Hope in Love

Chapter Two

"Love? There's no such thing as love. You're just in love with the idea of love." Hope bitterly uttered to herself while squinting one eye. That was her seventh bottle of beer. Drunk, she stood up wobbling from one foot to another. Definitely not one of her lucky days. One of her worst, maybe, if anyone would ask.

She struggled from her numbing senses just to get a hold from what is currently going on. The atmosphere inside the room is heavy--loud party music reverberated all throughout the room while colorful lights flickered from everywhere--which is making her dizzy.

"He's a jerk, Hope! Definitely not for you!" She continued her desperate attempt to conciliate her mood. After being dumped by his boyfriend earlier that day, some street creep also stashed her bag where all of her office files were located thus the reason why she got fired from her job in an advertising company. Luckily, her phone was kept in one of her jean pocket so she tried calling her friends but only one came.

"Can I buy you a drink, beautiful lady?"

A squeaky voice emerged behind her so she burried her head in her arms, willing for the intruder to go away. Can't this guy see that she's clearly not in the mood to mingle? She doubt that she's even sobber enough to follow through a conversation. Hope groaned when the guy persisted. Annoying little bastard.

"Hey, did you just fart?" The guy asked and Hope quickly straightened up.

"Excuse me!?" She shrieked.

"Because you just blew me away." The guy winked and Hope almost bashed his annoying face on the bar counter.

"Fuck off!" She growled.

The guy only smiled, dwelling with the satisfaction of finally getting Hope's attention. As if he wasn't just threatened, he sat down on the empty stool beside her and rested his elbow on the counter, desperately trying to give a pose oozing with 'suave'.

"My name is Ren, what's yours?"

"None of your damn business." Hope hissed.

"Quite a long name." Ren laughed and Hope felt her eye twitch in annoyance. She's too plastered for this. But through her hazy eyes she still saw how horrible this 'Ren' guy looks.

Ren is about 5'6" tall with a greasy mop of black hair. He's wearing a neon green sleeveless turtleneck tucked in khaki shorts. Hope cringed at the sight especially when she saw his striped yellow and purple socks and his neon pink rubber shoes. It's like the weirdest retro fashion guru just threw up on him. Hope was speechless and Ren, bless his poor hopeless ignorant mind, took her silence as admiration.

"Did my looks mesmerize you?" He smirked, and thus clearly showing a spinach stuck on his cracked two front teeth.

"Oh god, no." Hope almost hurled and she was sure that alchohol wasn't the cause of it.

"It's okay." Ren waved her off haughtily, "People tend to look when I pass by. It's like I got this magnetic charm on me. I'm used to the attention."

Hope felt hopeless. Besides irritation, she actually pities the guy. Ren started talking again about something Hope could care less about as she took another swig of cold beer, and another, and another until her head felt like it's full of cotton. She swayed on her seat and Ren finally stopped talking about himself.

"Uh, miss? Are you alright?"

"I feel my lunch coming up." Hope mumbled carelessly and Ren scooched away from her.

"Oooookay?" Ren said anxiously, thinking of plan to get away but still keep in touch with the drunk pretty girl.

Hope tried to straighten herself and when she finally caught her bearings, she saw Ren slide a neon orange calling card in front of her. Her mind screamed 'what the hell'?

"I should go." Ren excused himself when he saw Hope turn a sickly shade of green. He got up and patted Hope on the back before scurrying away with the final words of "Call me if you want me!"

"Jerk." Hope groaned as she watched Ren's neon back disappear into the crowd of girating bodies in the dance floor. "Men really are the worst."

She looked for her friend, Camille, who is definitely having a good time somewhere around the dancefloor with some random guy but she cannot find her maybe because of her height, don't ask what, combined with her blurry vision. To hell with that! She silently cursed herself and went straight ahead to the bathroom.

She felt confused upon entering because of the presence of urinals beside the lined faucets.

"What woman on earth would care to use male urinals!" She thought to herself with one brow raised.

"You!" A baritone voice said behind her and Hope wondered why men are speaking behind her back lately. She turned around and saw the guy she bumped into earlier, which she forgot what his name is, who's the exact opposite of Ren.

"Me?" Hope slurred as she felt the churning of alchohol within her. If this handsome guy doesn't step back in the next ten seconds, he's going to be in trouble.

"Yeah, who else!?" The guy sighed and checked his reflection in the mirror. Hope raised a brow, what's up with this guy?

"You're not supposed to be here." The guy finally managed to remove his gaze from his mirror image and directed a glare at her, "Are you a pervert or something?"

Hope tried to comprehend the current situation she's in. Her mind's fuzzy and she doesn't know why there's a guy in the female comfort room. And why is this guy calling her a pervert? And why the hell is she not voicing out any of these questions? But when she opened her mouth, one of the cubicle doors opened.

Hope almost ran when she saw a man wearing a neon green sleeveless turtleneck slide out of the door while singing as if he's the only person in the area.

"I know you like me, I know you do~~"