After the Heartbreak

Chapter 1 of Part II: A Night Out of the Ordinary

(Gerald's POV)

I wasn’t supposed to be here.

The flashing lights, the loud music, the constant hum of conversation—it was all a little too much. My head was already pounding, and I hadn’t even touched my drink. Clubs weren’t really my scene, but somehow, I had let Mark talk me into it.

“You’ll have fun, I promise,” he had said, slapping me on the back after our gym session earlier that day. “You need to get out more, Gerald. You’re too serious all the time.”

I had laughed it off at the time, pretending not to care, but now, sitting at this crowded bar, I was wondering why I had agreed. It wasn’t like I had a problem with people. I just wasn’t good at being around them for long periods of time. Maybe that’s why my job as a police officer worked for me. I could interact with people when I needed to, but at the end of the day, I got to retreat into my own world.

I glanced around the room, watching as everyone else seemed to be having the time of their lives. Mark was off somewhere, probably flirting with one of the women he had been eyeing earlier. He was good at that—charming, outgoing, the kind of guy who could make friends anywhere. I, on the other hand, preferred the company of silence.

“Gerald! Come on, man!” Mark’s voice suddenly cut through the noise, and I looked up to see him waving me over from across the bar. He had a group of people with him, most of them looking tipsy and flushed from the alcohol. “We’re doing shots!”

I shook my head, lifting my glass of water. “I’m good.”

Mark rolled his eyes, laughing. “You’re impossible, man.”

I was about to make some excuse about heading out early when Mark leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a lower tone. “Hey, by the way, you remember Megan, right?”

I frowned, the name ringing a bell but not fully registering. “Megan?”

“Yeah, she works with me. I’ve mentioned her before,” Mark explained, gesturing toward the far end of the bar. “She’s over there, but she’s had a little too much to drink. You live in the same neighborhood, right? Do you mind taking her home? I don’t think she’ll make it on her own.”

I blinked, taken aback by the sudden request. “I don’t know her that well…”

Mark waved it off, already moving toward the group again. “Come on, man, just this once. I’d do it myself, but I’m kind of… occupied.” He gave me a wink, clearly more interested in the woman at his side than in helping Megan.

I hesitated, glancing over at the woman he had pointed out. Megan was leaning against the bar, her head resting on her hand, eyes half-closed as if she were fighting sleep. She definitely looked worse for wear, her cheeks flushed and her movements sluggish.

Mark was right about one thing: there was no way she was getting home on her own.

Still, I wasn’t sure about this. I didn’t know Megan, and I wasn’t particularly fond of getting involved in other people’s messes. But something about the way she was slumped over, vulnerable and alone, tugged at my sense of responsibility. That, and the fact that we lived in the same neighborhood.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Alright, fine,” I muttered under my breath.