My hands are sweaty, Lorenzo thought to himself as he wiped them down his worn out jeans he had worn thrice a month for seemingly important purposes such as buying his favorite pizza flavored chips in the convenience store near his apartment, or in more important matters like mustering up the courage to finally ask Gwendolyn out.
Sigh. Gwendolyn Son – the apple of his eye. Not a day passes by without him thinking about her. Her short but perfect hair just barely brushing her shoulders made her luscious lips not hard to miss. Not to mention, the captivating look on her eyes makes Lorenzo weak in the knees. He would have no problem being unable to walk anymore just to gaze at them. To top it all off, when she smiles, it's like the whole world shines with her. Don't forget her voice! That angelic voice Lorenzo listens to in every talent show she joined from high school up to college. He went to every musical plays she starred in just to hear her sing.
Valentine's. You only have this Valentine's, Enz. It's do or die.
It was a bet. An absolutely stupid bet started by none other than his dumbass friend who insists to be called Bamster. What a stupid nickname.
"It's easy really. Buy her flowers and say the magic words. If you could do that, I'll make sure to have Jonathan Park make our Thesis Paper since he bet you would chicken out until graduation," Baron Moss, that dumbass friend of his, offered with his signature cocky smile everyone wants to wipe off – including Lorenzo, adviced.
An obnoxious honk brought Lorenzo back to his reverie as a convertible stopped just in front of him. Jack Woods, at the driver's seat, tilted his shades down, revealing his long lashes and golden amber eyes. His smug grin at Lorenzo made him roll his eyes in annoyance.
"Enzo, you cheeky bastard!" Baron yelled at him from the back seat. Ulysses was beside him, face focused on his phone, grinning from ear to ear. Lorenzo suspected that he must be hanging around Instagram again.
Lorenzo flipped Baron the bird while Jack waved his hand at him to get in the car. Baron flipped him back two birds as Lorenzo slid into the passenger seat.
"Are you ready?" Jack asked Lorenzo who was already fiddling his phone to see if Gwendolyn had already seen the chat he sent three hours ago. His heart tickled when the chat status wrote seen.
"As I'll ever be," he mustered up to say, willing up to keep his voice steady.
"Great! This is great. I can't wait to see the look on Park's face when he hears that Enzo is not a coward," Baron sinisterly says, looking like the devil he was compared to all the time. Lorenzo gave him a bored look knowing full well that Baron thinks of him as a pawn as of the moment since Baron has this unexplainable obsession of wanting to win against Jonathan from the silliest bets he could think of. It's a bit of a shock that Jonathan Park, who was known to maximize his time in reading and studying all day everyday, would actually agree with Baron's bets. That, Lorenzo has no clue whatsoever.
"Yule! You're in charge of filming," Baron says, smacking his best friend on the back, causing him to lurch forward, almost hitting Lorenzo's seat.
"Bam! I'm on the phone!" Ulysses exclaimed, shoving Baron aside.
"Okay, that's a yes! Jackie, rev up the engine. We're getting flowers! I'm pretty sure the CSC president is selling them as we speak."
As Jack shifted his gear to get the car moving, Lorenzo's heartbeat tripled as his mind clouded him with only the thoughts of Gwendolyn and how he was going to break it to her that he was in love with her.
"Where did you say she was waiting?" Jack asked as he glides down the pavement of their huge university. Lorenzo told him to go slow since he was still collecting himself.
Because of his mental state as of the moment, Lorenzo found it hard to remember what place he told her to wait. Lorenzo took out his phone to check the message he sent her today.
"The Founder's Statue. I'm sure she's already waiting because she is always ten minutes early."
Lorenzo heard Baron whistle from the backseat. It took every ounce in him not to roll his eyes knowing that Baron finds it annoying that someone punctual actually exists because for him, there's no such thing as being early or on time.
Lorenzo looked at the bouquet Oliver Chandler, the CSC President, handed just a while ago. He gripped it nervously, trying to calm his nerves.
This is it. I'm finally going to ask her out. I'm sure she'll find it romantic. She always likes Valentine's Day because it always has a different air to it for her.
Lorenzo was lost in thought when the car suddenly halted which brought him back to his senses.
"W-Why are we stopping?" Lorenzo stuttered nervously, asking. He only noticed it now that there was a commotion in the courtyard already.
"Dude! Check it out a public love confession!" Lorenzo heard from the gathering crowd.
"OMG. How romantic!" A girl exclaimed.
"Woah. What's with all of the ruckus?" Jack asked, clearly confused with the whole fiasco going on.
"Yo! Rich!" Baron called out to a random guy who was about to join the crowd as well. The tall guy walked to the convertible and nodded at them in greeting.
