Chicago pushed the doors open and was greeted with the smell of the take outs that she’s been getting ever since her whole world collapsed. She sighs as she makes her way to her room in her apartment to switch on the lights on the darkened room and immediately regretted it.
There was a mountain of last week’s laundry on the floor all jumbled up with her clean clothes and a pair of white sneakers that she had gotten from Jake a month ago for her birthday when they had celebrated at the Olive Garden. She never really did care off how much of a cheapskate he was or how unkempt his appearance was. If Jake wasn’t such a man - slut, they would still be together and she would not be trying to stop her tears from ruining her mascara every time she drives to her office.
Picking up a can from the floor, she took a sniff from it and chugged the remaining liquid in it. The musky taste from the beer hydrates and lingers down her throat, leaving a satisfying feeling that was later on replaced with regret when the bitter taste kicks in. She took another sniff and immediately her nose wrinkled. She took a peek down the small hole and adjusted the pull tab of the can to get a better look. The lack of sleep was finally paying off as her sensory could not function as well as they were functioning before. Chicago wonders if she had unintentionally successfully poisoned herself for the third time that month.
The sound of a knock on her front door halted her intention to take another sip from that can of poison she had. ‘I guess that mental breakdown session has to wait,’ Chicago thought as she trudged to her door. She threw the can, aiming it at the bin, to only have it land at the foot of it. Chicago paused and took a long look at it before another knock brought her back to her senses. With a long breath, she unlocked the door and pulled the door inwards.
“Oh! Thank God you’re okay.” Jennifer said with a breath of relief as she makes her way in the apartment, taking off her coat, laying it down on the kitchen counter. “What the hell happened here?” Jennifer asked with her hands on her hips. Horrified and stunned at how trashed the place was. Jennifer looked inquiringly at her to only have Chicago shrugging her shoulders, ignoring her question. “With this mess, we wouldn't even notice if something had died in here.” Jennifer whispered. “Not that I know of…..yet.” Chicago pressed her lips.
“You have a problem.” Jenn giggled. Scanning around, Jenn made her way to the balcony, tied the curtains to the side and slid the glass door open to let fresh air in, desperately trying to wash away the mild stench that was haunting the place. Half an hour later, the mountain of laundry was stashed away in the hamper along with her stained bed sheets. Chicago wanted to just disappear into oblivion for the day but she knew that was not going to happen when Jenn came in with her preppy self and a box of disposable gloves in her bag, she knew she would not be able to carry out her initial plan.
Since the breakup was recent, his scent was everywhere. On her bed, her couch and sometimes, she could still smell his musky masculine aftershave in her bathroom. It was as if she could never escape from him. Everything in that apartment reminded her of Jake so much that she feels suffocated and trapped. The fact that he’s out there living the best version of his life without her wasn’t that much of a help either. With her constantly checking up on his social media and Chicago knowing of his habit of updating every single thing that he did, made the whole experience more depressing than it initially was. Now that the apartment was back to how it was before depression happened, Chicago was feeling more of herself compared to the last few weeks.
A part of her was desperate to get rid of everything that had to do with Jake and the other part of her was too scared to let him go. The thought of letting Jake go was so foreign to Chicago that when it finally happened, she did not know how to feel. She felt numb most of the time however, she knew some things are meant to be done and she needs to learn to let go. Chicago made her way to the living room and sat beside her Jenn. She lifted her legs and rested it on Jenn’s, sinking into the naked sofa with a bowl of limpy cereal submerged in warm milk that she had found in the refrigerator. Chicago could tell that Jenn was bored. Jenn had been going through the same app on her phone - Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok - religiously for the last 15 minutes without failing to follow the sequence.
The sudden shaking made Chicago snap out of her daydream. “Babe, let's go for a drink” Jenn said with her hands excitedly slapping her thigh. “I know you’re used to the night life by now but let’s have a girls night out. The normal way - without you sticking your tongue in every human being that has a penis or a vagina - whichever you prefer.” Jenn shook her head. “How about that?” Jenn excitedly asked. Chicago felt skeptical of the plan. Her raised eyebrows and enlarged eyes made Jenn clasped her hands together with hers, hoping that her good friend will agree to the plan.
She starred at the spoon submerged in the cold chocolate like milk with a few colorful pebbles floating in the bowl. She wonders, what had made her the person that she had become now.
“Okay let's do it” Chicago agreed while shoving a spoon full of mushy cereal in her mouth. ‘What is there to lose anyway’ Chicago thought to herself, trying to convince herself, forcing her mind to ignore the thoughts of the after effect that she would have to deal with herself.
The faint sound of the night life made Chicago anxious than she already was a few minutes ago. The sudden halt froze Jenn of her movements, forcing her to turn her head to only meet uncertainty in Chicago’s almond eyes. “Chi, come on! Let’s just have some fun” Jenn said. She linked her arms to Chicago’s, dragging her to Kyō, the hottest nightclub in town. Jenn had to make a few phone calls and favors to be included in the VIP’s guest list. Given the amount of time and effort she had invested into making the girls night out a success, she was ready to try anything.
