A/N: First story of (hopefully) many. Please shower me in comments and feedback.
*****
AND JUST LIKE THAT...
My life is broken.
As I stare out of the window of the café, the music drifting through the speakers comes as muffled noises into my ears, the smell of freshly ground coffee beans that I once basked in now makes me go dizzy and nauseous , I ponder about the timeline of my life and try to find the moment where it all went downhill.
James Cohen, 35, associate at Park & Montgomery, a law firm in Manhattan, sits across from me, his face barely visible in the glass but I can still make out the hopelessness in his eyes, under which wrinkles are starting to form. His fingers linger on the cup of black coffee, searching for warmth but finding that it has now gone cold. How long has he been sitting here with his eyes downcast and his head resting on the palm of his right hand?
He stares at me, and I stare back at him. His jet black hair is haphazardly combed, his cinnamon-colored shirt is covered in wrinkles and his face is tainted with sadness.
Where did it go so wrong for him?
He still manages to keep a job at the firm, but years and years have gone by and he still can't get a promotion. Hardly anyone notices him, let alone appreciates what he does, as he seems to be stuck with tedious cases. Why haven't his bosses fired him already?
He lives in a studio apartment, the door of which he has been the only one to step through. He can't bring himself to make new friends or talk to the neighbors, let alone go on dates. His social anxiety is that crippling. But he hasn't always been like this, how did it start?
His family has disowned him when he was 24 after finding out he was into guys.
And so I start to wonder if he, if I, am worth anything.
A man walks pass the coffee shop and glances through the window. He suddenly stops and stares right at me.
And smiles.
And for the first time since I don't know how long, a real smile appears on my lips and my eyes sparkle with excitement.
The man rushes into the café and shouts, "Oh my god, is that James Cohen?" God, I miss that voice.
Before I could even give his rhetorical question a sarcastic reply, I find myself standing up and being pulled into a tight embrace.
"Holy shit if it isn't the legendary Craig Henrick! Gosh, how long has it been?" I say as Craig releases me from his arms and sits down.
"Damn it must have been 13 years since we last saw each other...Graduation day, remember?" His white teeth is downright dazzling.
"Yeah, how can I forget?" My eyes are fixated on him. Damn, he has changed so much. Craig Henrick, the life and soul of every party we, or, more accurately, he ever went to in college and somehow, my best friend for the whole 4 years. Dude was crazy. No one had ever beaten him at beer pong. He could finish 1 gallon of beer in practically a blink of an eye. He could chug a hundred shots and still managed to walk back to the dorm in one piece (well, that happened only twice, but still impressive). I should know, I was his roommate. If it hadn't been for my care and guidance, Craig couldn't have graduated, hell, he could have even died. I made sure he still did his homework and got good grades on tests. I gave him a shitload of water and Gatorade every morning he was hung-over. And I always kept an eye on him, never allowing him to do anything stupid like doing drugs or setting the campus on fire.
But before my eyes right now is an entirely different Craig Henrick. The guy who hardly ever shaved, showered, and did laundry is now in a suit, a fucking three piece, charcoal suit that looks like it costs a shitload of money, his dusty brown hair is now side-parted and slick with gel and his defined, muscular jawline is free of any stubble.
"Wow, look at you. Someone's all grown up!" my tone is filled with pride and joy to see that the batshit crazy dude that was my best friend in college turned out so amazing.
Craig blushes and looks downwards. His sparkling smile is still wide across his lips.
"Why the fuck are you in a suit on Sunday though?" I ask, looking up and down his body. Damn, even under these clothes I can still see his muscles.
Craig's cheeks go red again, "Oh, I was on my way to meet with a potential investor. For some unknown reason, he likes to work on weekends. That bastard. Hope he'll give me a ton of money, though."
I chuckle, "Wow, an investor. So you have a business now?" The music in the café suddenly has rhythm and melody.
Craig still smiles. God I'm addicted to that smile. "Yeah, bro. I run a company that sells high-quality sports equipment and fitness gear now. Just started a year ago but doing really solid, the profits are definitely good. Before this I was an investment banker but then I got bored." Strange, the aroma of coffee seems so much more pleasant now.
"Damn, you really took off, didn't you? I'm super proud of you, man. It seems like it was only yesterday that you threw up all over your laptop after partying till 2 a.m. the previous night." I wipe a fake tear off the corner of my eye. Craig chuckles and punches me in the shoulder.
"What about you, Cohen? What's going on with you?" Craig asks. I instantly feel my smile vanish from my lips. And his soothing, cheerful voice suddenly turns into distant echoes.
What's going on with me?
What's going on with me?
What's going on with me?
"Oh you know, became a lawyer, writing contracts, winning cases, that whole stuff," I pull a weak, fake smile, the one I pull to be polite to baristas and colleagues, when inside I want to crash onto the floor and cry.
Craig doesn't seem to notice my change in attitude. "Cool, cool, you have a boyfriend yet or still the perpetually shy introvert hiding in your dorm room?" Craig snickers.
But his question pierces right through my wilting heart.
"Nah, nah, still single," the fake smile appears again, "you and Claire have kids yet?" I quickly change the subject.
Somehow, beyond my utter comprehension, Craig managed to keep a girlfriend throughout college. They met in sophomore year at a party, both had become notorious party animals by then and they were a match made in heaven, completely head over heels for each other. Oh god, if I got a penny every time I had to carry an unconscious Craig from Claire's dorm room back to ours, I'd probably have enough money to buy that suit Craig's wearing.
On graduation day, Craig told me he and Claire were going to elope to Vegas to get married. Her family was pretty wealthy and again, for reasons beyond my utter comprehension, supported their relationship so money was definitely not a problem despite their being two kids fresh out of college. I congratulated them, whined a little about not being able to be Craig's best man, and said goodbye. I never heard from them again.
That is, until now.
Craig pauses for a second at my question and then says, "Yeah, actually we have 2 kids now. Kaitlyn and Zack. Here," He pulls out his wallet and shows me a picture of a girl and a boy sitting side by side on a swing. I can hear their laughter just looking at their radiant faces. I asked him about his kids as a joke, really, I have never thought those two crazy people could be parents. But apparently, they can, and they seem to be killing it with parenting.
Wow. Craig went from a hard-core party animal to a well-groomed business owner and a father of two. Responsible, caring, happy.
What happened?
