One and Only

1

Liya's pov

What if I never said yes to this party? What if all the females my age didn't act stupid for male validation? Wouldn't the world be a different place than what it is right now? Clubs are stupid.

I wasn't dying if that's what comes first to your mind. But I am no better than the dead too. Ever since my brother died, I studied non-stop to avoid grief. At first, it did help distract me from what I'd call 'The Majestic Melancholy' but later on, I started liking the feeling of being at peace without a care in the world. Just me and my studies. No one else. But come to think of it, I had no one. Not even a close friend. I was, and am always distant. I never wanted the drama that came with relationships.

My mother didn't have the best relationship with the person I'd call my father, though he'd never done anything that would make me want to call him my father. Up until I was 15, he would always see other women behind my mother's back. And I knew. He would yell at me, threatening to beat mother up if I ever told her the truth. It did scare me.

But when I turned 19, I told her everything. It broke her. They got a divorce, and I moved out before it. I did visit him...but out of obligation as my mother did not want me to miss out on a father's love and whatever it has to offer. Every relationship ends up with both people left tattered.

Here I was, at a party, my colleagues invited me to. I wanted to say no, but my boss would be there too. and if I said no to him, it'd leave a bad impression according to my colleague, Mahima. She was..not a colleague but not a friend either. I didn't know what we were but she was a nice person to work with. Maybe she was a good friend.

Maybe she wasn't. Ugh. See? This is what I meant when I mentioned how bad I am at making friends. There was one friend I didn't forget. His name was Kaleb. But that's a story for another time. Let's talk about where I'm stuck right now.

My nose scrunched up at the lingering sweet scent in the club. People practically hump each other while there's music playing in the background. Yeah. Not a big fan of it. I didn't want to come here. I hate parties and clubbing. If you don't like parties, you may well find it hard to turn them down. Even worse when you have to explain why.

And it's so difficult because I am not the best at conversations. I hated house parties and bonfire drinking parties when I was in high school, and most of my friends were doing just that on the weekend, it sucked for me, probably because I spent my teenage years wrapped up in studies.

Always wanted to get a pat on the back, making sure everything was perfect and whatnot. I stared at my colleagues, who chugged down the bitter liquid as if it was water. Who am I to judge though, I am drinking water in a shot glass.

I sighed, seeing the lovey-dovey couples around me. I wish I had it but at the same time, I don't want it. It's too much work. I barely have time for sleep these days. Yeah, night owl here.

"Liya? Is that you?" A deep voice that was so familiar I almost recognized it. I turned around only to gasp loudly.

"Kaleb?!" I shrieked making him smile at me. "Well, what are you drinking?" He asked as if he knew it was water. "What do you think?" I replied with a question instead of making him chuckle. "Water. Isn't it? Because the Liya I know, wouldn't dare to drink because she would always study." He retorted back with a chuckle making me blush embarrassed. "As if you're the one to talk. You'd study all day right by my side. You're drinking water too, aren't you?" I giggled making him chuckle, as he placed his index finger over his lips asking me to keep it a secret.

Maybe coming to this party wasn't a bad decision after all. "Liya?" He raised his voice a bit as we could barely hear each other because of the loud music. "Yeah?" I replied making him come closer to me before whispering something in my ear making me give him a 'deadass-will-kill-you' look.