Antitrust (Completed)

Part 17: The Fog

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                The rest of Friday evening was a blur, mostly because I was drinking profusely with Nina by my side. We made James Bond look sober.

                “Look. Jay has just moved on. Let it go.”

                “MOVED ON?!" I shouted at her. "MOVED ON?!?"

Nina placed a hand on my shoulder. "Alisha, calm down."

"CALM DOWN?! YOU'RE ASKING ME TO FREAKING CALM DOWN WHEN MY EX IS MAKING OUT WITH SOME RANDOM HOE?!"

"ALISHA GET IT TOGETHER! And from what you've told me, Zara is not a hoe."

"...sorry," I muttered. "It's the wine." When in doubt, always blame the alcohol.

"Do you still have feelings for Jay?"

"Uh, no, of course not," I managed.

Nina raised her eyebrows. "Stop lying to me, there's something up."

I took a deep breath. "Nina, I'm over him, but it's just hard to see him with somebody else, you know? I just...don't know if I was ready to see that."

"I get it," she said, smiling. "He's the only guy you really ever loved. It must be really hard."

"You have no idea," I whispered, before taking a swig straight out of the bottle of Cabernet I was holding. "I still don't understand why it had to be Zara though."

Nina sighed. "I'm guessing they're both in a bad place emotionally. I feel like Jay is just using her to get back to you."

"Nonsense," I said, shaking my head. "If he's giving her peonies, then he's definitely over me."

"Not really Alisha. If he's treating her like he used to treat you, it probably means he misses you."

I groaned. Ever since she graduated with a Ph.D in Psychology, Nina's sole reason for living was to analyze every part of my life. She was practically my shrink-turned-best friend.

"And what about Akash?"

"What about Akash?" I asked, frowning.

"Well? Are you guys like, serious?"

"I honestly have no clue, Nina. We started off as no strings attached, but I feel like he's caught feelings for me..."

"Obviously," she scoffed.

"What do I do?"

"I think you should go with the flow and try it out."

"Hmm, maybe," I said.

I suddenly stood up from the tufted armchair I was lounging in and held up the wine bottle. "You know what? If Jay can move on, so can I," I declared.

Nina held her face in her hands. "This is going to end so badly."

"I assure you, it won't."

She shook her head. "Let's get you to bed."

The next morning was a bright Saturday. The sun reflected off of the glass buildings on the Toronto skyline, and people were out walking their puppies on Bay Street. I woke up with Nina snoring next to me, and somehow that convinced me that everything was going to be alright.

I called Akash after making eggs benedict for breakfast, telling him to meet me at the Second Cup across from my apartment building at two. If I was going to "go with the flow," I had to talk to him.