So, was this the house he'd lived in during school? Was this his uncle's house? The house where …
She didn't want to think about that, so she pushed the thoughts from her mind and pulled into the driveway, parking as close as she possibly could to the front door. Caleb easily had fifty or sixty pounds on her. It would take a miracle for her to get him inside if he was dead weight, so she reached over and brushed a lock of hair away that fell into his eyes.
"Caleb," she said, softly. "Caleb."
Maddie jostled his shoulder, feeling the hard muscle there. His t-shirt sleeve rode up a bit and she paused, staring down at the exposed skin. Dark swirls of ink peeked out before disappearing under the hem.
When she pushed at his shoulder harder, he came awake suddenly, panic flaring in his gaze as he looked around him like a spooked-albeit sluggish-animal.
"It's okay," Maddie soothed, keeping her voice steady. "It's me. I'm just taking you home."
His eyes shot to hers and he seemed confused. "Maddie?"
"Yes," she whispered. She cut the engine and there was silence. "I can't lug you to the door myself. Do you think you can walk?"
His head lolled around his shoulders but he nodded. He reached for the car door, but then realized he was buckled in. Maddie watched as he fumbled with the release button until she finally reached down to help him.
She shot out of the car as he heaved himself to a standing position and she hurried around the front to steady him so he wouldn't stumble and fall. Because all she needed right now was for him to get hurt. That would just be the cherry on top of her night.
Hesitantly, she wrapped an arm around his waist, wondering how he'd react, but the moment she touched him, he leaned into her. Stumbling to balance herself under his sudden weight, she huffed out a breath and slowly walked to the door. His body was like a furnace, blood rushing because of the alcohol. But even under the smell of whiskey, she smelled him and that comforted her.
Caleb was clumsy and once Maddie led him up the pathway to the front door, he collapsed in a heavy heap by a dead potted plant, leaning his head against the stucco wall and closing his eyes.
"Caleb," she said, crouching down in front of him. "Don't go to sleep. We're not inside yet."
He mumbled something that sounded like, "I'm not," but she couldn't be sure. Quickly, she dug out Caleb's key from her purse. There were only four keys attached to the simple silver ring: his car key and three silver ones. She slid them all, one-by-one, into his front door until the last one finally turned the lock and she pushed open the heavy wood door.
An alarm blared from the inside, making Caleb jolt awake.
"Crap," Maddie whispered, hurrying inside. Right next to the door there was a keypad to turn off the alarm. "Caleb, what's the code?" He groaned. "Caleb!" A visit from the police would also be fantastic.
He opened his eyes. "Three, five, eight, three."
Maddie typed in the code quickly, worried that the alarm would disturb the neighbors. She waited a second, but the alarm continued. "Caleb, it's not working."
"Star."
Star? What did that mean? Her eyes scanned the keypad and then she saw a star symbol at the bottom of the pad and pressed it.
Blissful silence. Maddie let out a shaky breath and then set her purse down in the entry way. The inside of the house smelled stale, like no one had been living in it for a while. When she looked at the entry table right next to the door, she saw a fine layer of dust accumulated there.
"Okay, let's go inside, Caleb," she said to him softly. She held out a hand to help him up and he grasped it. Maddie teetered on her small heels but managed to, at least, assist in heaving him up. "Where's your bedroom?"
"No," he bit out immediately. "No."
Her brow furrowed. "Where do you want to go then?"
He half-raised an arm, pointing towards what she guessed was the living room. The house had an open plan layout and right beyond the faded grey couch, there was a slightly dated kitchen, with light wood cabinets and a dark green tiled counter. Maddie set Caleb down on the couch, but he slid to the floor, leaning his head back against the bottom cushions. Maddie stepped into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets until she found a clean glass.
She brought him a glass of water, which he took a few sips of but then thrust back at her. She sighed, nibbling on her lip, trying to decide what to do when he passed out again. Maddie didn't feel comfortable leaving him in this state. She'd heard enough drinking horror stories in college to genuinely worry that he'd choke on his own vomit if she left him.