The Mistake

"Hmm"

I stared at my codes at work for about seven long freaking hours already and still can't find what seemed to be wrong with it. The sun was peaking at the window bidding his goodbye and I'm still at my office in WCE working at my theory about linking a person's nervous system to an AI. Ambitious? I know. Well...

It's been a month since that grandios birthday bash they pulled off for me. Everything seemed to be fine since then. The company was thriving to its heights and was named the company of the year by FORBES magazine on its November 2023 issue. Leonna and I were getting along pretty well. Mr. Zellwinger and Ed were in and out of the country for business meetings. It seemed like it's just one of those hard days at work that I'll have to endure.

"Poof"

Hmm. The sound of Dom Pèrignon's cork popping off.

Hoping to spot another angle from every sip, I opened my favourite drink to shake things off a bit. New perspective as they say but little did I know, It was more than a new angle that would be unfolded that night...

The clock ticks an hour past ten in my search for a new perspective. My eyes suddenly were heavier than they used to be. I could smell the champagne that I nearly finished coming off my breath and intoxicating the air around. In my hand was my phone trying to help me distract myself from the work that I can't finish yet. I was leaning back as far as I could while I was scrolling from one social media up to the next when I bumped in to a familiar face.

It was "her".

I thought I got rid of every possible connection between our social media but I missed it. Looking at her revived feelings that I thought were long gone. The anger, the despair, the longingness to be accepted.

"F*ck"

I drank the rest of the champagne right straight to its last drop for I didn't want to be in that place again. I knew I needed to escape.

"Joe?"

A familiar voice came nearer as I heard footsteps slowly coming near me.

"Why? Why did you have to hurt me?"

"What?? I don't understand what you are saying. Hey, it's me, Leonna. Why are you so drunk alone?"

I forgot. I promised her a dinner treat that night. But in that moment, my eyes had convinced me that she was another person. A person I wished I had never met

"Stop lying, Ariel! For once, tell me. What was I to you??"

I grabbed her hand as I fell from my reclining chair. Struggling to stand on one foot. I looked up to her face and tears of disbelief and pain began to fall.

"What the hell are you talking about, Joe?? And who is Ariel?? Joe?? Answer me, who is Ariel??"

I wasn't in anyway capable of hearing whatever she was saying. I just stayed on the floor, drunk, and not knowing what was exactly happening.

She began to slap my face to help me regain my composure because she wanted answers.

My hand moved and stopped her hand from doing it the second time.

"You..."

"... have no right to freaking lay your hands on me!"

I looked her in the eyes.

"I'm not in love with you in the first place."

Everything paused.

The ticking of the clock hanging on my wall.

My heartbeat.

My breathing.

For a second, I gained consciousness but unfortunately was too weak and drunk to take back everything I had said to her.

She stared at me all blanked up and slowly stood up leaving me laying flat on the floor.

Her steps were too weak that she barely even had enough strength to take the next one away from me. Her eyes were staring at me as the tears began to build up on them and her head shook in disbelief.

I could never understood why in seven hells did I said those things to her. I am lost in the darkness inside of me that I began to suck people into it with me.

"w-wait, I.."

I fell unconscious.

Her leaving my office running in tears was the last picture of her in my mind and I never got to see her again...

[𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍]