The Never Happened

CHAPTER 7: Everything Has Changed

"So..... You met Daire on his last day?"

"Yeah."

Jim was trying to sound as casual as he could but I could see his nervousness through his body language. He looked away and started searching for something to serve, in the fridge. All I wanted to say was dude? Somebody died out there and what you care about here is drinks! But then obviously, it was not about drinks, Jim was trying to avoid me. But sitting in the same room, his efforts were kind of... futile.

I just knew that he was hiding something. But obviously, I couldn't have expected him to burst out with the fact that he might have killed Daire. Might have....

"So white vine or red?" He asked Rachel to break the tense silence but that was not really required as I was pretty much pissed by then so... Well this was the outcome-

"You are supposed to give me an explanation about why you met Daire that day! You are acting as if nothing happened Jim but you and I, both of us know that this is not something any of us can ignore. Why the hell did you not tell me about it if it is nothing unusual?" I exclaimed in a single breath, but I was not done. Like hell yah! How the hell could he?

"You know that it is not just about me and you, it has more to that! Jim do you even realise how many lives are affected by this incident? Did you even see how broken Daire's mother was when she heard about this? She acts as strong as she can but she is just not Jim! She can barely eat, barely look at herself in the mirror as she blames herself for it and even she doesn't know why! The night I got to know about this I was wandering on the streets as drunk as a lord, but yah all you can think about right now is vine! Great!"

Jim was shocked and so was Rachel. Jim's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, but too late, I had started off again.

"I know that there is something all of us should know but all you are doing is hiding it from me and all it makes me think is that you are somewhere involved in this mess. As much as I hate to say this Jim but I have started having doubts about you is this last hour. The way you are acting now is not helping! If you had the guts to take his life away, then have some to say it out loud! You are a-"

Jim unexpectedly cut me, "I didn't do any such thing Ansel! I agree that after getting to know that I met Daire the day he died, it would have raised some questions in your head but I never thought that you would actually suspect me for murdering him! You were not the only one who was Daire's friend okay? I was too! I too am hurt Ansel! What makes you think that you are the only one who has lost here huh? What makes you think that you are the one suffering? It seems as if instead of mourning for Daire's death, you are actually mourning about your future Ansel!"

"How dare you even say that Jim! You? You are suffering? How! You have a billion dollar company, a hundred bungalows, and a million people working for you! It was me Jim! Me! Who lost a part of himself the day he lost his best friend! This is just as sad for you as the losses a single store of your cheap company makes! Ohh wait, there are no losses right? Jim Evans, living a life the people of this world strive for! Just give it a week and you will have bigger concerns like you having IPhone 5 when IPhone 6+ has come into market, right?"

"Wait a second! What makes you think I am having the time of my life? Ansel I was not the one who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, that was you! This company is my creation, okay? Unlike you I do not sit jobless with a hippy guitar in my hands! I work Ansel! Unlike you I have something to be proud of, something to look up to when I die!"

"You do! But who gave you the right to take this away from Daire! He was on the verge of making his greatest contract, but it was you who took this away from him! I might not have something to be proud of, but at least I didn't kill someone!"