“Well, after hearing all this, I still want to meet him and check how normal he really is... Based on what I've heard, it's hard to believe he’s going to be a heart surgeon in the future.” Elizabeth clarifies while sitting on my couch, and I swallow hard. Dante hasn’t written back to me in… four days! Well, I didn’t really reach out either…

  She seriously expects me to drag him here? I didn’t think this would be the outcome of our gossip session with Elizabeth. I told her everything, point by point, without a single question from her, instead, she’d rather get to know the scapegoat. This girl is unbelievable!

  “You mean… now?”

  “Well, if we go by your story, now or never, who knows when he’ll vanish again…” She shakes her head in disbelief, her gaze full of contempt, the contempt that I’ve fallen for such a man. I can't be mad at her; I really didn’t paint the situation in the best light.

  “You are unbelievable, Eliz.” And with those words, I grab my phone to type a rather simple message.

  ‘Can you come over today? Someone wants to meet you.’

  ‘Your mom?’ – the response comes almost immediately.

  ‘No.’ - I type back, and although I briefly consider mentioning that he would also like to meet her, I decide against it.

  ‘Huuh, okay, I’ll come over.’

  “He’s coming later.” I remark with a laugh as I put my phone down on the table, and Elizabeth stares at me curiously, but I just wave her off.

  “What should we do until then?” she asks, and I look around the apartment, the realization hits me, it’s way too obvious what we’re doing.

  “We clean.”

  “Get ready?”

  “Sort of.”

  That’s all we need. She heads off to do laundry while I sweep the floor. Next, I take care of the dirty dishes while she mops the floor, and during the airing-out time, we set out snacks on the coffee table.

  “Should I put out some booze?” she asks while crouching by the fridge, and I get so confused as if she just asked me about quantum physics.

  “Yes… Or no! Wait, I don’t know!”

  “This isn’t the million-dollar question, Nina.”

  “But it is!” If I put a few beers on the table, would Dante’s alcoholism get worse?

  Or could he set a healthy standard for himself? I’ve never talked to him about this… If we get together and become a couple, will I have to give up alcohol entirely? I sigh aloud as I look at my red-haired friend, who’s waiting with raised eyebrows for my judgment.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Nina, should I put booze on the table or not?” She asks much slower now. She thinks I’m an idiot and can’t grasp the simplicity of the question, not realizing how difficult it is to answer.

  “I don’t know!”

  “Then I’ll put it out!”

  “I… I don’t know!” And with that, I leave Elizabeth to herself, stepping back to the TV and turning on some pleasant music.

  At that moment, the front door slams shut as if I left it open. Mark stands in the doorway with a cardboard of beer, grinning brightly as though we’ve planned the party of our lives today.

  “Did you know we were coming?” He glances at the snacks on the coffee table.

  “We were coming?”

  “Heyyy!” James pops his head through the door first, then William appears behind him in a split second.

  “Holy crap! What are you guys doing here?” My friend steps forward with a huge smile, scanning Mark in his usual condescending way, then high-fives James, and hugs William.

  “Dante’s been missing for a while… So, you know.” Mark offers a cautious explanation, and a gentle smile spreads across my face as I slowly close the distance between us. Standing on tiptoe, I wrap my arms around his neck. He doesn’t chatter unnecessarily, pulling me closer with his free hand around my waist.

  “Don’t get too excited, Nina, Mark is nice, but it wasn’t right to assume. Dante will show up soon.”

  “Feels good!” I apologize as I let go of Mark, letting him set the beer down next to the table.

  “He’s coming too?”

  “Who’s coming?” William responds to James' question.

  “You only know him as ‘asshole.’ ” Mark answers.

  “Oh! The alcoholic!”

  “The one I knocked out?” William grins.

  “Stop it!” I try to sound stern, but it doesn’t help that I’m laughing in the process. “I don’t want you guys to trash talk him!”

  “Okay, mom, I stopped!” James ruffles my hair, and without further ado, just sits on his spot, right on the far end of the couch close to the door.

  “What do you mean by “missing”?”

  “Supposedly because of the exams.” In response to my explanation, Mark just nods and sits in the armchair next to the couch, while William sits beside James. I decide to lock the door before anyone else joins this wild party.

  “Can I get something for you, gentlemen?” Elizabeth asks, and James raises his hand first, so she addresses him first.

