Falling for Oz

Grumpy Beginnings

Jackson stares at me with concern, but I don't allow his pitiful stare to push my tears over the edge. Instead, I take a deep breath and order another whiskey to drown my sorrows.
"Are you sure you should be drinking right now?" Jackson asks.
I throw him the most venomous glare I can muster, before downing the drink in one.
"Yes." I motion to the bartender for another drink.
"Well, in that case, I will also have a whiskey." And then he gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me.
Two glass tumblers land in front of us containing honey-coloured liquid. I pick up my glass and Jackson quickly follows.
"Cheers!" I toast.
"Cheers!"
We clink our glasses and drink. Jackson sighs with content.
"That is some good stuff."
I laugh. "I'm glad you think so. It costs fifty-five dollars a glass."
His olive-green eyes go wide with shock.
"Don't worry." I grin. "Delavenne is paying."
Jackson turns to me, his whole body facing mine. He has a look of pity that I despise. Just when I thought I had a good drinking buddy he had to go ruin it with the pity stare.
"Stop giving me that look." I scowl. "I am fine."
"You're clearly not. I mean that's a lot of whiskey for one small woman.
I laugh out loud. A short condescending laugh that crawls its way out of my throat.
"This, for me, is going easy."
My phone pings and I glance down at the screen.

My flight lands at noon. Text me a place to meet. Do not leave me waiting.

I roll my eyes.
"Why do men think that they can control you even when you're not dating anymore?" I question.
Jackson shrugs. "Not all men. Most decent men aren't controlling at all."
"Maybe I drew the short straw." I mutter more to myself than Jackson.
"Troublesome ex?"
I scoff. "Yeh, you could say that. What's the craziest thing an ex has done to you?"
His eyes light up as he thinks of a memory.
"Once I broke up with this girl and she threw a brick through my window."
"That's pathetic. My ex is suing me."
Jackson pauses as the information sinks in.
"What?" He finally asks.
"He's a dick head. I 'stole' some confidential files and published them."
He whistles.
"What a dick."
"I'll drink to that."
The barman refills our glasses and we clink before drinking the night away.

My left leg bounces as I wait in the café for Danny. My whole body is trembling with anxiety as I keep my eyes on the entrance; preparing myself to face the past. He walks into the café as soon as the big hand on the clock hits one. His brown eyes land on the table I am currently seated at without any hesitation. He expects a certain standard from me, and I will go above and beyond that expectation to show him that I am better than I used to be. He sits opposite me without a word and I slide him a black coffee with no sugar; dark and bitter just like Danny is.

"Hello." My voice is monotonous.
Danny doesn't say anything as he sips his coffee.
"Stop with your usual 'in control' bullshit. What do you want?"
"What are you doing in Mississippi, Eleonora?"
"I'm on vacation." I comment. "But I'm guessing that you didn't travel all this way to engage in pleasantries."
With a deep sigh, he places a black leather suitcase on the table and pulls out a paper brown file and slides it over to me. I open the file and skim through its contents. Danny's eyes never waver from my face as I read the details enclosed.
"What do you want me to do with this?" I shove it back into the file. "Most of it is redacted."
"Recognise them?" He smirks. "Those are the classified documents that you published. Notice all of the words that have been blacked out? That's because this document isn't meant for certain people to see." He talks down to me like I am a child.
I lean forward slightly in my seat.
"Well, when I last saw those documents there wasn't any information redacted."
"Because that was a copy for my eyes only."
"Then your password shouldn't have been Eleonora123. I mean really, Danny?"
His fists clench and his face flushes red with anger.
"I presume that you heard from my lawyer?"
I grin. "The blonde bimbo? Was she sent to scare me?"
"Eleonora, this is serious. I didn't want to sue you. It was Andrew's idea. But talking to you again has made realise how much I hate you."
Those words hit me hard. I know that we aren't dating anymore, or even friends, but hearing that someone hates me hurts. I gather up my things and turn to face the man I used to love.
"Goodbye, Danny."
"I'll see you in court." He shouts as I leave the café.

I trudge to my room and close and lock the door before collapsing on my bed. I refuse to cry; matters this small aren't worth shedding tears over. Instead, I choose to stare at the ceiling. My mind is elsewhere; I feel my bedsheets beneath me, so real, so cold, yet I don't feel any connection to them. I don't feel connected to reality. I refuse to move, afraid that if I move a muscle I would break down. Outside my window, a bird perches itself on a branch and chirps. I'm not sure if that is what sets off the tears, but soon after the bird's action, the lump in my throat develops into a knot. My lungs scream for oxygen and I start gasping over and over, yelling: 'get a hold of yourself' in my head. A tear involuntarily slides down my cheek. I can't take it anymore. The sound of my sobs fills the air. I don't want anyone to hear, so I hug my pillow tight and scream into it. Eventually, those screams turn back into sobs. I am shaking and I can't control my body anymore.