The Girl In The Dirty Shirt

Chapter 42

I decided against going to my darling brother-in-laws and went to the bar instead. It was my turn to be on the other end of the bartender conversation, as demented and sad as it was, I was drinking alone, and whoever had something to say about it was going to get a knee to the crotch.

I walked into the first bar I came across; they were all the same anyway, no matter where you went dark, smoky, and loud.
I sat at the end of the bar, the customary place for someone who wanted many drinks, but not to talk to anyone about their problems, to sit.

“Lyla?”

That fact was obviously lost on this particular bartender, and when I looked up I realized exactly why.

“Claire?”

“How are you?” She asked cheekily

I rolled my eyes annoyed “Can I just get a drink?”

“What do you want?” she asked bending to pick up a glass

I rested against the bar on my right arm massaging my temple and sighed “A gin and tonic”

“Relationship trouble?” She asked mixing my drink

I scoffed, like I would tell her anything; she’d probably go on a break and run to the house to find Liam and find out if he was going to leave me or not,
I shook my head “Just a long day, Claire”

She nodded “Where’s your boyfriend?”

I sighed taking a long drink from my glass “My husband is at home”

“Husband?” she asked in shock “You and Leo got married?”

“Liam” I corrected “And yes, we did, at the beginning of the month”

“Why did you-“

“Claire, can I just…” I put my hand up stopping her “Can you just leave me alone, please?”

She nodded not even bothering to look back at me and just walked down to the other end of the bar and served someone else.
I sighed staring at the collection of liquor bottles on the shelves behind the bar. The last time I’d done that Noel had been sitting next to me, both of us mad at Liam for some reason or other that I can’t be fucked to remember.
I sat and thought for a long time, drinking a lot of gin, and not all of it had tonic as a partner.

This was just as much Noel’s fault as it was Liam’s both of them called each other a cunt, and they were both right; both of them were cunts.

I got up and paid for the probably near bottle of gin I’d had to drink on my own. I stood at the bar for a minute making sure I wasn’t going to fall on my face; when I was sure I could manage walking on my own I went outside and called myself a cab. I was going to pay Noel a visit after all.

I don’t know exactly how long it took, but eventually I was on Noel’s street, standing in front of his flat after paying the cab driver. It had been so long since I’d been here I almost forgot the address.
I stomped up the stairs and banged on the door, on the ride down here I’d become increasingly pissed off at Noel.

He finally answered the door after what felt like twenty minutes later and he didn’t look very happy; welcome to the club. He was in the middle of mumbling something about Liam before he looked up and realized it was me.

“What the hell are you doing ‘ere?”

“You are a cunt” I pointed at him and pushed through the door. “I was perfectly happy with things the way they fucking were, and you fucked it all up!”