He Was a Friend

/25/ He's in, too. /

"I mean, whyyyy did he have to do thattt? Look! We're so pooooopularrr now becaaaauuuse offff himmmm," she bellowed, hugging her knees.

He silently drank the last drop of his fifth beer. They were at an izakaya at Yurakucho alley – which they have reached through riding the train at the Yamanote line, just one stop away from Tokyo station. Looking at the state of his childhood friend, now he understood why she asked her not to bring his car.

It looks like she planned to get wasted, and she can't egg me to drink if I need to drive.

Shaking his head, he poured juice in her glass instead of the beer while she was temporarily resting her head on the table. They were sitting at the isolated part of the bar, which was a good thinking on his side.

Otherwise we'd be disturbing everyone else. She's obviously drunk now. This is why I kept telling her to stop since the fourth one... She was never good with alcohol in the first place.

"And youuu!" she hollered as soon as she raised her head from the table. "What was herrr nameee... that... thattt vixeeeen?" she pouted while pointing her yakitori at him.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Martha?"

"Oh. Right. Yeahhh thattt... thattt... Martha! How daaaare she talllkk as if she'ssss the... the... the one hurrtttttt on the break-uppp? Sheeee's the oneeeee who leffffft youuu!"

He chuckled.

It's such a breath of fresh air to see her like this every once in a while.

"Yeah, why did she leave me, huh? I'm such a good catch, right?" he egged her on, while opening his sixth bottle.

"Riiiight! She doooesn't reallyyyy know howwww much offffff a goooood catch youuuu are!" she exclaimed, and then she actually cried out of frustration.

He burst into laughter this time.

I should take a video of her like this. I can use it to blackmail her forever.

"Back thennnnn, I almoooost— almosttttttt—"

He stopped laughing, and paused his glass midair.

"Almost...?"

She stared at him vacantly and blinked continuously. "I forgoooot. What was I taaaallking about agaaain?" she asked, confused, scratching her head.

He heaved a long sigh.

Hah. I really hoped for a second there. I thought there was actually 'something'.

"You were talking about how handsome I am," he sneered, giving up on the temporary hope.

She raised her yakitori in the air.

"Oh! Yup! I have haaaandsomme frieeends! I haaaave you! I haaavve Art!" she yammered proudly, after drinking a gulp of her... juice.

She suddenly went blank again and looked at him.

"But whyyyy did Art kiiiiisss me?" she shouted, slamming her glass on the table.

He crossed his legs, rested his chin on his hand and stared at her.

What do I do with you, Lou? I think I'm totally being friend-zoned right now. What am I doing getting myself hurt like this?

"Whyyyyy? I'm hiiisss frieeeend. Nottttt hisssss loverrrrrr. How aboooout youuu? Do you kiiiiissss... people you doooooon't loveeee?"

He removed the end of the yakitori stick that she was holding, because he's afraid it might hit her face as she kept waving it around.

"Why aaaaaren't you anssssssweringgg my quessssstionss? You thiiiinnk... I'm a joooke? I said..." she sulked, trying to clear her throat. "Doooo... you kissssss people yooooou don'tttt loveeeee?" she demanded curiously, as she moved her face closer to him.

At that moment, he felt the last strand of his remaining sanity and patience finally broke.

He closed the gap between his lips and hers, as if to show her the punishment for making him break his 'limit'.

Afterwards, he looked at her straight in the eye before hissing on her reddening right ear.

"No, I don't."