He was never mine

2 years ago Berry "I can't believe you let your boyfriend and his guy gang tag along with us," I let my mouth blow the exasperation that stuffed inside me, since I was reported with the piece of information. "I knew it, that you would react like this. You always do when there's a scope for you to meet new people. That's why I didn't tell you about this beforehand," said by my bestie since freshman year of school, Laura: pretty, smart and highly fashionable. She started tapping her fake polished fingernails on the counter table. It was a weird habit of her. And I knew why. Whenever I was about to outburst at her or someone we know, she would be all jittery and she vividly knew that she was somewhat the reason of my impending anger. "Oh, so you would rather ambush me with an impromptu social gathering with some strangers. I mean we were about to have our own reunion night, after 4 years, only we 4, but now I guess I have to share my 'waited for f*****g 4 years to be together again' with a bunch of douches," I crossed my arms against my chest and grunted like a petulant child. "Hey, don't be mean they aren't what you think, okay. I know them very well." I wasn't exactly a social person, in fact, to say 'not exactly' would be an understatement. And here my bestie threw a curve ball at my happiness. I was all beamy and happy since the day we four; I, Laura, Sandra and Toby decided to have a reunion. We four were inseparable in high school. Of course a pack of obnoxiously cool people. Sandra and Toby joined us in junior year of high school, but before that it was two of us, but yeah, the more the merrier. Of course I didn't believe in that irrational phrase. Sandra and Toby were our first real friends in High school and were cool nerds like us. We bonded over the period, until college happened. Pretty much every friendship or relationship gets tested when they are apart or away. We chose different colleges, universities, accordingly. It's an obvious scenario that friends tend to be estranged over passing time, given, they live in different: cities, towns, or even across the country. But we never lost the touch. It was hard to swallow the fact by our peers that we never did. We stayed connected via calls, texts and obviously social media, for what they were developed, anyways. The good thing was that we four ended up eventually living in the same city, for crying out loud. It sounded convenient for whoever blessed with our narrative, but who cares when the convenience proffered three hard earned gems of my life. I was so psyched for this event since long, until Laura haggled my peace, with her hobby. My bestie's mouth was twitching and moving incessantly talking about how great her boyfriend was and his friends that I would feel that they aren't any stranger, instead I would feel home. I laughed so hard internally in agony and rage at the thought of me being all chatty and friendly with a bunch of people, let alone strangers. I rolled my eyes every time when she mentioned a particular name, Adam. I hated him even before meeting him. It was pretty much clear to me by then, listening to the unceasing chattering of Laura that she wittingly invited her boyfriend and his friends to set me up with one of them. But I was very well known for scaring away people with my threatening attitude and glares. And I knew for a fact that Laura was coaxing me with compliments and the passion towards my work. She was least interested in my work and always thought that writing jobs are for boring and lonely people, which I totally disagreed. But that was beside the point, the thing which cracked me to the core was that she all worked up, for nothing. I didn't easily mix up with people. Most people are annoying in general and I didn't intend to hook up with a random guy and obviously didn't want my friends to intervene and be invested in my love life by hooking me with some nut case, who probably could be a homicide. I didn't want to burst my best friend's bubble, and let her be there for some time before I burst it mercilessly with my barbarous claws. Well, at least I was glad to see my friends at that moment before I pummeled a face. Toby and Sandra were twerking at the dance floor, which was funny and embarrassing at the same time. "If someone asks, I am not with them unless you would need an extra hand to drag their asses before they throw up on everyone," I snickered pointing at my friends to Laura. Toby and Sandra gets hyperactive after a glass of drink, and they had a reputation for getting chucked out of every party in our junior year, cause every time they end up barfing, either at someone or something. They couldn't digest, but still wanted to participate in the race. Laura abruptly got up from her seat, ditching her sedentary form to wave at the clustered crowd. I looked at the way tracing her gaze with her big