The Story I Never Published

five

Avoidance
part 1: Ian

~*~

Alcohol. I only drink it whenever I need to forget. But the worst effect of drinking alcohol is you only forget for a short period of time. You forget what you're doing most of the time but when you dump yourself in bed and wake up the next morning, your problems and pain would still be there. It has always been my temporary happiness pill.

And now that I'm wide awake, still plumped in bed, I have a whirling head.

I heard footsteps coming up from the stairs. "I told you a billion times that alcohol would never ever solve your problems," Pandora starts once again.

"Not now Panda!" I ordered, burying my head under a pillow and making sure ears are covered.

"It's already seven in the morning," I heard her spoke from what seems to be the doorframe, "you told me that we're going to talk about last night."

I removed the pillow from above my head and looked over to Pandora who was sitting on my office chair.

"You really aren't letting this go, are you?" I narrowed my eys at her.

"Nope," she plumped the 'p' and crossed her arms to her chest, "it will haunt you."

I chuckled. "Fine, you win."

"So what happened yesterday that led your precious little feet to a club?" She seemed really intrigued by the events of yesterday.

"Went into the coffee shop," I started and she mouthed 'go on', "ordered some food and Ian sat on the chair across me."

"OH.MY.GOD!" She interrupts in between words.

"I won't continue?" I proposed, now looking amused.

"No no no," she panicked, "don't stop!"

"Okay, calm down," I resumed, "his girlfriend approached us and they left. Done."

"What?" She rhetorically asked, "that's it?"

"Uh huh," I smirked. I already know what's coming.

"Oh my God! What a complete asshole! After you waited for several years to come back, he just asks you dumb as shit questions?!" She complained. Oh and don't think that I didn't tell her that Ian and I talked before the girl came, I also added that.

"I am so sorry for ever yelling at you last night and cursing so much because of a story I didn't even know," she apologized.

"It's okay, Panda," I gave a genuine smile.

She stood up from her seat and approached me, locking me in her embrace. "I'm so sor—" she didn't finish what I was about to say because of the sound that was coming from my phone.

"Hol' up," I picked up the device after escaping from the embrace.

"Take your time," she stood up, "I'm making waffles because I want to make it up to you," she added before leaving the room.

I glanced at the unknown number on the screen before clicking the green 'accept' button.

"Hello? Who is this and how did you get my number?" I asked politely even though a part of me was trembling in fear.