kind of money? I guess it doesnât matter when you didnât have to work hard for it. But thatâs what happens when you hang out with your high-class friends.â It was too early for him to be hitting below the belt.
âIan, look, I already apologized for whatever Angelique said, but I do not need you to lecture me on my spending habits. Iâll spend my money however I feel like it.â
âYouâre right. Spend your money the way you see fit. I just hate to see people waste it.â
I stood up. I was now very agitated and needed something to drink. I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. I twisted the cap and poured the hydration down my throat. I needed a tactful response for Ian. Something that would reasonably explain why Iâd spent thousands on drinks that I probably had already peed out. Ian was still staring at me, and the only thing I could think to say was, âI like to have a good time when I go out. I like to treat myself and whoever Iâm with. I wonât apologize for that.â
âIâm not asking you to,â Ian snapped back at me.
This was the other thing he did that I didnât like. Ian was sometimes bitchy and jealous like a woman and on occasion he would count my money. He always said that I shouldnât have hundreds of thousands just sitting in the bank and that I needed to find something to invest in.
I wasnât about to go back and forth with him. Instead I drank the remainder of my water and went to take a shower.
Â
By the time I was out of the shower, he was gone and I was happy I didnât have to argue with him anymore. However, I did have to get to the bottom of everything. I dialed Angeliqueâs phone.
âAngelique, did you know our drinks and bottles came to three thousand dollars last night?â
âYeah, it didnât seem like a big deal last night. But thatâs a pair of shoes. Iâll bring you my half before I leave.â
âNo, Iâm not worried about that. Iâm just
Learning to Kill: Stories