Under the Influence ✔

2.

I drag myself out of bed, still groggy from my self medicated slumber. I can hear my phone ringing from somewhere in my bed, and as I toss around the blankets in search for it, I yawn. Funny how I can get more than a full nights rest and still feel exhausted right after. I reach my hand underneath a pillow and my make contact with the ringing iPhone. I glance at the screen and almost don't answer until I think better of it - if I don't answer now, she'll only keep calling. 

Sliding my finger across the green button, I answer my best friend's call. "Hey, Bran." 

"Luna! Do you work today?" She asks, getting straight to the point and wasting no time with small talk and pleasantries. 

"No." I yawn again and stretch my legs out in front of me. 

"Great! Get dressed, we're going to lunch and then shopping." Her chipper voice replies through the phone.

"Bran, I really don't-"

"See you in an hour!" She ends the call and I throw my phone down on the bed, knowing that I have no choice but to get dressed before Brandi shows up or she will barge in and make me. 

I've been best friends with Brandi Martin since the sixth grade. She was the new girl in our class and I was the girl that didn't have many friends, so we hit it off pretty easily. I was the more laid back, go with the flow, quiet one in the friendship while Bran was loud, eccentric, and wild. We stayed best friends all throughout middle and high school, and even college. I took classes at the local community college when I moved to the city and Bran went to a University an hour away. We don't see each other much anymore, but I know she's always there for me if I need her and we text all the time, even if it's about something small and insignificant. 

I roll out of my bed and start stripping off my clothes as I make my way to the shower, turning the hot water all the way up before stepping inside moments later. Once I've finished with my shower I wrap a large, plush towel around my body and head to my closet. Although I am excited to see Bran and catch up, I'm not all that excited to go out in public - I'd much rather spend my off day in my bedroom with a movie and some snacks. 

Bran would never go for that though, she's the exact opposite of me in almost every way, homebody was not a word that would ever describe her. I grab a pair of ripped jeans and a white top from my closet, pulling the jeans on one leg at a time before I decide to grab a flannel to tie around my waist as well.

My phone begins to ring from where I left it on my bed and as I get closer I can see Bran's name on the screen. I put her on speaker as I throw my hair into a bun on top of my head. "I'm ready."

"Good, I'm here." I can hear her honk the horn from both outside my window and through the phone. Sliding my bare feet into a pair of sandals by my door, I tell her I will be right out and then grab my keys and purse before locking my door behind me. 

As soon as I get into her car, she launches into a story about her new boyfriend, Jace. I offer comments and nod my head at all the right times, but Bran doesn't really notice, she just wants someone to rant to. 

She met Jace at the library while studying for a test and he gave her some cheesy pick up line that she ignored. Fast forward a couple of weeks and they were getting coffee together, learning all about each others lives and falling in love. 

Bran falls in love a lot. Honestly though, I don't think she's ever been in love, she's just in love with the idea of being in love. I guess I wouldn't really know though, since I've never been in love myself. The whole concept seems messy and confusing to me, and I have no interest in it - like I said before, I don't even love myself, so how can I love another person? 

"Luna! Are you even listening to me?" 

I glance over at my best friend, the car is parked and she's staring at me with her perfectly shaped brows arched. "No. Sorry." 

Bran is used to me spacing out and getting lost inside of my own mind - although she has no idea how dark and clouded my mind is majority of the time. That's the one thing I have never shared with her, I've never told her the mildly suicidal thoughts, the desire to leave this life behind, or the constant struggle to live. Bran doesn't know that I have to take pills to sleep or that I spend parts of my paycheck buying said pills from a guy at work, she doesn't know how I struggle to love - or even like - myself. 

"Can you at least try to be interested in what I'm saying?" She shuts off her car and open the door. I do the same, not even realizing that we were already at the restaurant. Because I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings, the car door that I had just thrown open so carelessly made contact with a person. 

"Hey!" A deep voice shouts at me, just as I climb out of the car with an apology on my tongue. Before I can tell him that I'm sorry though, he cuts me off, "Watch what you're doing, blondie."  

His tone isn't malicious or rude, he doesn't seem upset at the fact that I just hit him with a car door, instead he looks amused. He pushes his black hair back with a tattoo covered hand and I see the that the ink travels up the entire length of his arm, winding up his body until it stops just below his neck. The images are random and all flow into one another, making the picture work and appear beautiful even though it's chaos - unorganized and sporadic. "It's not polite to stare, ya know. " 

I tear my eyes away from the artwork and look to his face, which in a way, is another form of art. He has strong, angular cheekbones and piercing eyes - eyes that are studying me, a slight twinkle of amusement in the light brown color. His black hair matches the small amount of black facial hair that outlines his jaw - almost as if he forgot to shave this morning, but someone he can pull it off without looking lazy and messy. 

"Sorry." I mumble once I find my words. 

"For staring or almost taking my arm off with that door?" The amusement is still in his eyes, and there's a slight smile on his lips. 

"Both." I push the door closed behind me as the smile on his face turns from a small smirk to a full on, dazzling smile that has me staring at him again. 

"Maybe you can make it up to me sometime?" 

"I-"

"WES!" Another deep voice calls from further down the sidewalk and we both turn our heads towards the irritated man. "WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE, COME ON!"

The attractive guy in front of me - Wes - turns back to face me, "That's my cue to leave. Bye, beautiful." He winks as he turns and walks towards his foot tapping friend, shoving him jokingly as they turn to walk around the corner. 

Once they're out of sight, I hear Bran clear her throat from the entrance of the restaurant in front of me. She's looking at me with a knowing smirk, "You think he's hot." 

I roll my eyes as I join her and together we walk in to the restaurant where I spend the next hour listening to my best friend tell me that I need to track down the mystery man and "find out where else he has those interesting tattoos."