Fine Line Between Sweet and Sour

Heather

I am now walking aimlessly around the town. I finally get a day off today. My mom told me to rest after working way too hard for the past few days. But instead of taking nap at home, I choose to walk for a good hour around the town. I need to loosen up my mind a bit from what has happened to me lately. I haven't had any actual conversation with my boyfriend. The only times we tal is when we say our "see you later's" to each other every morning. Í've always tried my best to be a good girlfriend. I don't want to seem childish in his eyes. I want this thing we have between us to last forever. He is perfect to me and I also have to be perfect to him. I can never imagine myself to be with someone else.

I check my phone and notice that it is already 9 PM. My stomach is already rumbling, but I don't feel like going home. It doesn't even feel like home anymore. It feels so hollow to share a house with someone, when that someone barely even talks to you anymore. I slips my phone back into the pocket of my denim jacket and walks slowly. I bend my neck down, hoping that I won't bump into anyone that walks in the opposite direction. The street is so quiet. I can even hear the sounds of cracking leaves, the slow winds, and my own footsteps. Suddenly I hear other footsteps that sound like they are near. Before I lift my face, I feel my body hit someone's.

"Ow!" Someone groans.
I lift my face and glance at a tall guy in front of me.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't-" I say, panic.
"Nah, it's okay." He says, rubbing his arm.
I take a sight of the guy in front of me again. He is in a grey t-shirt and blue jeans.

He looks at me as he notices that I was eye-ing him. I continue my steps as I catch myself being dumbfounded. I don't bother to look back because I'm embarassed of what he'd think about me. When I'm a few steps away from my house, suddenly my phone rings. I take it out of my pocket and see "Blake" on the screen. I smile before I pick it up.

"Yes, babe?" I saiy happily.
"Heather, when are you gonna get home?"
"I'm gonna be home soon. What is it?"
"Yeah? Uh, no. Nothing. Okay, I'll wait then." He says, sounding either worried or nervous.
"Okay." I say before I hang up the phone.

I see his car is already parked in front of our house. I smile as I imagine what he is doing inside. Maybe he wants to apologize for indirectly ignoring me. Or maybe he just wants to have dinner with me because he missed me. I quicken my paces, taken by my curiousity of what is going to happen once I get inside. I fix my hair quickly as I reach the front door, wanting to look somehow pretty in front of him. It is our time to fix everything.

"Blake? Baby? I'm home!" I say as I take off my jacket before placing it on the sofa armrest. I look around the living room but he is nowhere to be found.
"I-I'm here!" I hear him shouting from our dining room.

I swallow as I take my steps to the dining room. And there he is, standing beside the dining table. I smil as I see him. But he isn't alone there. There is also a beautiful girl with a petite body frame beside him. She has pointed nose and baby blue eyes. I can tell that she only has minimum make up, but she is already looking gorgeous. She is in a tight black dress, exposing her cleavage. Her long dark brown hair clung onto her shoulder. And her hand is in his hand. In my boyfriend's hand.

"Hey," He says nervously.
I don't reply. My eyes are still glued to their hands. I can feel tears starting to form behind my eyes.
"This, this is Amanda," He says, rubbing her knuckles as if he is trying to comfort her, "you know, Heather. I don't wanna be mean to you. You're a good girl, really. But, I just don't think we can work things out." He mutters as he inches to me.
I lift my face and look at him in the eyes, before I take another sight of the girl behind him.
"I and Amanda have been together for a few months. And what I feel when I'm with her is the total opposite with what I feel when I'm around you. Heather, we both know that we are just not destined to be together. We've been together for the past few years only because of our parents. But from the start, and even until now, I can never love you like how I'm supposed to love my girlfriend." He continues, shredding my heart that is already aching.
"I-I," I stutter as I try my best to hold my tears. I am fragile inside, but I don't want him to see me crying just because of him. I don't want him to see me as a weak person.
"Amanda is going to move here, soon. She'll live with me in this house, my house, tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I think you shou-"
"Yeah. I understand." I say, cutting him off.

I already know what he was going to say. He was going to tell me to get the fuck out of his house soon, so that he can sleep with that girl right away. I sigh as I let the thought of him sleeping with another girl to sink in. I turn my body and walk to the room I used to share with Blake. I quickly grab my suitcase and pack all my things before putting my clothes into it. I put the other stuffs that can't fit into my backpack. Soon I leave the house without saying goodbye to him. I don't even have guts to see his face anymore. I wish he cpuld just disappear right away, with that Amanda thing.

