Cold Lust

18: Office Clothing

As he loosely held a small glass shot near his right hand, Eddy's mind wandered to a nearby grandfather clock placed beside the bar counter, observing every tick of it. He did not even bother paying an regard for the bustling atmosphere beside him. Glasses and cutlery clanked with each other as the people there talked about various things. His friend Jackson sat beside him with a distracted mind like Eddy, as he asked for more beer on his glass mug probably filled three more times before. Eddy asked for one more fill on his shot before finally saying something.

"This the second time I went out drinking, damn." Eddy exclaimed, his eyes still on the grandfather clock.

"Yeah, right," Jackson responds, moving his unchanged eyes towards him. "We should go out for a drink more often, unless you finally buy a car, which you'd probably end up wrapping it around a tree."

"Yup, well said," Eddy replied. "You've seen how well I drive in GTA 5."

Jackson let out a hiss as soon as he drank from his glass. "Oh man, don't make me laugh!" he murmured.

With that, Eddy went back on observing the grandfather clock. Something told that he still felt guilty about that sudden outburst few days ago at Jeremy's. Jackson tried to cut him out of it and forget that it ever happened. "Ay man, don't sweat it!" Jackson nudged Eddy's arm with a reassured grin. "It occurred like yesterday. I had already forgiven you now what happened?"

Eddy still did not budge from his grim reaction. He let his head down in dismay. "I don't know, bro," he answered. "I don't fuckin' know. I'm nothing but a mess, that's it."

"What has gotten into you?" Jackson asked. "You used to hit like ten puffs of the grass a day, now what? Did therapy get the best of ya?"

"I don't know why I'm even doin' this," Eddy replied, slowly drinking from his shot whilst feeling a bit dizzy. "Maybe this is why I haven't gotten a job in such a while."

Jackson made a feeble attempt on making him feel better by patting on his shoulder. "Man, you're too soft!" he remarked. "But that's good though, ain't gonna lie. Haven't seen any softies lying around in this city lately."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, leave it!" Jackson tried to light up his mood through another subject. "I know someplace where you can blow some steam off about yourself. It's basically a café lying in an alley beside the Arcade Center."

"Uh huh." Eddy tried to listen to him after thinking to himself.

"And, the chicks who work there," Jackson tried to imitate a chef's kiss. "... are real frickin' beauties! Especially the one with black hair! I know they don't fit the older women kinda type, but they look Asian, so that's another point!"

"Wait, don't you hate Asian women?" Eddy responds.

"Why don't we switch it up a bit for once?" Jackson tried to prove himself. "Dating is just a buffet; you get to pick whateva' you want!"

"Oh wait, I heard from one of them that a fight happened somewhere near the place." Jackson continued. "So I'm kinda torn on whether should I give the place a second try or not. Maybe if that girl of yours leaves ya for good, just hit up that place! It's the one where there's a trash can filled with bird shit near the entrance!"

"This... feels oddly familiar." Eddy mumbled to himself, loud enough for Jackson to hear it.

"Whaat...? Ya went there befo-"

"Wait, what was that black-haired chick's name?" Eddy asked, his curiosity peaking.

Jackson looked at his beer glass with profound confusion. "Uh, I think it was 'Isabelle' or somethin'. I don't know."