Ephemeral Ecstasy

Chapter 5

"He has changed so much, why did you slap him?"

"He was being rude."

"Huh?"

"He said he wanted to be my boyfriend. He's so audacious. He thinks he can have everything, but I'm not that easy of a woman," Ankara felt anger rising within her. "You know, when I declined, he had the nerve to call me thick-skinned. He became arrogant just because he became more attractive. So, I couldn't control myself and ended up slapping him. He deserved it for disturbing my peace." Ankara added. Anger consumed her, and as a result, she lost interest in men due to her past experiences.

"Well, you did the right thing. He deserved it."

"Let's forget about that idiot."

"By the way, didn't you have something to tell me? What is it?"

"Yeah... Brilliant... I have a girlfriend now."

"Wow, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Carmelita hugged Ankara tightly, overflowing with joy. When she heard Ankara's response, she almost fell off her seat. "Wait... What? A girlfriend?"

"Yes."

Carmelita swallowed hard, feeling a mix of sadness and confusion. "What's wrong with me? He wants a woman! The past truly has a powerful impact," Carmelita muttered to herself. She let out a sigh, placing her hand on her forehead and said, "Are you sure? What happened to you, Ankara? If this is a joke, all I can say is you really scared me."

Ankara gave a sweet smile. "I'm sure. Turns out it's easy to find someone... HAHAHA... By the way, I'm going to introduce her to you next weekend."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I found myself, this is where I belong."

Carmelita was at a loss for words, and she continued sipping her iced tea that she had ordered earlier.

"Let's go to the bar on the 4th floor," Carmelita almost spat out her tea upon hearing Ankara's words. As she composed herself, Ankara quickly pulled her towards the mall's elevator, leaving Carmelita speechless.

•••

"Two bottles of beer, please," Carmelita snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing the voice of her friend. The waiter promptly took their order.

"Ankara, what are you doing?" Carmelita struggled to find her words as she watched her friend drink the alcohol that was brought to their table. She felt her energy drain away as Ankara spoke. "Add five more bottles."

"Life is meant to be enjoyed... Cheers," Ankara added with a smile. Carmelita placed her hand on her forehead, knowing that she couldn't stop her friend and decided to join her in drinking the alcohol.

After 10 minutes, Ankara had already finished all six bottles of alcohol. Meanwhile, Carmelita had only managed to finish two.

"HOW UGLY," tears started to fall from Ankara's eyes.

"HAHAHA, HOW THICK-SKINNED."

"IT'S HARD TO BE UGLY. LOVE COMES FROM THE PERSON YOU LOVE, BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE IT."

"WHY, CARMELITA? EVEN AFTER BEING HURT, I'M STILL HERE, DREAMING OF HIM."

"TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I REGRET SEEING HIM. I HURT HIM WHEN I SLAPPED HIM."

"I STUDIED HARD, I HAVE MONEY, BUT WHY DO I STILL FEEL EMPTY?"

Carmelita listened silently to Ankara's words. She felt the pain her friend was going through, which made her resent herself even more. Five hours passed before they finally went home. Carmelita accompanied Ankara to her house, knowing that she was heavily intoxicated.

•••

"Hmmm... If that were to happen, just pretend you don't know him. It would be better for you to change your appearance every night and show your true self. My child, you'll have my support," Carmelita remembered her mother's advice and quickly searched for something different to wear. It took her ten minutes to get ready before 6 in the evening.

When Cynah stepped out of her room, she headed straight for the refrigerator, opened it, and grabbed a cold bottle of water. As she was about to take a sip, she noticed a woman with curly hair, wearing a black dress with bright red lips. Cynah approached her and asked, "Excuse me, miss. Have you been waiting long? Oh, that's just Carmelita, she's always slow. Please excuse my sister, she's like that."

"Huh?"

"When did you meet my sister? I've never seen you before. Where do you live?"

Carmelita was delighted by her sister's words. "HAHAHA, You don't recognize me? That's good to hear." When she heard the woman's response, Cynah's eyes widened, and she closely examined her face. "CARMELITA?"

"Yup," Cynah was speechless upon hearing her sister's confirmation. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "I have to go," Carmelita said without waiting for her sister's response, her surprise evident on her face.

At the bar Carmelita had visited the previous night, that's where she found herself. Carmelita opened the door to the bar and entered. The atmosphere was enchanting, from the music to the customers. Carmelita observed her surroundings for a few minutes before heading to the ordering section.

Carmelita had become accustomed to focusing on alcohol whenever she drank. When she got drunk, she wasn't like Ankara, who would say hurtful words or bring up painful memories. She wasn't like her sister either, who would speak in English after getting drunk. When Carmelita drank, she became incredibly relaxed, as if nothing mattered. In fact, she didn't go wild like others.

As she drank, in an unexpected turn of events, Carmelita's bottle of alcohol almost fell when someone bumped into her from behind. Carmelita turned to look, and saw anger in the person's eyes.

"I'm so sorry," the man quickly apologized, returning his gaze to the girl he had collided with.

"Hey! Can't you join me?" the girl shouted loudly. Carmelita's eyes widened at the words spoken. The man hesitated and took a step back due to the girl's anger.

"How much are you worth, huh?"