Chapter 37 - Lost and Found (1)

It was late in the afternoon when he arrived on the campus. Aki gripped the strap of his duffle bag as he shifted it on his shoulders. He went straight from his parents' house to the university in the hopes of finding Liam there. He hoped to catch him as soon as possible or he would lose the meager courage he managed to gather.

The idea of sitting still and alone in the big apartment brought nothing but dread and fear. It reminded him of all those days when he brought up that ridiculous condition. That feeling of waiting for an execution choked him.

'Please don't let me lose a friend.'

During this time, there were fewer students around. Still, Aki hoped that Liam would be one of those. After dropping by the faculty office, Aki wandered off the corridors, casually glancing around. He tried the library, the cafeteria, and the quadrangle. He even, with trudging steps, checked out the back of the building where he accidentally walked in on Karen's confession.

No Liam.

As the sky darkened and the lights on the buildings were turned on, Aki was convinced that he would not find his roommate at this rate. Liam might be on his part-time job. Aki had the brief inkling to berate himself for not taking the time to, at the very least, know Liam's part-time job - the what and the where. He could perhaps have waited there. Not like this, wasting time and wallowing in self-pity.

Maybe, he could have texted Liam, telling him that he wanted to talk. But his stubborn pride would not let him. Liam deserved a personal apology.

Aki clicked his tongue. 'What's done is done.'

He had no choice but to go back to their apartment.

As he passed by Moonlight, there was this small voice at the back of his head, urging him to have a drink, one or two glasses perhaps, just to amp his fast-wearing courage. It had been a while since he came to the bar. He avoided going there… well for a variety of reasons. The thought of calming down his nerves got more appealing by the second. So in he went.

He had a glass of beer and groaned in satisfaction as he gulped the last bit. The drink was particularly tasty tonight. It was as if with every gulp of beer he took, a part of the weight he had been carrying for a week now was also being washed away. It was refreshing.

He sat alone in the far corner of the bar. So when the door of Moonlight opened and a group of students came in, he whirled back with a faint hope that Liam would be one of them. Instead, his gaze met that of a girl with red highlights. Aki stifled a groan. 'Great.'

He returned to his drink, stayed inconspicuous in his tiny little corner, and pretended he never saw Karen. His hopes were dashed when he felt someone beside him. He just had a moment to think 'Oh no' when Karen spoke.

"Did you finally get tired of Liam?" She towered over him, her eyes narrowed.

Aki spluttered. "What?"