I sat alone in the apartment I shared with my boyfriend, Alex. Today was my birthday. I didn’t know if I should be more upset or angry. I glanced up at the clock. It was 09:30 pm and he still hadn’t come home. I hadn’t even had a text from him today. I heard the front door rattling. He appeared to be having trouble opening it. I got up and unlocked the door. Alex looked like shit. He had messy hair, he was sweaty and his eyes were already half closed.
“Hey baby,” he said, trying to kiss me. I put my hand against his chest to stop him. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I sat back down at the kitchen counter with my green tea, and waited for him to stumble over.
“So, where were you?” I asked.
“Oh, you know, I went out with the guys. Jack took us to a new club,” he smiled goofily. I sighed. As much as I loved Jack, he could be a terrible influence on Alex sometimes.
“Do you even know what today is?” I asked, putting my mug down.
“Tuesday!” he laughed. I sighed again and felt the tears coming behind my eyes.
“It’s my birthday, Alex. Today is my birthday.” I said quietly.
He frowned for a moment then smiled again. “I would have asked you to come with us but you don’t drink.”
I looked at him shocked and didn’t know what to say.
“Ok Diana, I’m going to bed. You coming?” he stumbled into our bedroom.
I washed my mug and put it away thinking about the day. How could he have forgotten? I went to the linen closet and got out some fresh sheets and pillows and put them on the couch. I wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as him tonight, not when he was so intoxicated. The alcohol fumes were enough to make my eyes sting. I got changed in the bathroom and when I came out Alex was lying face down on the bed, snoring. I turned the light off and shut the door, and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I awoke to see Alex sitting in the chair opposite me holding 2 mugs of steaming coffee. He looked better this morning. He had showered and shaved, and the smell of alcohol had been replaced with his cologne. The only sign of last night was his red-rimmed eyes.
“Morning baby,” he handed me a mug as I sat up. I winced at the pain in my lower back. No matter how you sleep on a sofa, it will always fuck with your back.
“I’m sorry Diana. I don’t know why I did that.” he said.
I didn’t know what to say to him, so I said nothing.
“Let me make it up to you okay? Meet me at the café at 1 and we’ll have lunch.”
The café was the usual place where we went to eat lunch. It was a small place with pale blue walls, white tables and chairs and an abundance of flowers and plants. It was where we met.
“Okay, 1 o’clock,” I nodded.
“Great, I’ll see you then. I have to go do some work this morning. I love you,” he said, shutting the front door behind him. I drank my coffee and checked the time. It was 11:30, so I had an hour before I had to leave to meet Alex.
I showered and applied my make-up expertly, then got dressed. I decided on a pair of black skinny jeans and a blue sweatshirt with an anchor on the front. I put my dark hair up in a messy bun and I was ready to go. Grabbing my keys and phone I made my way to the café.
I got there just before one and sat at a table at the back. I ordered a mug of chamomile tea and scrolled through Tumblr while I waited for Alex. It got to 1:30 and I finally gave up on him turning up. I finished my drink and gathered my stuff. I took my time walking home, not knowing what to say to Alex if he was at home. Turns out he wasn’t at home. I called him but there was no answer.
