Rendezvous

twenty-four | mood swings

I may have overreacted, but with both coke and booze in her system, who knows what may happen if she slept before sobering up?

I ignored her question, "Do you have gatorade?"

"No," she says as she undoes the buttons on her jeans and pulls them down her legs. She adds, reaching for the flask on the bedside table, "Water will do."

"That's not water," I remark, snatching another flask from her grip, making her chuckle.

I like how she finds this amusing.

"Keep your eyes open," I warn as I get out of bed and return to the kitchen. "I mean it."

After a few minutes, I walk over to the bed with a cup of green tea, hoping that it will help her sober up. "Drink," I say as I hand her the cup.

She takes a few sips before turning to place it on the bedside table, "All of it," I say softly causing her to sigh.

12:41 a.m.

As Lana finished her tea, I was laying on my side, scrolling through my phone with her eyes fixated on me. I got up and put her empty cup in the dishwasher after she left it on the bedside table.

"Sober yet?" As she sank into a laying position on the bed, I inquired.

She sighs, "Unfortunately," as she closes her eyes. "Thanks," she adds, after a few moments.

"You're welcome," I say softly. "So, uh, I'm going to get going," I say as fold her jeans and put it inside her closet.

"Could you stay a bit longer?" Lana inquired softly as I approached the door.

I pause for a few moments, thinking about my early virtual meeting the next day, before responding, "Sure," as I return to the bed and softly lay down next to her, leaving space between us.

Lana remained on her back, eyes closed, while I lay on my side, glancing at her side profile.

After a few minutes of solitude, she says gently, "Life is not the same when you're miles away."

"You knew it would be hard, Alina," She continues. "You made sure I would need you in every fucking way."

My throat was constricted, and my eyes were stinging from the unshed tears. I closed my eyes and lied down on my back, attempting to keep my tears at bay.

After a few seconds, I open my eyes and shift my head to the right. I suddenly remembered the deep connection that existed between myself and this person who was dimly gazing at me through tears that filled her swollen eyes.

Her eyes were welling up with tears, and her breathing was shallow and labored. She bit her lower lip, attempting to hold back tears, but they continued to stream down her cheeks as we exchanged glances.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper for the thousandth time as tears rolled down my eyes blurring my vision. "I never meant to hurt yo-"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Lana says, averting her sight from me. "I-I'm over it."

"Do you regret it?" I ask softly, my voice trembling with tears as I anticipate her response.