WHAT YOU RUINED

CHAPTER 2

“Max!”

I heard Ria calling my name, but her voice sounded distant, almost as if she were standing miles away.

I blinked several times, trying to clear my blurry vision.

“Ria…”

There she was, a few steps away from me, looking worried.

“Where have you been?” she asked as she walked toward me. “I’ve been looking for you!”

“I was just dancing,” I replied with a laugh.

Ria stared at me for a few seconds.

“Dancing? Girl, you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“You can barely stand straight.”

“I can stand.”

To prove her wrong, I took a step forward.

Big mistake.

Suddenly, I lost my balance.

“Whoa!”

Ria immediately grabbed my arm and steadied me.

“I told you!”

I laughed. “Okay… maybe a little.”

“A little?” She shook her head. “Come on. Let’s get you some water.”

She was about to pull me away from the dance floor when I suddenly remembered the man I had been dancing with.

I turned around.

He was still there.

Standing among the crowd.

And looking at us.

Or maybe… looking at me.

The flashing lights made it difficult to see his face clearly.

“Who’s that?” Ria asked, following my gaze.

“I don’t know.”

“You were dancing with him.”

“I was?”

Ria raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t remember?”

I shook my head.

“Not really.”

She looked at the man again before turning back to me.

“Okay. Let’s go before you accidentally marry a stranger tonight.”

“Ria!”

She laughed.

“I’m kidding!”

I was about to turn away when I suddenly heard a deep voice behind me.

“Wait.”

I froze.

I knew that voice.

The stranger.

Slowly, I turned around.

He was walking toward us.

As he came closer, I tried harder to focus on his face.

But everything was still blurry.

“You left this.”

He held something out to me.

My phone.

I looked down at my hands.

“Oh…”

I hadn’t even noticed that I had dropped it.

“Thank you.”

I reached for it.

“You should be more careful,” he said.

I frowned.

“Are you always this serious?”

He chuckled.

“Only when someone is obviously drunk.”

Beside me, Ria was clearly trying to hold back her laughter.

I looked at her.

“Don’t.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she defended herself, a smile spreading across her face.

I rolled my eyes before looking back at the man.

“What’s your name?”

For a moment, he didn’t answer.

Then he leaned slightly closer so I could hear him over the loud music.

“Adrian.”

“Adrian…”

I repeated his name quietly.

For some reason, there was something strangely familiar about it.

“Nice to meet you, Max.”

I suddenly froze.

“How do you know my name?”

He pointed at my phone.

“Your lock screen.”

“Oh.”

I looked at my phone and saw my name displayed on the screen.

“Right.”

He smiled.

“You’re really drunk.”

“I am not.”

“You just asked me how I knew your name.”

Ria burst out laughing.

“Okay, that’s enough,” I said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Adrian laughed too.

And that was the first time I heard his laughter.

For some reason…

I liked the sound of it.

“Come on, Max,” Ria said, gently pulling me by the arm. “We need to sit down.”

I nodded.

“Bye, Adrian.”

“Goodnight, Max.”

I took a few steps with Ria before suddenly looking back.

Adrian was still there.

Standing in the middle of the crowd.

And once again, our eyes met.

This time, I tried harder to memorize his face.

His dark hair.

His tall figure.

His calm expression.

But no matter how hard I tried, everything remained blurry.

“Ria…”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think I’ll remember him tomorrow?”

She looked at me and smiled.

“Probably not.”

“Why?”

“Because look at you.”

I laughed.

“That’s mean.”

“I’m your best friend. It’s my job.”

When we reached our table, I immediately sat down and rested my head against the couch.

The music was still loud.

The lights were still flashing.

Everyone was still laughing and having fun.

But somehow, my mind kept going back to one person.

Adrian.

I closed my eyes.

I didn’t know who he was.

I didn’t know where he came from.

And I definitely didn’t know why, out of all the people in that crowded club, I suddenly wanted to see him again.

That night, before everything completely faded from my mind, one thought crossed my mind.

I hope I remember his face tomorrow.

I didn’t know it then, but the next morning, I would remember almost everything that happened that night.

The music.

The drinks.

Ria’s birthday.

The dance floor.

The mysterious man.

Everything.

Except his face.