  “An ashtray.”

  “I’d like a bottle opener.” At William’s words, Mark’s mouth drops open in surprise, clearly, he wanted the same thing.

  “Do you know where it is?”

  “Of course, come on Nina! She’s getting around your apartment faster than in our own house.”

  “Maybe cleaning is the key.”

  “Maybe cleaning… nyenyenye.” I try to force a smile at the way he mocks me, but instead, I just sit on the floor by the coffee table and start opening the box.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  A few minutes later, everyone is settled in, sipping their drinks. Of course, Eliz fished out the stronger drinks from the deepest part of my fridge as if I hadn’t brought them from the café at a discount.

  Basically, everyone’s mixing everything with everything.

  Personally, I’m drinking beer with vodka, while James is drinking whiskey to chase down the drugs. I’d scold him for what he’s doing, but William’s also drinking beer after a certain cigarette, totally zonked.

  Mark, Eliz, and I are quite taken aback by this scene, as Eliz is very much against it, just like me. Mark tried it once, and he hasn’t asked for more since. A lot of people think it’s fine occasionally, but we say it’s better to stay in the right frame of mind, to stay aware of the world around you. The window is wide open, important to keep the air flowing in a room like this. Sure, it’s going to get a little colder in here, but hey, you have to make trade-offs.

  “I really like this song…” William murmurs to himself as he quickly opens another beer, while James slowly directs his eyes to the smart TV, and instead of explaining that it’s just the commercial, he starts nodding in agreement.

  “What’s the title?” Mark asks, and Eliz answers.

  “KFC’s new offer.”

  “You guys are ridiculous.” I shake my head in disbelief before taking another sip of my beer.

  “They’re honking.”

  “Honking?” Mark’s surprised voice doesn’t shock me, I’m just as confused myself.

  “They’re ringing the bell.” Eliz corrects James.

  “Ringing the bell.”

  After a slow nod of agreement, I get up and walk to the door. Dante's presence doesn’t surprise me, but I still don’t know how to greet him. Should I hug him? Kiss him? The man just peeks through the door, and when he quickly steps back, I too step back.

  “Is he going to hit me?”

  “Who?”

  “Your tall friend.”

  “William? Oh, no, I don’t think so.”

  “Not very encouraging…”

  “Are you in a mood to pick a fight, William?!”

  “I’m not!”

  “He’s not going to hit you.”

  “Are you drunk?”

  “Maybe…” I smile and look away, not drunk, but definitely feeling a bit dazed.

  “I wasn’t planning on drinking today, but life’s not a wish-granting show.” He steps closer and gives me a small kiss on my forehead. I return the favor, kissing his neck, since I can only reach that. “Sorry I disappeared for a few days.”

  “I’ve gotten used to it, come on in.” I step aside, and he immediately makes himself comfortable. He hangs his coat on the hook, shakes hands with the guys, and sits in the armchair.

  “So, you’re the other half.” Eliz’s unique greeting to my friend makes everyone smile.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The other half of the idiot magnet.”

  “Eliz!”

  “You’re drawn to each other, and yet repelled, idiot magnets.” She explains, gesturing, while leaning on William’s shoulder.

  Maybe I should open more windows.

  “Interesting nickname…” Dante chews on the word choice a bit while pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Fitting.”

  “It’s strange that you like it.”

  “I’m pretty strange.” I glance away for a few seconds at his steel-blue eyes. Mark gestures toward the alcohol.

  I get what he means, I grab a beer and pass it to Dante, then sit down next to him on the floor.

  “You’re going to be the doctor, right?” James asks, and Dante gives a small nod. In a fraction of a second, his drink vanishes. “I’ve been feeling like my heart’s been a little weaker lately, any advice?”

  “Less drugs.”

  “He knows something!” William’s dull laugh is met with Mark chuckling too.

  “For more advice, follow me on Instagram!” Dante laughs, and I try, I really try not to fall for that particular laugh, but, of course… Trying is allowed.

  Elizabeth suddenly jumps up from beside me, as if she just remembered something urgent. Without saying a word, she rushes to the kitchen. We exchange glances, but no one asks anything. William shrugs, and Dante simply takes another sip of his beer, acting as if nothing had happened.