I walk aimlessly around the town, again. I wish I didn't leave my car in my mom's house. I want to go to my mom's house, the house I used to live in before I moved to Blake's house. I want to cry in her arms and just taunt Blake with my sister, but I don't want them to ask me so many things, because that's just gonna hurt me even more. Tonight, I just need some time alone. But suddenly, the rain starts to pour, so I run into some bar that I never knew it existed even that it is near Blake's house.

John

It is raining hard outside. My body starts to feel so cold so I take another shot. My eyes are still on the TV, watching some football match. I take a sip of my drink and take my chin between my forefinger and my thumb. The bar isn't so crowded tonight. Not even 10 people are here.

My body still feels a bit exhausted. I just had a 5 hours practice with my band for the local show we are gonna play in 2 days ahead. Hell, it is starting to get heavy to even open my eyes. I want to go home, but my body tells me no. I still want to take some more shots. I take a glance at a clock up on the wall near me, it is already 11 PM. I take the last sip in the glass, then pour another from the bottle. I rest my chin on my palm, trying to keep myself from dozing off in a bar.

But there is suddenly a sound from the door, which makes everyone at the bar turning their heads to a woman who just slammed the door. When she notices that everyone is staring at her, her face immediately drops. She inches to me, it turns out that she is going to take a seat beside me. She groans, slamming her face on the table. Now the bartender is also as dumbfounded as I am. I take a sight of her, noticing the clothes she wears look familiar. I have seen a blonde girl wearing a dress and a denim jacket earlier tonight, except she wasn't bringing a suitcase, neither a backpack.

"Miss, what'd you like to drink?" A bartender try to ask her.
After a minute of silence, she finally answers, "coke." Her face is still facing the table.
The bartender raises her eyebrow and leaves to get her a coke before putting it on her table.
"Here's your coke." The bartender says, rolling her eyes.

She doesn't thank her, or lift her face, she doesn't even move. But then she starts to cry. I look around and notice that no one is there anymore. There is only me and this girl beside me (and the bartenders). I get distracted, unable to do anything. My manner tells myself to soothe her or something, but I am hesitant. Her cry gets even louder. She is sobbing now. My ego is beaten by my sympathy, so I ask her if she is okay.

"Miss, are you okay?" I asked quietly, but enough for her to hear.
She doesn't answer me, but her cry gets even louder. I get more hesitate of what I should do, so I don't bother to ask her anything anymore. I turn away and take another gulp.
"What the fuck is my fault? I've tr- I've tried to be good enough." She says, finally lifting her face up. Her face is a mess and damp wet. She takes a long heavy sigh before covering her face with her hands.
"Excuse me?"
"S-sorry, I- I didn't even know why I told you that," she says, stuttering.
"Yeah, 'tsokay," I nod.
"I need someone to hear me out. Do you mind? I mean, you only have to listen. I won't ask your opinion or anything. Please?" She says, wiping her nose.
"Uh, okay." I start to feel somehow a bit weirded out.

She tells me what has just happened to her. About her ex-boyfriend that cheats on her. About how she has tried to be the best for him. Everything, I guess. And at the end of her words, she thanks me for listening to her.

It is already midnight so I decide to go home. I pay for my drink and reach the door. I glance at that girl before opening the door. Her chin is rested on her hands, still looking frustrated. I go back into the bar, stepping toward her. She looks at me as she notices that I am approaching her.

"You're not leaving yet? It's already midnight."
"I, uh, I don't know where to go." She says, rubbing her hands together. I can tell that she is cold, she was outside when it was raining hard.
That is when I realize that her ex has told her to move out. And maybe she doesn't have anywhere to live for now.
"Sorry if this bothers you, but it's okay if you want to stay in mine for a night."
"Really? Thank you so much!" She says, a smile finally creeps up her features.



"You can sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the couch." I say, grabbing one of the pillows from the bed for me to sleep on the couch tonight.
"Thank you so much for being nice to me. I'll go home tomorrow morning."
"Home?"
"Yeah, my mother and sister actually live not far from here. But I don't wanna go there tonight. I don't want her to be worried."
"Oh, okay. I'll drive you there. Goodnight." I say, closing the door.