Ella

CHAPTER SIX | NIGHT OUT

Friday, it's half past five in the afternoon and I'm currently packing up my things while waiting for my boyfriend to come pick me up. Norman is scheduled to fetch me at six o'clock. We plan to hang out at home and watch reruns of Lucifer on Netflix.

Carrying my toiletries, I left my area and went to the washroom. There I caught up with Gwen who was retouching her make up.

'Hi, Ms. E.' Gwen greeted me.

'Oh. Hi Gwen. You're still here. Looks like you're heading for a night out.' I said smiling at him.

'Oh yes, Ms. E. There's this newly opened club in BGC. Kenneth and I will just check it out with the other Corporate Service people. Wanna join?'

'Oh! I'll take a rain check. I have plans tonight.' I refuse him.

Just then my cellphone rang. I looked up and saw that Norman had a message for me.

Babe, I'm sorry. I can't do tonight. I'm on straight duty now. The supposed manager on duty did not come in, said there was an emergency. His child was taken to the hospital. I can't pick you up either. My shift will up until the mall closes. I hope you understand, I love you.

I was sad as an initial reaction to Norman's text. Gwen saw my reaction and asked.

'You're ok Ms. E.?'

'Yes. It appears that I have nothing planned for tonight."

'Oh. Just come along with us. It's better than staying home on a Friday night like this and binge-watching. Promise! You'll have fun, Gwen assured.

'Hmm.. Well, on the other hand, it might not be a bad thing that my plans for tonight fell through. Okay, I'll just go with you guys. Thank you, Gwen."

'Omg! It will be so much fun.' Gwen smiled as if she had a mixture of excitement. I'm already infected with her mood.

I was already smiling when I replied to Norman.

—It's okay, babe. Work is work. I understand. But, can I just join my officemates? We'll be checking out this new bar in BGC. I won't let myself get too drunk. Just a little. Would you mind?

—Yes babe, enjoy but be careful.

—Of course, babe. You are too. I love you.

—I love you more.

I have already refreshed my makeup and washed my teeth. I gathered my belongings from the office after that and went to the lobby. Kenneth, Linda, Justin, and Gwen are already there. Included were Rouie, Marco, Ally, and Nicole from Corporate Service, as well as Tin. Additionally, Mica and Jake from marketing. We greeted one another before moving on to the parking lot.

We went to this bar called "Early Night?" on The Fort Strip. The spot is incredibly stylish and cool. It was just a chill night, drinking and having conversations with the group.

Honestly, I miss this. I'm welcomed by colleagues with warmth, and I don't regret joining them.

"Guys, this should be our thing. We should do this a lot", adds Gwen.

I agree, but maybe not every weekend as you know there are certain people here that might get chided." said Justin following through by a laugh.

"Hahaha. Why am I the only person that a partner might restrict? Don't you also have a girlfriend? Will she be alright if you frequently spend your Friday night drinking and going out with friends?" I answered laughing.

"Well, I wouldn't say that it's unfortunate, but I'm single. It's been three months since Michelle resigned her job and moved abroad; we decided to call it quits because we couldn't handle a long-distance relationship."

Linda remarked, "Looking for a rebound? Hahaha, that's why you always like going out nowadays."

"You don't regret it? You've been together for 5 years, haven't you?" I will ask.

"Maybe at first, yes. But it was a mutual decision. We thought it would be better for both of us. We're good." Justin answered calmly.

"Don't worry, if you want you can help me find a new girl. Hahaha." Kenneth said lightly.

"Hahaha. That's back to being your usual playboy, Ken." said Gwen.

"Hahaha it's cool with you Gwen? Aren't you jealous?" Ally asked.

"Why would I be jealous?"

"We thought you and Kenneth are a thing now." Marco's groin.

"Hahahaha, no no. Kenneth is not my type. We're just close because I knew him way back. He's a friend from high school. He was actually my cousin's barkada" Gwen answered.

"Really? What a small world. Hahaha." I said.

"Hahaha. Yes, it's also her sister that I got a crush on when we were in high school." said Kenneth.

"Hahaha, but you never stood a chance, do you?" Gwen continued to tease.

"Will you let me court you then?" Marco abruptly asked Gwen.

Suddenly Gwen blushed and the group was filled with squeals and laughter. Gwen and Marco started teasing each other.

"You? How are you and your boyfriend doing? Going strong?" Justin asked later.

"Ah, well. We're okay. There are challenges, but that's part of it, right?"

"Glad to know, and it's good that he allowed you to come with us here tonight."

"Of course. We don't restrict each other that much. When he has plans with his colleagues, I also allow it. We just trust each other."

"Oh, you're good enough to understand that even though you've been in a relationship for a long time, you two still need to go out into the world. Your boyfriend is lucky."

"Do you miss Michelle? Maybe you're still sad because of your break-up. Five years is a long time, isn't it?"

"I miss it, yes. But I try not to get so sad. Sometimes I think it's a good thing. Well, unlike you, Michelle is very strict. She always wants us to be together. When I go out, even if it's with my longtime friend, she won't allow me. When she went abroad, I thought somehow, I would have a breather. But it got worse. I thought I could endure it. Of course, I also regret that we're just letting those five years slip by. I tried my best to be very understanding. But one day I just woke up and told myself that I can't anymore. I don't want it to last any longer because I might resent her. It's very suffocating and exhausting. We talked and eventually, we called it quits."

"So you mean to say that you initiated the breakup? I'm just curious, didn't you try to fix it? After your long talk about the issue."

"Actually, we tried. Of course, why not? After being together for so long, why won't we give it a chance. But after a month, she also said that she can't change. It's like she's saying that she can't trust me. And for me, that hurts. Imagine for five years I realized that she's being like that because she can't trust me fully. Even if I haven't done anything to break her trust. I won't do anything bad. I guess, she really has unresolved trust issues, and she didn't fix that right before I came along. So even when we became a thing, she still carries that."

"It's sad. Do you hope that somehow, someday you'll get back together?"

"Why not? If given the chance, if both of us have already healed. Maybe it's possible. But for now, I'll just let it be." Justin said as he took a sip of whiskey from his glass.

I was just staring at him. And I felt sad. Is it actually possible? That you'll suddenly wake up one day and decide not to go for the person you've been with and loved for a long time. Well, I guess, love will not always be enough. To make a relationship work, numerous factors must be taken into account. Why endure a long-term relationship if it only brings you toxicity and negativity?

I felt sad for Justin. He's a good guy. I hope he will be genuinely happy. I really wish him well.