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The woman turns to face me, and only now do I notice she is quite beautiful. A bit young, perhaps, but who the fuck am I to judge? My eyes glance over her attire; a nicely fitted gray suit with a burgundy silk blouse beneath it. Her eyes follow my every move as I observe the short bob hairstyle in a familiar brunette shade.
I shake my head of the thoughts as her bright blue eyes watch me curiously.
“I guess you’re not from around here either,” she comments, extending her hand. “Ashley Stone. Born and raised in Minnesota until I realized my parents had plans to retire in Florida. Hence my spontaneous decision to move to London.”
A slow smile builds as I raise my eyebrows. “Retire? You look young.”
“I’m adopted. Fostered out when I was ten. My parents lost their son to a drug overdose.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s life, I guess. As for being young, twenty-six is not that young. Although at times, I feel invisible like I’m busting my ass for what?”
I nod, unsure what to say.
“Just ignore me,” she says in a flat tone, her expression downcast. “Bad day, bad life. I make bad decisions, and here I am paying the price with my heart and ego once again.”
The bartender finally appears, serving her the gin & tonic she has been desperately waiting for.
“If it’s any consolation, you’re not the only one who makes bad decisions,” I concur, trying to comfort her, unsure of why. “I’m certain this bar stool sits many people just like us every single day. Trying to drink their worries away.”
“Maybe.” She shrugs her shoulders, drinking her beverage in one go and requesting another. “I bet your problems are not as bad as mine.”
“Oh yeah?” I rub my chin, amused by the challenge. “Tell me, Ashley, exactly what bad decision did you make?”
She lets out a long-winded sigh. “I slept with my boss. Wait, let me rephrase that. I am having an affair with my boss. He is fourteen years older than me plus he is married. I fell for the whole ‘I’m leaving my wife’ bullshit. I have no clue what is wrong with me.” Ashley’s eyes widen slightly as she toys with a diamond necklace draped around her neck. “I’m not irresponsible, I promise. I don’t know how it happened. One minute we are staying back working on a presentation, and the next minute we are going for it on the boardroom table. I was caught up in the thrill, you know. But it’s too late now. I’ve let my stupid feelings get in the way. This is not what I envisioned when I decided to move to London.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
“I quit my job today, actually.”
“Oh?” I pause, tilting my head to the side. “And how did your boss take that?”
She rubs the back of her neck. “He’s on some wedding anniversary getaway. It seemed appropriate to end things, including our professional relationship. There are five voicemails on my phone, and I refuse to listen to any of them.”
I didn’t blame her. Avoidance is best played when hearts are on the line. This is the trouble with love, it makes you feel fucked up inside to the point of questioning your own sanity.
“Okay, now you know how awful I am. It’s your turn,” she insists, crossing her arms while waiting for me to speak.
My eyes fall upon the glass in front of me, unable to even admit the truth. But what did it matter? Ashley is a stranger and one who I will probably never have to speak to after my next drink.
“I fell in love. But she deserved better than me, so I didn’t fight for her. Now, she’s getting married.”
Ashley falls silent beside me. Moments later, when reality sinks in, she plac
es her hand on mine. I let it linger for a moment, welcoming the kind gesture of another woman.
“Loving the wrong person is one of life’s greatest punishments.”
“You’re telling me.” I remove my hand from her touch, rubbing my face to rid myself of the nightmare.
“You and me,” she says, almost pained. “We’re the same. Captive to our bad decisions. Look at us now. We’re miserable in some bar with the slowest service ever. It’s like he doesn’t know we need to get really drunk and fast.”
A small chuckle escapes me, and I welcome the change of mood.
“You know what? Let’s get out of here,” I suggest, bored of the surroundings. “I can find us a better place to drown our sorrows.”
Ashley nods with a smile. “Lead the way…sorry, I didn’t even ask for your name?”
