Somewhere Only We Know

XV - Dry Martini

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, mate!" Edward blurts out, his voice tinged with panic as his eyes dart anxiously to the mess now splattered over Jesse's shoes."God damn it, Ed. This shit costs like a thousand dollars. LV too!"

"I'm sure you can buy new ones, Jesse. But for now, get yourself cleaned up." I say as I help Edward to the bathroom. While Chase stayed in the hallway, cleaning the vomit."I'm sorry, Kai," Edward says while washing his mouth and cleaning off the vomit on his shirt.

"It's alright, man. You don't have to apologize," I said softly, trying to ease the tension. "I told you guys to stop saying shit," he muttered, frustration clear in his voice. "Then Jesse says it a billion times."

"Yeah, you did. That's why you don't have to say sorry," I reassured him gently, giving a small nod. "Are you okay, Edward?"

He let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think so. I might have vomit in my nose somewhere. But other than that, I'm fine."

I raised an eyebrow, leaning in a little. "You know what I'm asking, Edward."

He shook his head quickly, trying to sound casual. "I'm fine, mate. I'm completely fine. I just don't like this place." He looked down, fiddling with his sleeves. "Something about it is wrong. But I might just be homesick is all."

"Okay," I said quietly, watching him carefully.

"I'm tired, Kai," he admitted, his voice cracking a bit. "I want to go home."

"I know, man," I replied softly. "I know."

He wiped the water and the tears from his face with the back of his hand, voice trembling. "I want my mother." He paused, a faint smile ghosting his lips. "She used to do this thing to me whenever I would feel uncomfortable in a new area—where she'd give me the tightest hug and play me this song on a piano. It was Nocturne Number 2. Do you know it?"

"I think so," I said slowly.

"Yeah. When she was in hospice in England, she played that song on a small keyboard she bought just for me." His eyes looked distant. "Just for the purpose of being able to play it for me while she lay there, dying."

"That's really sweet, Edward," I said softly, feeling the weight of his words.

He gave a weak chuckle. "You remember when we met? I played you that on the same piano my mother owned." He looked at me, a little surprised. "You fell asleep crying on my couch because of it."

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "No, actually. I don't remember." Of course I remember.

October 05, 2018

I took a slow sip of my dry martini, feeling the bitterness hit my throat. Sitting at the bar, I glanced around. Everyone else was either in a group or a couple, laughing and chatting. The bar was decked out with Halloween decorations. My head was buried in my hands. Job hunting was turning out to be tougher than I thought, and to top it off, I just got cheated on by a girl I'd been seeing for two months.

I opened my eyes and noticed a man sitting next to me. He looked over, then shook his head lightly before turning back to the bartender.

"Dry martini please," he said casually. Then, looking back at me, he added, "Four glasses. Do start a tab, if that's alright."

I raised an eyebrow. "Rough night?" I asked, shifting my hand up to rest on my chin.

"No, actually. I finally figured out that I need a break from college," he admitted, sliding a card across to the bartender.