The intense smell of sweat and alcohol stings her eyes as she walks down the entrance. Chicago squeezed through the drunken crowd and made her way to the bar with Jenn tailing behind closely, clutching her purse to her dear life. Jenn had once lost her purse on a blurry night and she will not repeat the same mistake again. The amount of time spent in the police station trying to describe her situation was not worth it. The vintage feel of the bar made it look exclusive yet friendly. Bottles of liquor lined in the cabinet with buckets of beers on the counter showed that business for the night was doing well. Jenn leaned in the bar, pushing her chest outwards making a vast amount of her cleavage showing with her black straight hair laying over her shoulder, framing her freckled face. The bartender made his way to them as soon as Jenn flashed them her famous flirtatious smile with her red glossy lips.
“TO LETTING GO!” Jenn clinked her glass to Chicago’s before forcing down her sixth glass of vodka down her throat. The burning sensation from the golden liquid travels down Chicago’s throat, making her see two Jenn trying to catch her from falling. “I’m okay!” Chicago giggled. She shimmied her way to the dance floor alone, leaving Jenn’s tipsy ass at the table. Seeing how Jenn could choose which guy she wanted to stick her tongue in, Chicago knew that Jenn was tipsy but not drunk enough to do anything that she’ll regret in the morning. ‘She won’t need a babysitter - I do. I need one!’ Chicago thought to herself.
The rowdy crowd grew as the night fell deeper, the crowd cheered Chicago on as she climbed up the bar’s counter with her heels strapped to her left hand and a Bacardi in the other. Her hips swayed from side to side, riding the new found fun - chaos that was familiar yet foreign to her. Tightening her fingers around the neck of the bottle, Chicago raised the bottle up to the sky before she took another big gulp from it. Chicago couldn’t really see nor hear clearly, yet was able to fall into a pair of muscular arms while trying to land on her two bare feet. “I need to pee” Chicago screamed at her feet while swinging the bottle playfully.
Hearing this, the very same pair of muscular arms led her to the ladies room across the bar and thanks to those arms, she made it to the ladies room without being groped by cheeky uncivil men. After ten minutes of giggling in the ladies room, Chicago had had her heels on and her dress fixed without having to move a muscle. When she walked out of the ladies room and saw Jenn, who she had initially vowed to not fall for a guy clinging to one, Chicago made her way back to the dance floor to look for a partner for the night. Looking at how things were heating up at their table, there was no way in hell she was going to share an uber with Jenn and her awkward dirty talking. She was not going to sit and pretend as if Jenn did not have her hands in her partner's pants.
Familiar muscular arms circled her waist as she arrived on the dance floor, guiding her hips to the beat. Chicago turned around and was pleased with the view that she was staring at. His inviting luscious lips and tousled hair was the first thing that she had noticed aside from his seductive eyes. Chicago froze as she felt his lips pressed to hers. With his hands around her, the kiss felt gentle, softly at first as if he was testing the waters; waiting for a green light. His insisting tongue parted her sealed lips, sending tingles down her spine, spinning her dizzy mind with the sweet taste of his lips mixed with liquor.
His wild hands evoked sensations that she never knew she had, forcing Chicago to force herself to push him back, breaking the kiss when she tasted a faint taste of blood. His lips ripped from the kiss, she could not help but to stare at the beautiful piece of art in front of her. His cocky grin was what made Chicago pull him back into the kiss. The loud bass drummed in the desire of lust in her adrenaline, igniting the sexual appetite that she’s been trying hard to ignore for the last few days making her hot and excited. Both were hooked on each other like religion for the night.
Chicago woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon filling up the nostrils and was immediately reminded of Jenn. Her poor best friend, Jenn. Picking up her scattered clothes around the room, she found her dead phone sticking out of her lacy panties which was strategically hanging on the door knob. She knew she would have to at least stay for breakfast to get the hunky stranger from last night to lend her his charger. Trying to navigate back to her apartment without her phone is the last thing that she wanted to do, especially with the constant knocking in her head, all thanks to that one particular bottle of Bacardi that she stole from a bunch of strangers last night.
While putting on her clothes, Chicago contemplated if this was the right thing to do and was distracted with how neat the room was apart from the messy bed. The AC was still on, indicating that her partner was at least considerate of her comfort. The spacious room was furnished sophisticatedly with a hint of pastel giving it a hint of warmth in all the seriousness that the space had offered. Chicago took a deep breath and lift her hands to the handle of the door, twisting it open. The loud click startled her, freezing her muscle from pushing the door open. Chicago took another breath and peeked from the door before tiptoeing out of the room.
Chicago followed the delicious smell of breakfast and stopped her on her tracks when she finally saw him. There he is. The piece of artwork from last night’s episode. She could barely recall last night’s steamy impromptu episode however, judging by the marks and the soreness of her legs, she could tell that they had spent some quality time together. “Hey” His husky honey-like voice made Chicago smile shyly and moved her hair to the left side of her face. Her curls framing her petite face nicely. “Hey to you too” Her voice came out hoarsely. “Breakfast is almost ready and I’m Peter. Take a seat please” Peter placed a few plates in front of Chicago and slid some fluffy scrambled eggs into each respectively. “Chi” Chicago paused “Chicago – like the city… Um… are we expecting company?” she asked with her brows raised and elbows resting on the counter top with both hands cradling her face. She could not help but to glue her eyes on Peter’s backside as he sat down on the left side of the table. ‘There’s nothing wrong with appreciating a finely sculpted ass,’ Chicago thought to herself.
