The Brokenhearted [Ongoing]

Chapter 28

Chad's POV

The loud crack of thunder jolted me off the sofa. The lightning illuminated the Hudson River under an eerie glow and signalled the impending crash that was to follow. Picking up the Corona, I gulped the last sip of warm beer mixed with backwash and made my way to grab another, when my phone rang. It was four in the morning. It's too early to receive a call from anyone..

"Roxanne, what are you doing calling me at this hour?" I picked up assuming it could only be her.

📲: "Chad, it's me, Raul. Dude, I need to talk to you."

"Raul, what the hell are you doing calling at this time?" I asked as I reached for a beer.

I could hear the rain and thunder through the phone and realized he was outdoors.

📲: "Chad, I fucked up. I fucked up big time. I need to talk to you," the desperation and panic in his voice began to concern me.

"What happened? What did you do?" I asked as I sat at the kitchens counter. "Hello? Raul? Hello?" I could only hear the pouring rain in the background.

"Dude, talk to me!"

📲: "Chad..." his voice cracked, "I need your help."

"Alright I'm coming, where are you? Hello? Raul, where are you?"

📲: "Downstairs," he choked.

"Come up now!" I commanded before replacing the phone on the receiver.

The next couple of minutes seemed like hours as I anxiously paced back and forth waiting for Raul to knock at my door. I couldn't remember the last time he had cried, in fact, I had never known him to cry. I impatiently opened the door and saw him outside sitting on the floor of the long, narrow hallway, crying into his sleeve.

"Dude! Get up and get inside," I barked, "Raul, come on, I have neighbours they might see you here!"

The yellow carpet beneath him soaked up the dripping water. Eventually I grabbed him by the arm and pushed him into the apartment.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? What's going on?" I asked as I brought him towel.

"Chad, I'm screwed man, I'm so screwed," he whimpered through the tears.

"Can you tell me what happened? You're freaking me out," I was irritated, "If you don't tell me what happened, how do you expect me to help you?"

"Micah and I had a huge fight about her parents because of what they said towards me, they insulted me like shit," he began

Over the next twenty minutes  Raul informed me about what transpired earlier in the day and how insulted and emasculated he felt, how he couldn't shake his anger and had been out from one bar to next. He ended up at Sliver completely drunk.

"Dude, I don't get it. You got angry, went out, got hammered. What's the big deal?"

At that moment he turned to me and for the first time in the years of our friendship, I saw both pain and fear in his bloodshot eyes. My mind began to scramble and fear started creeping in.

"What did you do, Raul?" I asked slowly and sternly.

He turned and looked back at the floor once again. He continued, unable to look me in the eye.

"Micah kept calling and every time I saw her number, I got infuriated and drank more. I turned off the phone. Lara was there and she was getting off her shirt. I told her to join me and we kept drinking, afterwards..." he stopped.

"Afterwards what, Raul?"

Tears began to trace down his cheeks as he said softly with shame.

"We went back to her place and..." the words weren't able to escape him.

"But, but... Lara knows you're in relationship!" I couldn't control the confusion swirling in my head.

We stayed silent as I watched him. Lara would never in good conscience to be the other woman or a home wrecker.

"I told Lara that me and Micah was over," he whispered.

"You what?" I stood up in shock. "What the hell? Why did you do that?"

"I was drunk, I was angry, I was confused," he offered weakly.

"Oh fuck Raul, what did you do? How could you do that?" I grabbed the beer and downed in unsure of what to think or say.

"I know Chad, I know! What do I do now?" he begged, "How do I tell Micah?"

"Right now you don't do anything. Right now, just get dry and get some rest. Get something from my closet and take the bed, I'll sleep out here tonight." My mind was engulfed in a whirlwind of confusion as I tried to process what I had just heard.

"Chad, please I need..."

"Raul, there's nothing we can do right now, give me your phone and I'll send her text, meantime, just get some rest. We need clear heads to figure this out."

He sighed and as he walked towards the bedroom, he turned and asked as a child would, "Chad, everything is going to be okay, right?"

I nodded.

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TO BE CONTINUED...

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Thank you for reading my story hope you enjoy..
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