  A few moments later, Elizabeth returns, twirling an apple in her hand. There’s a mischievous glint in her eyes, the kind she always has when she’s about to do something stupid. She stops in front of Dante, who is just tilting his bottle to take a sip, and before anyone can figure out what she’s up to, she raises the apple threateningly.

  “So, are you afraid of this too?” she asks with an innocent smile.

  Dante’s gaze flickers to the apple for a brief moment, then he dramatically flinches back as if she had just pointed a knife at him.

  “Get that monster away from me!” he cries out, his voice laced with exaggerated fear as he throws his hands up in defense.

  William bursts out laughing, Mark joins in, and I just roll my eyes.

  “Oh guys, I have such a story!” William begins, finally lighting up a store-bought cigarette. All eyes are on him. “The factory caught fire.”

  “The factory caught fire?” Mark asks, and the freckled guy nods a few times.

  “That’s not even the funny part! But how it caught fire… Now that’s the funny part! A machine smoked out, not a big deal, but the firefighters came anyway. I went out to smoke in front of the factory. I figured I had nothing to do, so I went, moved away from the firefighters, then I just stood there, staring.”

  “Aha.” James responds flatly.

  “Then an old lady came up to me, asked what happened... I don’t even know what happened to me, maybe I was really tired from the early morning trip before.”

  “Sorry.” Eliz interrupts, and William just smiles and pats her on the back.

  “So I started telling her, like… Oh, so many dead people! I’ve never seen this many dead people in my life!”

  “What did the old lady do?” I try to stifle my laughter, but it’s not working very well.

  “She stared at me with big eyes, like, What? Really? I said, yeah, a lot of people were burned beyond recognition, oh, so many dead... Then she told me her granddaughter works there... I said, worked!”

  “You’re so mean!” I immediately reply, and Dante laughs, shaking his head. Eliz looks at William with disbelief, while Mark and James try not to laugh too loudly.

  “I just went inside before things got worse…” William laughs as he covers his face. What a jerk, I can’t believe this guy.

  “Speaking of trouble…” James starts. “I was at a house party, and I swear on my life, I didn’t start it!”

  “Who did you beat up this time?” The blonde sighs, and everyone else silently watches James’ sharp voice.

  “Me?! No one! I was just dancing with some random girl, and her boyfriend came. He shoved me, so… I shoved him back, but really! I didn’t hit him, didn’t do anything, I just wanted to have a good time!”

  “You’re so credible, James.”

  “I swear, Nina!”

  “What’s the point?” William asks, and James gets lost in thought for a moment before continuing, but not before taking a sip from his glass.

  “I went to grab a drink, and when I got back to the girl, all I saw was Ethan beating up the guy.”

  “Basketball player Ethan?!” I almost swallow my saliva, but I’m not the only one, Mark and William do too.

  “The basketball player!”

  “Our Ethan?”

  “Ours! I don’t even know how he ended up there! In one hand, he had a cigarette, and in the other, the guy! He was so chill about it…”

  “I find this hard to believe.” I agree with Mark; it’s hard to imagine Ethan losing his cool, he’s such a calm person.

  “The end of the story is that they kicked us out.” James’ gentle smile makes everyone burst into laughter. I don’t even understand why, but I lean over to Dante’s knee and close my eyes.

  The rest of the evening sees a lot of alcohol being consumed, and exciting stories keep coming up. Everyone shares how they experienced those days when we weren’t in the same space. I don’t have anything to share, even Elizabeth’s story about how they tried to hit on her sounds more exciting, more eventful than any of my days.

  It horrifies me how much I missed out on while I was chasing love, and also how much I could’ve been a part of.

  The endings of the stories are always funny, but I know that if I had been there, I would have laughed a lot harder. Dante probably feels the same way, his laughter no longer comes from the heart, and the alcohol flows faster down his throat. His long fingers stroke my scalp, and I just hope he won’t withdraw into oneself. He hasn’t missed anything; the whole world is ahead of us, and from now on, every event will be more colorful and exciting for us.

  “Did any of you notice how much everything’s fucked up?”

  Mark’s tired, drunk, hoarse voice immediately makes me open my eyes. That’s when I realize that not just me, but everyone else is in a pretty down mood. I’m not the only one feeling lonely in this perfect disaster; a little bit of all of us has gotten lost without each other.