2 Seconds •LT•

VII

5 September, 2015

"The best of memories can come from the darkest of moments" - Koko

Astrid.

The name sounded so familiar the day of the wicked hangover. I knew I had gone to the pub a couple of blocks away, had some drinks and- That's all I remember.

Name of a drink...?
Location...?

Girl I hooked up with...? I looked to the opposite side of my bed. No one else. Nope, not the girl I hooked up with.

Bartender...?
Waitress...?

No, none of them sounded right.

Name of a song...?
That can't be it.

I attempted to get up, but my killer headache was kept me down. F*cking hell! Why did I want to ever get drunk yesterday?!

Oh. That's why.

I held my hand to my eyes, forcing them to shut. They must be bloodshot. I scrambled through the bed sheets for my phone, turning it on, I saw the time.

9.56 AM.

I groaned, tossing my phone to the side.
Beep. Beep.
I scrambled for it again. A message.

- How ya' holding up with that bloody hangover?-

I blinked. Who the hell is this?

-I'm sorry. But who's this?-

-Astrid. Remember me?-

Oh. So Astrid was a person I met yesterday.

- Sorry, don't recall meeting an Astrid, but apparently I did-

- What happened?-

-U sure you want to know?-

I begun to doubt my certainty. But couldn't beat off my curiosity. -I'm sure-

-OK. Well. You um, expressed your desires for a student of yours-

-What did I say?-

I cringed at the thought.

-Her name is Belle. A student of yours, & many cute things you love about her-

Did I?

-You also mentioned your sensual desires for her-

Sh*t.

-Did only you hear?-

-Yeah. Pretty sure. Everyone else was paying attention to the bloke claiming to have superpowers-

I chuckled. Didn't matter whether she was joking or not. The next move I made was a brave one. One I would end up regretting at one point in the next couple of months. I didn't know it yet. Wasn't aware of the consequences ahead of time. It sounded like a good Idea in the moment. So I texted her.

-Want to get to know each other?-

- Again. But sober?-

-Of course! I'd love to get to know sober Louis!-

I laughed to myself.

-We can even talk about Belle if you please-

My smile diminished. I had forgotten about her for an entire night. Now she was back inside my mind. My Beautiful, Beautiful Belle. Back in my mind. Trying to kill me. Belle, a plague so hard to get rid of. So contagious to time. Infesting all of the time surrounding it. Only one known remedy for the Belle Beset: Alcohol. Lots of it. The relief is only temporary. After the remedy wears off, you need more and more for lasting effects. I can't supply hangovers on school days. So I need another cure to comfort me. The horrid step of moving on. Getting over her and the fact that it was never going to happen. It did. Such little hope I had then. So pessimistic.

The stages of ceasing love. Or Belle. My toxic.

-I'd like to know you this time-