brown elated eyes. A really handsome guy approached towards us and grabbed her by the waist and started kissing her. I grimaced at the sight. "Eww," I bluntly released the words from my mouth. They didn't stop. Kept on sucking each other with their open mouth, devouring and exchanging each other's saliva. "Guys stop, there are kids out here, "I beckoned at Toby and Sandra, who by then stood still gawking at the kissing couple, like the kids watching R-rated movies for the first time. The couple broke from the kissing and stared at each other intently like we don't exist and it was only them. Laura's short stature was complimenting his tall one. I must say the couple was prepossessing for the watchers. They met after 3 weeks, cause he was out of the city for his business related work. But it seemed like they met after 3 f*****g years. I rolled my eyes, how couple made me cringe. Ohh, can't even stay away from each other for like 3 f*****g weeks. Imbecile. "Back to earth, Berry," Toby snapped his fingers on my face "How can I? Please send me to a different planet where couples are forbidden," I pointed at the couple in front of me and said. "Stop being dramatic, Berry. Tell me the same thing when you are in love and I will alter the universe," Laura challenged me, but I scoffed at her petty blabbering "So, you are actually planning to send Berry off to live extraterrestrial life. Wow you are a goddess," our tipsy friend Sandra interjected "Oh, I totally am, look at me, isn't it Miles?" Laura exuberantly asked her boyfriend "Of course, you are, babe," he kissed her head full of curly hair. Her hair bounced ebulliently. The club's iridescent lights emanated on the happy couple, complementing Laura's honey skin tone to Miles milky one. They are kind of cheesy, but I guessed not in an 'I want to gag until I throw up' way. "Aww," the jovial couple earned from Sandra and Toby in unison, whereas I tried to not throw a snarky comment. Miles and Laura met in university. They instantly had a chemistry and got into a love affair. I doubted their relationship initially, too good to be true. Because no one is that perfect, but I guessed I was wrong; just because I witnessed some of the major rammed up relationships in my life doesn't mean that there aren't any good one. I mean mostly are straight out of the trash can, but my pessimist self always urge to have a doubt in every relationship at first. Laura and Miles they both were lucky to have each other. I looked around the club: couples were grinding against each other, some are flirting like an expert and some are being rookies in the game, some chugged their glasses of alcohol, while others, like my friends, Sandra and Toby, were trying to twerk at the floor. My eyes roamed around and settled at the duo chugging shots, chug, chug, chug, chug and challenging, who could drink more and throw up first. I averted my eyes on my other friend with her beloved boyfriend, holding each other's hand and talking about the stars and the moon, or what else a couple would talk about anyways. I shook my head and turned on my heels to the cocktail counter. I didn't usually wear a bodycon dress, except for occasions like this. I am a sucker for oversized clothes. But my red dress with puff net sleeves perfectly fitted in my body with subtle curves, which earned some desired lecherous stares from the single men in the club and a few covert stares behind their significant other's shoulder. I sauntered towards the counter, ignoring all the stares. "Hello, can I get one glass of tequila sunrise without ice, please," I ordered my drink and perched on a bar tool. "Can I get the same with ice," a husky voice suddenly grabbed my attention, who pulled a tool and perched next to me in a convenient way I decided to snub any flirtatious banter from any of the men presented at the club to save my pretty dolled up polished nails from scratching and scathing anyone, at least not tonight. "Hey," the same husky voice breathed, almost near my neck. I tried not to look, but the way he smelled. His fragrance was very familiar to my nose or maybe every heartbreaker smells the same. I took a peek at the owner of the fragrance and again returned my gaze back to the bartender, who was mixing my drink. Without looking back at him I said, "hey, back." I heard a faint chuckle escaped from his mouth, which turned my head back to him. "Anything funny happened?" I grumbled "It's just, you are same.. like I imagined." "Oh, so, you doodle pictures in your mind and imagine about some random girl at a club, I must say very well tried to not be more creepier than that," I pulled an unimpressed look "Aren't you the famous Berry Shor?" he smirked while asking and I must say that any 22 year old would have jumped to his bones, if they had viewed his flirtatious smirk. I took a better look at him and realized, he was one hell of