10 Minute Failure

Chapter 1: A Friend's Worry

"You really gonna digest all that booze?"

Xavier asked Vance with concerned eyes, his eyebrows frowning at each chug of alcohol Vance took down his throat.

"Damn... Fuck it.. " Vance spurred.

"You're high." Xavier declared.

"You're like my uncle, you know that right?" Vance started.

"And?" He paused and raised an eyebrow. "You're friends with this 'uncle' of yours."

Vance rolled his eyes in clear annoyance yet amusement at his beloved friend. "Ahjussi.. C'mon"

Xavier opened his mouth a little and then spoke in his regular 'serious' voice, "and now you're muttering Korean. Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

Vance leaned back on the matte black couch, tilting his head all the way back over the support and soon closing his eyes before responding, "you know exactly what's going on yet you ask me.. boomer."

"Early forties isn't that old." Xavier said while rubbing his temples with his index finger and the thumb.

Vance admitted,"I loved her."

"It's quite obvious watching you inhale down all that alcohol in your system." Xavier sighed, soon continuing, "Take a break, will you?"

Vance grabbed the freezing cold bottle of water before dumping it in his glass once again, pouring down another shot.

Vance was exceedingly stubborn when it came to alcohol, he would drink with his eyes, ears and mouth closed sitting at a corner with all these temporary disabilities.
He was extremely hot and tall and what not, so girls often came to tease him at the bar. Him, being very uninterested, decided to go to his friend's house to have it since the day his wife divorced him.

Believe it or not, Vance acted similar to a true typical teenage guy whenever he wasn't sober.

Immature. Out of control. Stubborn. Childish. Insolent. Ignorant. A Himbo.

All of these adjectives suited him at the very moment.

Probably a Hard-on-ex-lover for his ex-wife.

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13:15

Why does this smell so good.. Powder? What shampoo is this? I could live in this bliss foreve-

"Ah- FUCK!!-"

Vance yelled out as his spine hit the hard concrete floor.

"For the love of God.. "

He inhaled sharply. "GOD!"

He sat up with his miserable hungover look on the floor, rubbing the back of his head.

"My head's killing me.. " He mumbled while rubbing his head as a whole, perhaps, he shouldn't have chugged down 4 liters of liquor just like that.

He slowly got up, rubbing his eyes to make his vision clearer.

"Didn't know you could swear like that, uncle."

"..."

"What?" Vance asked with a frown.

"Didn't. Know. You. Could. Swear. Lik-"

"Yeah I heard it the first time."

"Oh"

".. Hang on. What the living hell are you doing in my room? Wait no- my house?"

Elara, of course, points at a photo frame hanging onto the wall behind him.

It was a photo of little Elara herself, along with her step mother and father.
They looked like a healthy family, in fact, they actually were. And it was always nice for Elara to have her step mother around. She was open, nice and sweet; Like a sister.

"That's.. You. What's your photo doing on my wall?" He asked stupidly.

"You're in my house, and that's my bed."

"Oh."

Elara raised a brow at Vance.

Vance stared at Elara as Elara glared back at him.

"It's my hous-" Elara was cut off by Vance as he soon yelled out.

"Am I really under the wrong roof?!-"
Vance spurred out in realization.

"Yes." She declared with unamused eyes.

"And would you please stop cutting me off every time I try to t-"

"it's FRICKIN 1 PM?!!"

"... "

"Yeah. Sorry. What were you saying again, kid?"

She shooked her head in disbelief.

Vance looked at her for a while, quite lost in thought as he continued keeping his sharp gaze on her.

Her, feeling the gaze, looked back at him right in his eyes. Suddenly making Vance stumble a little.

Vance got a hold of himself and steadied up on his legs, his knees betraying him.

Vance has been curious about something since he woke up, the thought bugging him at the moment.
Since he was open minded, he decided to disclose this very thought to her.

He asked, in a slightly softened tone, "what... soap do you use?"