Half Hearted

Chapter Fourty Three

| Teresa |

He left just like that.

As Claire and I wore our coats, Ash exited the hall without a single glance behind him.

I bit my lip, hiding my frustration, and Claire and I proceeded out the door as well. We had already given Peter and Maudie their present - a bottle of Canada's best wine, courtesy of Steven's household - and so we bid our farewells.

As we walked to the bus stop, Claire noticed my silence. She hesitated, but in the end confronted me about it. "Hey, you got the closure."

I nodded, shrugging my shoulders. "I know. I just didn't prepare myself for how much it would suck."

Giving a sheepish smile, Claire stayed silent for a while until she stopped walking. I stopped too, and wondered what the hold up was. "You know what, I promised you a good time here in London, didn't I? Come on, we're drinking until you forget about him."

She linked her arms with mine, and we skipped into the pub across the street. Of course we got a bunch of odd stares, since we were wearing fancy dresses and our hair was done, but it had been a rough night. I wasn't bothered by anyone anymore.

We sat at the counter for a while, at first only ordering alcoholic beverages with a percentage of less than ten. But as the time started ticking by, and I started letting lose, some individual guys came our way. Well, Claire's way.

They would offer to buy her a drink, only to get rejected by her boyfriend speech - which was fair, since it was true - and then they would offer me a drink. Of course, I would gladly accept, since I was out of money and I really needed the painkillers. After failed tries of getting me home, much of the guys stopped trying, and I triumphed in the free drinks and the privacy.

That was until a cute guy named Dave came my way. Now, I didn't remember if he was actually cute, or it was the drunk side of me deciding, but I basked in the moment.

Dave seemed like a fun guy, and Claire - who started drinking water to sober herself up - didn't give me eyes to warn me about him, so I assumed it was all good.

The night went on for another half an hour, and I was in deep conversation with Dave. Claire had met some other law minor, and they hit it off. He was gay, so she loved his presence. The three of us all wanted a gay best friend, anyways.

"So after the beer pong, my mates and I headed to this flat and pranked some guy and his girlfriend," Dave laughed, his eyes crinkling. I laughed along, oblivious to what he was talking about previously. "How about you? What did you do last summer?"

I thought about the days trying to prepare myself for the next semester, and shrugged. "Nothing much. Vacation, travelling, the usual."

"Awesome, awesome," he smiled, bringing the glass to his lips. I stared at them, my vision slightly blurry, but seeing that they were lined red. Red like Ash's. Ash. My mind wandered to Ash's milky white skin and soft lips. "Hey, if you want, my mates and I could show you around the city sometime?"

Regaining some of my consciousness, I nodded my head. "We leave in about two days, so yeah. That'd be great."

"Awesome."

| Ash |

While pulling out of the driveway, Ash noticed the familiar green dress. He also recognized the girl she was walking alongside. It was that Asian girl who had delivered his food back at Oria's place.

Shaking his head, he focused his eyes on the road until he noticed them walk into a building. Or, more precisely, a bar.

Pressing his lips in a thin line, Ash stared at the time. It was nearing ten o'clock and they were heading for drinks? They really aren't wasting their time in UK, he thought to himself.

He got home at about half past ten, so he had enough time to catch up on some films.

Of course, the whole time during the beginning of the movie he couldn't stop thinking about Teresa's safety. He wondered if that Asian girl was capable enough to stay away from the drinks and make sure she was alright. He wondered if there would be any stupid horny creeps trying to take advantage of either of them. The thought brought madness to his head, and soon enough he was on his feet, changing into his pair of jeans.

He left his flat shortly after that, and revved up his engine. He knew it was none of his business interfering with her life, but when it came to her safety he couldn't help himself. He felt the need to insure that she wouldn't have to experience the same thing more than twice.

Parking directly in front of the bar, Ash got out of the car and headed inside. He looked around for the green dress, but as he saw the figure standing on the counter, he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Teresa was drunk. Her hair was falling apart, and her dress looked as if it were about to fall at any second. Her friend was standing normally, with her feet on the ground, and she looked as though she were trying to talk Teresa into stepping down from the counter. Taking matters into his own hands - literally - Ash walked towards the counter and, in one swift motion, helped her get down.

Whining, she weakly hit his hands until he let go of her, leaving him standing there awkwardly. "Hey, let the girl be!"

The shout came from behind Teresa, and Ash moved his head to get a better look. "David?"

"Stymest? That actually you?"

Ash nodded his head, taking a look at his long lost friend. And then, he remembered the circumstances and saw the Asian girl help Teresa with her balance. He helped her, and she looked up curiously, but gradually remembered his face. "Wait, you know Terese?"

"Terese?" Ash questioned, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. She was too drunk to push him away this time.

"Yeah, Terese from Toronto. How do you know each other?" And then the light bulb went off in David's mind. "Shit. She's the girl."

"There is no girl, David. I'm leaving now, goodbye."

"You can't leave with her, she wanted to come over to my place," he stated, taking one last gulp of his beer.

"And she's unconscious, so that's not the best idea."

"For fuck's sakes Ash, why don't you have some fun. Let loose and live with us like how you did back then."

"I'm not living with a bunch of twats anymore," Ash let out a huff, proceeding to head out of the bar. David quickly jogged in front to stop him.

"What did you call me?"

"A twat. What are you - deaf now?"

And in the blink of an eye, David swung, but Ash's reflexes were too intact. He had ducked down before David had managed to make an impact. Then, Ash handed Teresa to her friend - who shyly backed away - and gave David a blow to the face. It wasn't enough to make him fall to the ground, but it was enough to temporarily knock him out.

After a few seconds, David wiped the blood dripping from his nose using the back of his hand. Scowling, he yelled after Ash, who again wrapped Teresa's arm around his shoulders. "You won't make it out alive next week. I'll make sure of that. Reg has got a whole thing coming your way, Stymest, you better watch your ass."

He shrugged off the words, but they lingered in his mind.

Something new was starting, and he'd have to prepare himself for it.