an attractive man in this nauseating crowd of jerks. His dark curly hair was gleaming as the colorful club's lights flowing, giving every twist in his curls a different color of the luminous lights, which was also illuminating his perfect face with high cheekbones and fuller lips, slightly parted. I looked down from his face to behold the tall, lean body, clad in black leather jacket and a plain t-shirt underneath, also a pair of dark blue jeans on his lanky legs. He wasn't a buff, but sure can throw some punches to save a damsel in distress. His pink plump lips parted to utter something, but again, he closed it to let me check him out for some more time. My eyes roamed around him like a curious itinerant looking at a map for where to stop next, until it stopped at his dark eyes. He smiled. Not a smirk, but just a smile showing his perfect white teeth. He must be thinking I was salivating. Nope, I wasn't. "I don't want to interrupt you, but you seem little distracted," his voice levitated in narcissism. "Aren't you the infamous narcissist heartbreaker friend of Miles?" "Just because I look like this," he gestured himself with his hand, "I am a heartbreaker?" I wasn't wrong though. He was very conceited about his looks. Very cliché. Talking like an unfiltered jerk spilling all the muck he had stored. "By the way you look pretty average and I am not looking for a chaperone to spend the rest of my night in this dumb club," I seethed He nodded The bartender handed me my drink and I promptly took a sip and started swirling the pick around the drink. There was an awkward silence, even with the blaring music and the beat I could sense that. Why it was weird? He was again just one of the jerks that stupid girls pick up from a bar or a club. Or was there something about the way he looked or smelled that can alter the universe, like Laura said earlier with his Divine looks. "Why is your name Berry?" he suddenly interrupted my thoughts "What, why?" I gave him an annoyed look "Berry as in fruit?" "Yeah Berry with an 'e,'" I emphasized the letter e" "My roommate's name is Barry, with an 'a.'" No. Not him too. I already had enough with all the Jokes with my name. I used to get in lot of trouble when I was in school. I once beat up a boy, until he was bruised and battered. He was incessantly making fun of me for my name. What was the obsession with berries my parents had to scarred their own daughter with a name like that. I didn't say anything to him, instead I chose to ignore. "By the way it's unique, and it suits you," with a tiny smile he said "Do I look like a fruit to you?" "No, I mean small and palatable," he winked at me He winked at me. Could he be more flirty and charming at that moment. How foolish he could be to use cheesy pick-up lines on me. I stared at him incredulously and tried not to blush; because blood was almost rushing to my cheeks, the heat was rising through my viens. I stopped when it reached my neck and about to elapsed the precint of my cheeks by starting to act like I am choked. I was coughing and gagging. Wasn't a pleasant sight to see, but his eyes didn't budge to stop looking at me. He would have literally killed me with his intense staring, if I wasn't too indulged in my fake gag act. "Are you okay?" he asked "Yeah, I swallowed the drink harshly," I feigned panting. "No, I know that was an act, but I asked you, are you okay me being here, I can totally sense that you aren't comfortable around me." That time I actually choked. "Uh, yeah, probably you should go." The curly haired man got up from the stool, but before turning around to leave, he stopped by my side and said, "I didn't mean to pry, but I couldn't stop myself from tagging along with Miles, cause I wanted to meet you." "Do you know me?" I curiously asked him He looked down at the glass floor and paused for a while before staring back at me, "N-no, I just heard about you from Laura. She always had something interesting to talk about you." I shook my head in disbelief. My own friend telltale about me to some random guy. "I hope it's good." "Trust me and that's what dragged me here." "So, you are telling me that someone like you, for whom every girl must've sprawled themselves on a platter, are interested in me." "You are challenging." "Is that how you see me, like a challenge?" "May be, but in a good way and besides, I don't do relationships just like you, so that's a win win." I scoffed, "am I an achievement to flaunt?" "I wouldn't do anything to you without your consent and by the way I didn't introduce myself, I am Adam. It was a pleasure meeting you and if you need me, you know where to find me," he walked away to join his other friends. I looked at the empty seat next to me and already missed his warmth, swathed with earthly fragrance of his cologne. His eyes were still fixated on mine from afar. This time mine didn't budge either.