"What's with all the commotion? Is there an event?" Baron asked Rich who nodded to the gathering crowd.
"Oh, that? Well, Evans is going to ask Gwen to be his girlfriend."
As if like the world stopped revolving, Lorenzo's heart stopped beating for a second. His eyes met his friends who shared the same expression – shock and a tinge of sympathy.
"Which Gwen?" Jack asked for Lorenzo who was already ducking his head in shame.
"You know. Gwendolyn Son. That smart girl from the School of Arts."
All eyes were on Lorenzo, except for Rich who had no clue and Ulysses who was actually out of the conversation since the beginning, eyes glued to the small rectangular screen before him. Baron thank Rich and sent him away. Jack patted Lorenzo's back in comfort while his whole body trembled.
Ulysses, who just shifted his focus on the crowd from his phone suddenly pointed out, "Oh look! It's Wendy!"
Lorenzo's eyes searched for her in instinct and there she was standing in the middle of the crowd, eyes beaming at this Evans everyone was talking about. She looks so happy, it made his heart melt and ache at the same time.
"Let's go," Lorenzo grimly said.
No one said anything. All of them were in a trance, not knowing what to do neither hearing what Lorenzo was saying.
"I said, let's go!" Lorenzo was already on the verge of losing it. If Jack didn't respond quickly, Lorenzo would lose it if he sees Gwendolyn nod her head at Evans.
"So what was I suppose to film?" Ulysses innocently asked. Baron smacked his head.
"Be more in the situation next time, barf face." Lorenzo scoffed bitterly at Baron's childish insults even if it wasn't funny at the very moment.
"Where to now?" Jack asked as he maneuvers the car away and outside the campus.
"I wanna be in a loud place," Lorenzo muttered.
"Well, I wanna drink. Today was depressing!" Baron said at the back as if he was the one getting his heart break. Jack glared at him from the rear view mirror before turning to Lorenzo with a concern look.
"Is going to a pub okay with you?" He asked and Lorenzo nodded mindlessly.
"Wherever is fine."
Baron hissed a 'yes' in celebration while Ulysses went back to staring at his phone like he always does.
"What are a bunch of college students doing inside a pub on broad daylight?" The bartender asked, eyeing the four guys standing before him. One was glued to his phone screen, the other was fumbling the bouquet he bought for nothing, the other looked bored to death, while the only guy who paid attention to him was Jack who had a polite and apologetic smile plastered on his face.
"We're trying to calm a broken heart," Jack explained. The bartender's eyes quickly shifted to the bouquet fumbling sad boy who sat himself down by the counter.
Jack was about to ask how he knew in a snap but seeing his obviously depressed friend, he shut himself up before he could. The bartender checked the calendar hanging inside the office before getting back to the four guys.
"Didn't go well, huh?" he asked the only one attentive in the conversation.
"He never had the chance to even tell her," Jack whispered back. The bartender did a sharp intake of breath before a series of tongue clicking in show of empathy.
"First four drinks are on the house."
"Awe, you're too kind, mister!" Baron, who was already settled at one of the tables, exclaimed.
"Are you heartbroken?" he asked Baron.
Baron scoffed. "Never in this lifetime."
"Then, the free drinks aren't for you. It's for your moping friend right here." The bartender gestured to Lorenzo who was preoccupied with his own world of gloom.
Jack pats Lorenzo's shoulders in comfort. "I'll just sit where Baron is. Let us know if you need to vent it out." Knowing Lorenzo, he keeps his pain to himself. He's not one to share a lot and would rather just suffer alone. He'll only open up when he can. For now, Jack knows he's not ready to talk about it.
"C'mere you phone freak!" Jack exclaimed at Ulysses who was just standing on the very spot he halted when they got in the whole time they were there. He was so engrossed. Jack went to him and grabbed him by his collar and dragged him to the table where Baron was.
The bartender placed a glass of Negroni before Lorenzo who was ducking his head the whole time.
"Have a shot. You'll need it to cope."
"I don't drink."
The bartender had a weird look on his face after Lorenzo said that.
"Well, what are you here for?" he asked, a bit pissed off that Lorenzo didn't accept the drink.
"To think." The bartender scoffed at that.
"I don't buy it young man. How is a brokenhearted guy still willing to think? Drink and drown your worries. You'll thank me later." A pat on the shoulder and drink shoved in front of Lorenzo, the bartender left him alone.
This sucks, he thought. Who would've thought I'd be spending Valentine's day in an old pub with pain in my chest.
"It looks old but it's sturdy."
"Huh?"
Lorenzo gazed at the bartender who was tending to drinks from one side, cleaning it with a towel. He looked absolutely preoccupied.
"What are you looking at?" he asked as soon as he caught Lorenzo staring at him.
"You said something?"
