Love At First Sit

Unrequited

Wish had just arrived at R&R and was looking for Roxanne. He was excited to start his first day as their bartender, and to be working with her.

Five minutes. That's how long it took for Wish's world to come crashing down around him when he saw the woman he loved kissing another man. Because he had showed up with every intention of telling her how he felt for her that night.

"Don't give her mixed signals between friends and lovers. You need to tell her how you really feel before it's too late," his mother had told him during one of his recent visits.

Finally, he told himself to fight for what he really felt about the woman he loved, but it all went to crap that night. He thought of all the times he should've told her sooner. He could've brought her home and lingered in her doorway as she dug for her keys. He could've said goodnight and left, but not before kissing her passionately and promising to see her the next day. But he was too late.

Dejected, he went back inside the resto bar and caught a sight of Roxette. He took a minute to compose himself, cleared his throat and said, "Tita, I don't think I can start today. I...I got some things to take care of first." He tried to make his voice sound casual, but even he had to admit he failed.

"Okay." She gave him a weak smile.

He went to 212°F Tavern and spent the next three hours drowning himself in alcohol.

"I told you to steer clear of her, man. Not to date that chick or waste your time with her, but you didn't listen."

"I thought what we had was special, pare. Tang ina! I was wrong." Laughing bitterly, Wish quickly gulped down another glass of whiskey, feeling it burn as it made its way down his throat.

"Dude, her ex will always hover around like a helicopter looking to cock-block you. It's not worth dealing with these people. Let her go. A single mother like her has more issues than the Inquirer and Philippines Star combined." Anthony tried to leaven the pain.

Wish had lost her...Had she ever been his, to begin with?

Slamming the glass on the bar heavily, he slumped his head down, banging it hard on the table but not caring; he didn't even feel the pain. Everything was unfocused and dulled around him.

The alcohol helped numb the pain, but it could never take it away.

"Dude, you've had enough. Go home and get some rest," Anthony said, tapping his shoulder from behind the bar.

Wish had lost count of how many shots he'd taken in the last hour, but he knew that it must have been quite a few, since the world seemed to not want to stop spinning. He picked up the glass and threw it back, drinking the fiery liquid in one gulp. He shook his head and raised a shaky arm to Anthony, asking for one more before letting his arm fall to the bar and his head on top of it.

***

Wish woke up with a splitting headache. One would think with the amount of time he had spent hungover, being a bartender, he would have gotten used to it. But unfortunately, it never got any better. For probably the hundredth time, he wondered why he'd done this to himself, and then the memories returned: Roxanne was kissing her ex.

Something inside of him seemed to break. The throbbing pain he felt was nothing like getting a tongue piercing or a tattoo. It reverberated through his bones in a way he'd never experienced before.

He squeezed his eyes shut as the light flooding into the room only increased the pain in his head. While letting his head settle, he came to the realization that he was lying in his comfortable bed. Thanks to Anthony—Anthony was the only one strong enough to carry him to his condo.