Aral [Hiatus]

31.5 Good Luck and Fade

Of Brian Bhaskara and Camilla Hanindya

He grabbed a glass and put it in front of her. Then he popped the bottle and kindly poured the liquor for her.

"We'll eventually meet strangers in this bar or in that club anyway but since we've known each other's name, we're no longer strangers," he poured himself a glass of liquor.

He slowly reached out for the glass and quietly dragged it close to her since it was full. It was all like a joke to her. Why was she here in a bar with a bottle of liquor and a heavenly good looking stranger?

"You're not supposed to be here," she told him off.

He immediately stopped drumming his nails against the table.

"You're not from my side of town and I've never seen you around here. I'm a regular, unlike you."

He watched her calmly take a sip as if it was some Japanese green tea. For the first time that night, he cracked a smile.

"You're the bad mistress everyone's talking about."

"I am," she took another sip, already expecting her infamous reputation to spread around the town.

He turned away and spaced out for awhile before grabbing his glass to drink the liquor one-shot. He poured another glass and finished another shot like his life depended on it. She noticed the way he took his shots and she knew way better.

"You drink to forget, don't you, Mister?"

"You don't drink because you're not thirsty, do you, Miss?"

For the first time that night, she drew a smile on her lips.

"Strangers are supposed to not know anything about each other, but I happen to be a common person who knows about you and your hell of a boyfriend," he bluntly said. "Or a lack thereof. You two broke up, huh? So I'm not the only one with a nasty break up."

His arrow shot straight at the hole she tried to cover up.

"Since I'm a stranger who has nothing better to do, I can spare my time listening to you," he grabbed another bottle, throwing the words he'd repeated way too many times, "We tend to forget the strangers we meet at bars in the end so you don't have to worry."

If he weren't with her, he would've drunk the whole liquor from its bottle like there was no tomorrow. Too bad, he had an ego to keep in check.

"I'm sorry, but you won't be able to understand,"

"Really?" he shot calmly, "Go on, try me."

He dropped the bottle on the table and looked at her again. She was chewing her lips and fiddling with her fingers, uncertainty in her eyes.

"You're not alone. I know how that feels. People will always tell us off to move on as if it's as easy as breathing but it's never that easy. At all. And the more they encourage us to move on, the more we remember and the more it becomes irritating."

"And the harder it becomes for us to handle," she pointed out with a nod.

"Exactly."

She tried to reach out to the liquor bottle but he was quicker and he snatched it off with a hand before she even blinked.

"Now, tell me."

She could only stare at her glass when he kindly poured her some more liquor. Her glass wasn't even half empty but he poured more in anyway.

"It's going to be a pity story, okay. Our break up was just so typical. I won't talk about it. Don't you just want to drink some more?"

"I've had enough," he pushed his untouched glass away. "You want some?"

"I only drink a little just because I have to," she pushed her glass away as well.

"Go and drink your heart out, Miss. I won't judge."

She gave him a pointed look. But with that, she took the bottle to pour good amount of drink for both of them. He just stared at the way she poured his drink and it amused him, how she could look so calm as if they were having a tea ceremony. She didn't even drink much, might be why.

"It's sad when people you know becomes the people you knew," he said out of the blue.

"You're right," she agreed anyway, "But those irritating people are right. We'll eventually have to move on, no matter how sad it is. Our lovers forget about us so why don't we just do the same?"

"Guess we should talk some more later?"

She didn't like where it was going.

"I doubt it. You won't find me again that easy,"

"You said that we tend to forget the strangers we meet in the club in the end but I don't think I'll forget you just like that. As you see, I'm not drunk and I'm still sober," he said, throwing her words back at her again. "But I won't worry about that, you don't have to worry either. I just hope I won't fade from your memory because I'm sure you're a good person to befriend with."

"Thank you," she nodded before grabbing her nurse from the table, "But nope. You know they call me the bad bitch. I'm not good to keep around and I should get going. Good luck and fade, Mister."

He thought she was joking, but she really left the bar and left him by himself.

It was only the first of their tipsier nights drinking their heartbreaks away. Her and her lopsided smirks. Him and his unfinished songs.

/should I put it as a separate book to move forward during their first encounter at the bar and backward to each of their flashbacks? or should I leave this here?