Chapter 3

The next day, I purposely called in sick and skipped my shift at the bar.

Sure enough, that night, I got a friend request from Kohen.

Kohen texted me: [Why didn't you come to work tonight? Are you feeling okay?]

I replied: [Yeah, my face still hurts, and it's pretty swollen. Didn't feel like showing up." Honestly, my face wasn't hurting anymore, just a little puffy, but I wanted Kohen to feel guilty, so I played it up.

Kohen: [Sorry.]

I: [You've already apologized, and I forgave you.]

Kohen: [Are you coming to work tomorrow?]

I: [Of course.]

The next night, he really did show up.

If the first time he came to the bar was for Melanie, then this time, there was no doubt he was here for me.

Instead of bringing out the most expensive bottle, I picked one that tasted great and wasn't too pricey.

I didn't go over to push my drinks like I did the first time. Instead, I just sat down across from him like we were friends. "You look like you're in a bad mood. Let me treat you to this one."

He shot me a surprised look, but didn't turn me down.

I'd always known that booze is magic. It helped people bond fast and brought them closer together.

By the time the bottle was nearly empty, we were already spilling our guts and getting real with each other.

He started opening up to me about his whole history with Melanie.

They'd grown up side by side, and right after graduation, they made it official. It had been five years now.

They'd broken up and gotten back together more times than he could remember. Every single time, Melanie was the one to end things, but in the end, it was always he who swallowed his pride and went crawling back.

He always wished Melanie would just back down and say sorry for once, but she never did.

I smiled and tried to cheer him up. "Girls just want to be treated like princesses by the ones they love. Trust me, she'll come around and appreciate you someday."

He sighed deeply, "Man, if only Melanie could be as thoughtful as you."

After we finished talking about all the emotional stuff, he switched gears and started chatting about the drink we were sharing, his passion for skiing, and how he sometimes went on road trips and camping adventures with his buddies.

What really caught him off guard was that I didn't just let the conversation die. I picked up on every joke he made, and even threw in a few comments that really struck a chord with him.

You could see the curiosity in his eyes. He was genuinely surprised that a bartender could know so much about everything he brought up.

As our glasses were almost empty, I started sharing my own story with him.

On my tenth birthday, I insisted on having a birthday cake. My mom drove out to get one for me, but she got into a car accident and was killed instantly.

That day, I lost my mom, and I lost the dad who used to love me, too.

My dad started to hate me, blaming me for my mom's death. He drank all the time, and when he was drunk, he'd beat me, call me a jinx, and even ask why it couldn't have been me instead.

Seeing my dad like that really tore me up inside. If I hadn't kept insisting on having cake, my mom would still be alive, and we could've been a happy family.

No use wishing for what could've been.

When I started college, my dad finally cut back on the drinking and started treating me better. Just when I thought things were finally looking up, he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.

To pay for his treatment, I took on every odd job I could find. Thanks to all those gigs, I ended up learning a little bit about every industry out there.

When Kohen heard I went to Bethelgard University, his eyes changed. He looked at me differently.

He sighed and admitted that Bethelgard had always been his dream school, but he didn't get in.

We were so caught up in our conversation that we totally lost track of time. It wasn't until closing time that we realized we'd been talking for hours.

After that, whenever Kohen had some free time, he'd come looking for me at the bar. Every single time, he'd have me crack open the priciest bottle. Even if he couldn't finish it, he'd just stash it away for later.

Most of the time, he just wanted to talk about Melanie. Sometimes he'd straight up ask me what the hell he was supposed to do about her.

Even though I secretly had feelings for him, I always gave him the most honest advice I could.

He could totally tell I'd actually thought it through, no BS, no brushing him off.

There was nothing romantic between us. To him, I was just someone he could confide in, a sounding board for all his troubles.

That was what really set me apart from Melanie.

Melanie was the one who broke his heart, but whenever he was hurting, he'd come to me. I'd be there for him, like a gentle breeze after the rain, soothing all his wounds.

I wasn't sure if he really thought of me as a friend or not, but I liked to think he was happy whenever he was with me.

Half a month later, Kohen wanted to see me in person.

He looked totally helpless, like he'd run out of options, and asked me for a favor he was almost embarrassed to mention.

I couldn't help but smirk to myself. This wasn't some awkward favor at all. It was a golden opportunity for me.

There was no way I was turning this down.