Last Chance

huit

viii.

It only took him five minutes to hail a cab, three to hop in it and seven more to make it to his flat.

Caleb raided his cabinet and plucked out a Merlot before extracting a bag of ice from his refrigerator. Ordering takeout then hauling arse into his cabriolet was as quick as the speed of light.

The top was down tonight. Caleb's only ever let the woman he'd bedded run fingers through his hair but he let the night's chilled breeze rake lackadaisical strokes through his disheveled mane as he leaned further into his seat.

The drive up was something of a hypnosis act; a focused state of mild awareness. He blinked and suddenly—he's there.

Caleb stood on the doormat in what was deep contemplation. Anticipation gnawed at his core, at the thought that this could sum into a swing and a miss. Before he had anytime to backtrack and get the hell away, the front door was hauled opened and the expectancy on his friend's face gave way to shock and then immediate confusion.

"Caleb?"

Caleb's parted lips pulled into a quick grin, trying to hide how shaken he was. "Elle," he said as way of greeting, "I came to see Vince."

"So I gathered," she answered, wryly, slipping her phone back into her coat pocket.

"Honestly, I'm sort of surprised you're still here."

The woman in all her mischievous beauty and bee-stung lips looked wary for all but a moment before her façade collapsed into something stern but resigned. "I was just leaving actually—" she answered, bundling her midnight hair into a bun before adding: "—for a run, not him."

"Of course," Caleb replied.

"Are you going to come in?" She asked, earbuds popped into the crevices of her dainty ears. "He's been waiting for you."

Caleb blinked. "And how do you figure? I didn't even know I was coming."

"He's optimistic to a fault." She answered, wryly. "Every night he plays a game of pool by himself, waiting for his bestie to stop by and have a drink with him." 

"Who knew he was such a romantic?"

Ploughing down by him, Elle looked over the curve of her shoulder and smiled. "I did."

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True to her words, Vince was in the common room. There's a billiards table and a dim light and he's standing rod-still, holding a cue stick. Caleb could not recall, for the life of him, when was the last time he'd played a game.

It had to at least be nearing a decade now. Back in university where they'd scam haughty and mind-numbingly inebriated students into paying their rent. College, Caleb realised, felt like a fever dream now.

"I thought I heard your voice," Vince announced, as way of greeting. He half-twirled the cue stick in his hand, before stopping himself and letting out a short laugh.

Far from feeling perturbed, Caleb was quite unbothered. Playing billiards with his best mate was enticing to say the least. A tip of the hat to the simpler days.

"Yeah? Heard you've been longing for the sound of it for days." Caleb mused. "Thought I'd put Elle out of her misery. What's up with the new set-up?" He added, gesturing to the space around them—making a point to stare pointedly at the new decor and added tchotchkes.

Vince shrugged and it looked such a familiar, nonchalant gesture on him that Caleb almost felt a momentary pang of longing himself, before realizing that its quite silly to miss someone that was currently in your very presence.

"My girlfriend takes feng shui seriously. We've all got our vices."

"Elle's your girlfriend now?"

"Why should this be of any concern?"

Lifting his hands in mock surrender, Caleb quipped, "Fair point."

Vince pointed the cue stick at Caleb. "Wanna play?"

"I don't remember the rules."

       
"Brilliant." Vince lifted up a corner of his mouth. "We don't need them."

Vince took the first shot. The sound of the balls all clacked into wherever was loud.

"What are you doing, mate?"

"Trying to focus."

"No," Vince rolled his eyes, "what are you doing here?"

Caleb tried to angle the cue stick in such a way that the cue ball would shoot two consecutive balls in a row. He missed the cue ball, completely. Vince snorted. He'd always been better at this than him.

"I'm ready to listen to your apology," he answered candidly.

       
"Fine," Vince said with a sigh before his hard features softened and his voice adopted a sudden seriousness. "I was such an arsehole, Cal."

"Thank goodness, for a moment I thought I was actually going to have to twist your arm to admit that." Caleb deadpanned, point finger and thumb twirling his stick. "Do, go on."

"Look, mate, I said some scathing things. Things I had no business to say to my best friend. I care about you and it's imperative to me that I don't let you get hurt. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Here, the attorney placed a hand over his heart. His face feigning mock sympathy. "Aw."

"Can you sod off and let me apologise to you properly?" Caleb lifted his arms in mock surrender before Vince peered at him, jade lake gaze bright and sincere. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Seeing you like this is making me all warm and fuzzy inside, Vinny." Caleb replied, in jest. "And even a little bit nostalgic. I think the last time we've argued like this was when we were wee lads. So let's make this interesting, I'm feeling sentimental."

Brow cocked, Vince dared to ask: "What do you have in mind?"

"Let's give this the old college try. One game—loser apologises and we both forget the awful exchange." Caleb said, "Winner gets to prattle on about their love lives because I'm dying to know how Elle swooped you off the market. Fair?"

       
Vince smiled, and it was a little bizarre to see the same charming-rich-boy-class-president smile turned on him like this. "You're on, asshat."

       

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heeeey! remember me? your old friend and unreliable author. i totally meant to update months ago and just...didn't lol.

sorry loves! here's a chapter! ily