"You need to start putting yourself back out there Peyton", he spoke to me, noticing my clear despair, snapping me out of my daze.
"Mhm" I replied timidly as I shook my glass round in a circle, listening to the ice clink the sides gently before taking a sip, coaxing a gentle sigh from him as he pursed his lips, accepting the obvious fact that tonight I was in no state to listen.
It had been around 6 months since the split, 6 agonising months of little to no contact, not sleeping next to him, and not waking up to his beautiful dimaond face and captivating brown eyes, me and Alex had ended in a mutual agreement as his career and rapid rise to fame had unwillingly placed me between a rock and a hard place. Not wanting to disrupt his work, the decision to leave came around a little while after the monkeys had released their most current album. I knew it had torn both me and Alex up, yet my decision was finalised to continue my life without him as his line of work required him endlessly, restricting our own time together.
I pressed the rim of my 3rd, very much required, tequila soda to my lips and tossed off the remainder of the bitter liquid, persuading a small buzz in the front of my head to appear and only progress as the night grew older and mine and Rowan's bar hopping escapade with his boyfriend reached its halfway point.
Slowly but surely, my musings were interrupted, the alcohol stripping my mind of any trace of Alex for tonight. Ofcourse, when i woke in the morning, his boyish charm and the remberance of what we once had would inevitably plague me. But, tonight i needed to forget it and suppress any thoughts that would persuade me to second guess my own decision.
At this point, i was in my right mind, not absolutely plastered but most certainly not sober.
"How's the work?" Rowan questioned, scooting his chair predominantly closer to mine as his boyfriend was already delved into another conversation. My eyes flicker up towards him sloppily and i sharply roll my eyes at the thought.
"Got the job" the words drowsily pouring out of me, "I start next week. You'll be on the shifts too, right?" I question, cocking my head and raising my eyebrow waiting for his response.
"Of course PeyPey" he taunted with the nickname ,influencing me to shoot a pretend annoyed look at hin "finally I'll have someone to distract me from that shithole" he chuckled and nudged my arm.
"Thank god, I don't think I could do it without you " i joke, some serious lingering behind my statement, I definitely wasn't the most social butterfly and moving to LA was like a completely clean slate had been handed to me, apart from Rowan and Alex, I had know very few people in the area.
After another half an hour of chatting and cracking jokes with Rowan, the urge to let out the build up of alcohol within my system hit me like a truck, I stumble out of my seat and head for the restroom towards the back of one of the many homey bars me and Rowan decided to settle in to tonight.
I had finished my business until my attention snapped suddenly to my phone as rapidly struck at my legs through the material of my jeans , rummaging through my pocket i reach the source of the vibration and hold the device, adjusting my blurry vision to the displayed name of the caller.
'Al.'
The thumping of my heart multiplied by five, and a wave of panic rushed over my shoulders and down my spine in one swift motion, yet lingering on my shoulders as to remind me that this was in fact real.
Alex and me had only shot eachother snappy and quick goodmorning and goodnight messages , information regarding business and check up messages since the split, never a call. I swiftly rinse my hands and my body jolted to the door, turning wobbly towards Rowan as his tipsy face came into view under the warm lighting. I sign my index finger to him and mouth 'one second', him nodding in approval, before I dashed for the exit.
