Forbidden Desires (A Shadam Fiction)

Chapter 6: Alcohol and Pool Tables

~Blake’s POV~

Blake groaned and turned over, stuffing his face into his silk pillow in an attempt to block the harsh morning light seeping into his room. Giving up, he slowly rolled out of bed and stood up, wobbling unsteadily. Head throbbing, he stumbled into his bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror, disgusted.

He looked like a savage animal; unclean, unshaven, and lost. He was a mess and drinking himself into oblivion with whiskey every night was the main reason. Or is it? As he stood there evaluating his sorry excuse for a life, he realized that maybe the drinking wasn’t the reason, but a result of the reason. And the reason was Adam.

Laughing pitifully at himself, he realized he was turning into those stupid girls on the drama shows no one watched in which the girl loses her boyfriend and becomes super depressed and forgets how to function. Unbelievable, he thought. Except he didn’t lose a girlfriend. He pretty much lost his best friend, all because he couldn’t keep his ridiculous emotions to himself. But here he was, turning into a miserable soap opera star, feeling like the world was crumbling down around him.

Because they had a week before the battle rounds started,  the judges were able to go home and spend time with their families. Usually, Blake would spend half of the time with his beloved wife, and the other half with Adam, playing pool, drinking, or playing music. Now, his wife was on tour on the East Coast and Adam hadn’t said a word to him offstage, completely avoiding him when there wasn’t twenty people around. Now, he drowned his sorrow and confusion in alcohol alone in his extremely large house.

He wondered where Adam was.

He tried not to care.

It didn’t work.

He drank another glass.

His mind refused to forget that night a week and two days ago that he and Adam had kissed. It also wouldn’t comply when he tried convincing it he didn’t have feelings for the guy. The way the event had stirred his emotions, how alive it had made him feel, was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. His insides raged a fierce war.

He drank another glass.

Looking down at the bottle, he took a deep breath and sighed, sick of feeling so miserable. He finally made up his mind. I’m not going to let this little thing ruin my life. I will be fine. And with that he poured the rest of the bottle down the drain, watching as the clear yellow liquid swirled in the sink and slowly disappeared, taking the rest of his depression with it.

Blake went upstairs and took a shower, shaved his face, and dressed in casual attire. I can have fun by myself, watch and see. He grabbed his keys and sunglasses and was out the door before he could stop himself. He didn’t know where he was going yet, but he was going.

***

Three hours and two hundred miles later, Blake found himself at a bar in the town of Fresno, California. It was quite different from the bustle of Los Angeles, and he enjoyed riding around the newly discovered civilization. It just so happened that he came to a red light and saw a bar on his left. Realizing he had nothing better to do, he switched lanes and decided to go play some pool.

The bar was modest, not too big but large enough to house a long bar, three pool tables, a small dance floor, and a small stage. Grabbing a seat at the bar, he realized it was only three in the afternoon and ordered a Bud Light. Drinking it slowly, he waited for someone to announce a desired pool opponent. Eventually, he got his wish.

The man was a scrawny little thing, around forty years or so, and was cocky as hell. “Anyone wanna try me at pool? Many will try, none will win.” Spirits heightened, Blake accepted his challenge. The match lasted no more than an hour, and Blake had won by a landslide. Feeling better, he challenged the man to another match.