It was always you

Chapter 15

A couple of hours later, Bugs, who was in an even more nervous wreck than before, walked inside the bar that they mentioned to meet earlier as promised and sees Daffy, who was already inside having his third drink in a row.

He looked as if a storm had washed away all of the joy on his face, a mask that had seemed to lost its way, revealing to him what he was truly feeling this whole time. 

Bugs's face then started to burn heavily like it was set on fire.

His ears, drooped low in an instinct.

A queasy feeling to his stomach told him that something terrible was bound to happen, but he decided to withdraw his usual concern for now until Daffy can tell Bugs himself what has been eating him up inside.

As he walks over closer to Daffy, he waved his hand out and greets him.

"Hey" Bugs said while taking a seat next to him on the bar table.

"Hey" Daffy replied in a depressing monotone voice, without giving him a single glance in his acknowledgement.

"What will it be?" The bartender said in front of them as Bugs turns to him first to answer him.

Boy, he sure could use a drink or two.

"I'll have a Johnnie Walker on the rocks." Bugs replied before turning back to Daffy to continue their conversation.

"Alright, I'm here. Now tell me, what's wrong. Like I told you earlier, I'm here to listen." Bugs said softly while placing his hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

If he can open up to him about his ex, surly he can talk to him about what's been bugging him lately, right?

However, what Bugs doesn't know is that their communication was about to get much more complicated than he had anticipated.

There was a brief moment of silence before Daffy finally spoke up in an odd, rough voice right as the bartender was giving Bugs his drink order.

"I can't do this anymore." Daffy mumbled quietly, but clear enough for Bugs to understand him.

"What do you mean?" Bugs asked, confused as he immediately retracted his hand from his shoulder and placed his drink on the edge of the bar table.

"Are you just going to sit there and pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about?"Daffy asked harshly with his teeth gritted in irritation.

"No Daffy, I can't read minds." Bugs said, worried that he's not communicating with him right.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Like I've heard that line before." Daffy said sarcastically, which was now starting to make Bugs mad.

"Alright, that's enough. What is going on with you? Why, are you acting like this?" Bugs asked with his patience growing thinly by the minute.

"*Tsk. It's not going to matter anyways what I think. Like you seem to care, anyhow." Daffy grumbled.

This made Bugs more frustrated with his attitude.

"I do care! I want to know what's been bothering you and I wanna know now!" Bugs demanded which somehow made Daffy give in a little.

"Fine! You want an answer? I'll tell you one. I've decided that I can't be your best man anymore, alright?!" Daffy yelled out, but thankfully it was not loud enough for a whole room to notice.

The last thing they need was an audience to stare at them.

Of course, while he did finally give Bugs a response, it was not the right one that he should have been telling him, which was now only to make matters much worse for them.

"That's it? That's what's been making you so upset? Daffy, I'm getting married tomorrow and now you're backing out of it?! Did you purposely wait till the very last minute to tell me all of this?" Bugs asked, angrily.

"Bugs it wasn't like that, honest. I just... never had to courage to say anything until now." Daffy said with his tone slowly turning into a more mellow mood.

"And I told you that if you never felt comfortable with this in the first place, then you shouldn't have wasted your breath to show up at all. You could have at least given me a hint that you didn't want to do any of this. I would have respected your decision." Bugs explained.

"Oh yeah, like getting out of your hair for instance so that you wouldn't have to put up with me so much." Daffy said while turning away from him, his hands gripping onto his drink as he immediately brings it to his mouth and drank it all in one gulp.

"That not what I meant." Bugs said, trying to get them on the same page but, Daffy was still refusing to believe that.

"But you were thinking about it, weren't you?" Daffy asked, coldly.

"No, I would never say that about you. You're my....best friend." Bugs said while somehow struggling to say the words 'best friend' near the end.

Why was he so tongue tied over those two simple words? Bugs thought until Daffy's response dragged him back to their conversation.

"Yeah, some friend, I am. I don't even deserve to be called just that. I'm too selfish and a nuisance to be earning such title." Daffy said in a mumble which seemed to have Bugs changing expressions on him.

His face, turning back again to concern.

"Why would you think that? Daffy, is there something else that you're not telling me?" Bugs asked, hoping to get the straight of things.

"You're gonna hate me." Daffy said in a much more quieter voice, almost in a whisper.

"No, I'm not" Bugs promised in a reassuring tone which made Daffy more silent to say much  more until Bugs continue to press on at him.

"Daffy, just tell me already..." Bugs was going to say until he was cut off by Daffy's sudden outburst.

"I'm in love with you okay?! I love you so much that I was afraid it would ruin your chances with Lola. There! Happy?!" Daffy yelled out, which caught more attention than needed as the bartender looked on over at the two and shook his head little while cleaning a an empty shot glass.

This caused Bugs to suddenly froze to the core from his shock.

It was now his turn to stay quiet with his thoughts running rapidly through his mind and his heart beating hard like a drum on set.

This sadly, left a mixed message to Daffy that it was time for him to leave as he got up from his seat and patted on Bugs's shoulder.

"Don't worry, you can forget the whole confession if you want. I'll just be on my way then." Daffy said as he started to walk away until a hand gripped on his wrist, causing him to stop midway.

"W...wait Daffy! Please don't go. I need you here..... I can't do this alone." Bugs begged as the two locked eyes until Daffy's couldn't stand it any longer and looked away from him.

"Let's be reasonable with this. You're only trying to do what's best for you and the reason why you can't think straight right now, is because I'm in the way. And I'm...tired. I'm tired of waiting and I'm tired of seeing you so frustrated with yourself all the time that it hurts me to push you any more further than I've already have. You seem to know what you're doing so, I'll let you get back to it then. Bye Bugs. Good luck with the wedding and everything." Daffy said as he slither his arm from Bugs's grasp and walked out of the bar, causing Bugs's heart to drastically break into two.

When Daffy was gone from his sight, Bugs then sadly turn his body towards the front view of the bar and sighs as more and more of his Johnnie Walker drinks were poured onto his glass.

Maybe he can drink away his sorrows until he starts to really hate himself for not seeing what was in front of him the entire time.

What a mess I've made, Huh? Bugs thought gloomily as he continued to consume his liquor down until he had about enough of it to merely stumble his way home.

After all, he does have a wedding that he needs to ready for soon, don't he?