The faint conversation from the back room of the apartment grew louder as two sets of light steps made their way to her. That familiar voice, she could recognize him from even after 10 years of isolating herself from the world. Her shy smile turned into a line as their eyes met. The lengthy blonde beside him, clad in his shirt almost made Chicago barfed in her mouth. All Chicago wanted at this point was to combust into thin air and to never exist again on planet Earth. From his eyes, Chicago could sense that Jake was uncomfortable with the whole situation.
“Hey! You’re awake” Peter exclaimed with a big smile on his face as he placed a plate full of bacon and sausages on the table. “This is Chicago – like the city” Peter introduced, “And this is Jake and his fiancé, Amber”. Peter then went to sit beside Chicago unaware of how ugly the situation was at the moment. “Were you cheating on me this whole time?” Chicago growled. Her eyes wet with tears. “I can explain,” Jake whispered. “What’s going on?” asked Amber to Jake while looking back and forth between her fiancé and the stranger that she had just met a few seconds ago. Jake took Amber’s hand, desperately trying to calm her down. Seeing this, Chicago had finally known who she really was to Jake during those 4 years of their relationship. She shoved the steaming scrambled eggs down her throat and washed out the burning sensation with the iced coffee that Peter had sworn will be the best coffee that she will ever have before opening her mouth again.
She figured if she’s going to get hurt, might as well do it with her stomach filled. Peter was sweet enough to make her breakfast, the least she could do is eat it and that was exactly what she did. Chicago slammed the mug down. “I’ve had enough. YOU FUCKED IT UP and I’m NOT going to fall for your crap AGAIN!” Chicago exploded. She stomped down to the room that she had woken up in, shoved her dead phone down her back pocket before giving a peck on Peter’s lips and went straight to the front door.
The tears that she had held in raced down her cheeks as she stepped out of the apartment. Chicago wipes her cheeks and her lips trembled in sadness with how things had turned out for her in the end. She looked up to the sky and asked ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ in her heart. The bright sun mocked her with how cheerful it had made the day looked, far from her sad reality. Jake’s worried voice could be heard from where she was standing and she knew she had to escape. Chicago looked to her sides and hurriedly walked for the bus stop with her eyes blurred from the tears. The reflection of the sunlight from a vintage car made Chicago cover her face to stop the piercing ray from making her blind. The screeching sound of tires and constant honking from the cars blanked Chicago as she panicked. When her eyes opened, her blood had soaked into her dress and her fingers dipped in red. She was ready to die. Memories from childhood flashed through her mind and that was when she knew; it was her fate. Chicago closed her eyes, thanking God for freeing her from her sadness. Jake and Amber rushed to Chicago’s side as Peter called for the medics. Amber was mad but she did not have the heart to just ignore Chicago. Jake had also promised her an explanation once Chicago was okay. The least that Amber had to do now was to just wait and listen.
The beeping sound confused Chicago as she blinked her eyes open. The overwhelming smell of bleach stung her nose as she tucked her hair behind her ear, hoping that a clearer idea will pop in her head. The tug from the clear tube connected from her right arm to the suspended drip beside the head of her bed started to turn red as Chicago struggled to bring herself up to lean on the pillow. “Stop. Don’t move”. Warm palm caressed hers, stopping her from moving any further “You’re hurting yourself” said Peter worriedly. ‘Why the hell is he here?’ Chicago did not know how to react. She could see Jake and his new lover standing outside of her room with their hands linked, looking at their feet. She could tell that Jake was using his magic on Amber, probably whispering sweet lies to her face, judging from the grin that crept up both of their lips she knew that Amber had him wrapped around her fingers.
When a man in white coat and a stethoscope hanging loosely on his neck walked in, both Amber and Jake made their way in. Chicago leaned back and took a deep breath as she waited for the doctor’s explanation. “Hi Ms. Adair” The doctor greeted Chicago with a smile “You’re lucky that you boyfriend here brought you called the ambulance just in time” Cold hands rested on her forehead for a few seconds before withdrawing back to jolt down a few notes on the white clipboard that the doctor had taken from the foot of the bed. “Eyes wide open” the doctor said. Chicago opened her eyes wide and took in the blinding light that the doctor had aimed directly into her hazel eyes.
From the corner of her eyes, she could see amber had tightened her hold on Jake, afraid that he would disappear into the thin air. The yellow light made her eyes pooled as she struggled to keep them open. “Your vitals look good” the doctor said with pressed lips “The baby is fine too” the doctor continued and smiled before making his way out of the room. Chicago’s mouth hung open as she struggled to process the bomb that the doctor had dropped on her. Amber had her eyes glued on Jake while Jake looked at Chicago with fear in his eyes.