"Yeah. I asked, 'What are you looking at?'" The bartender said as a matter of fact.
Lorenzo was about to pry even more but decided against it. Instead he asked, "why are there no people around here?"
"You ask a lot of questions. Why don't you just drink the Negroni before the ice melts? People will start flooding this place without you knowing."
Lorenzo frowned but did so anyway. The bitterness of the drink passed through his esophagus to his stomach leaving a heated sensation in its path. He couldn't help but clear his throat to try to ease the burning feeling.
So this is what alcohol tastes like?
Time passed by without anyone knowing. It was already close to the deep of night. Lorenzo already finished about three glasses of the drink. It was a miracle that he was still conscious – barely. He didn't notice that the pub dimmed already with lights darting all over the place. The music was louder than when they first got there and people were already filling empty spaces inside the establishment.
"I'll have a martini please," Lorenzo heard someone beside him.
"Can I have this seat here?" the stranger asked him and proceeded to sit even though Lorenzo hadn't said anything yet.
"Here you go."
"Thank you, Marco."
Lorenzo felt the stranger stare at him as he drank his fourth glass to its last drop. As he placed the glass back on the counter, he turned his attention to the pale looking man with his silver-ish blond hair slicked back. He looked like he was not from there, but he was not one to doubt this person's residency since he never really went around places like this on a daily basis.
Maybe it's the alcohol. Yup. That could be it.
"What are you in for?" The stranger started the conversation with an unusual question. It was a question often heard in jail cells. Lorenzo couldn't think up any logical context to his query.
The stranger must've noticed his hesitation because he further inquired. "Well, did you get dumped? Are you in debt? Is your partner not good with you?"
"I don't have a partner," Lorenzo answered grimly.
"Wow. Sorry to hear that. So, are you in debt?"
Lorenzo took a good look at the silver blond man beside him. He was wearing a dark grey suit partnered with a red tie. He looked around five years older than him. He seemed too prim to be a cubicle guy so he must be a CEO of something. Either way, Lorenzo wasn't in the mood for formalities. He was close to getting wasted.
"Is it your business to know?" Lorenzo asked, failing at being polite. It's the alcohol.
"Well, no. But what's not to humor others about though?" He had a cheeky smile before sipping his own drink. He exhaled pleasingly after he swallowed the martini. "Ah. That hits the spot."
"I'm really sorry, but I'm not really in the mood to talk right now," Lorenzo explained, trying not to sound too slurred.
"I'll just read your mind then."
Lorenzo stared at the stranger weirdly. He wasn't sure if he heard him right but after they made eye contact, a piercing pain went through his brain that he thought he was going to pass out because of it.
"Ah. I see. You just got dumped before you could even confess."
Lorenzo frowned when the words came out of the stranger's mouth.
"How did you know that?"
"Huh? You told me about it just now."
Lorenzo shook his head, not wanting to continue prying him. Maybe he was just too drunk to even remember saying anything to the man.
"So, how are you coping?" He continues to engage Lorenzo in a conversation.
"Barely," Lorenzo replied.
The stranger nodded as if understanding.
"Do you understand love?" Again with those out of the blue questions with no context.
"What's that about?" Lorenzo asked, genuinely confused. The silver blond man shrugged.
"The name's Amor. Eros Amor." Lorenzo sighed. "I did not ask, Mr. Amor."
"Oh, but you were curious. Therefore, I answered without you having to ask me about it."
Lorenzo only shrugged, thinking that this guy had low alcohol tolerance and a small sip of martini was already enough to get him drunk.
"I'm not drunk. Though, that was a hurtful thing to say that I don't hold my alcohol that well, Enzo," Eros said unexpectedly which gave Lorenzo chills all over his body.
This guy was something else. Though again, it should be just the alcohol.
"It's Lorenzo for you, Sir."
Eros shrugged before taking another sip from his cocktail glass.
"Let me break it to you though. She's not really worth the pain you're feeling right now," Eros blankly said which got Lorenzo fuming mad.
"How do you know?! You haven't even met her!" Lorenzo angrily exclaimed.
Woah, dude. Calm down.
"You're feisty. I like your character. Keep it up, kid." Eros gave Lorenzo three pats on the shoulder. "Three pats means 'I love you' from where I came from."
"Anyway, I have somewhere to be. I need to follow my vacation plan if I were to take a break. Have a nice night, Lorenzo."
Before Lorenzo could speak, Eros snapped a finger. Everything became an eerie blur before him. The last thing he saw was Eros walking backwards, gazing at his intoxicated state with a smirk playing across his face. The last thing he heard was Eros's crisp and jazzy voice saying, "see you next year today."
Everything turned black as Lorenzo passed out. Who knew it took him four negronis to actually call it a night?