Seven

“Why is Davianna looking for you? Did something good happen? Maybe she invite you for a date. " Duke said.

Zander didn't answer.

"Call her so that you know what she wants from you. For sure it's good news."

He sighed.

“Should I still expect an answer from her? We both know that there’s nothing. And I should add that I saw her earlier in the terminal with a man companion. How do you think I will feel?" Zander response.

Duke stared at him with a shocked expression.

“That's harsh. But why do you keep on looking for a woman when Vienna is ready to love you," Duke said.

“I can't hurt and court Vienna just to cover up what Davianna did to me. Vienna is kind and beautiful, so she can't be hurt," he said.

“That's my point. She's kind and beautiful, but why would you look for someone who isn't kind? You and Vienne deserve each other." Duke said.

Zander leaned his back on the couch.

“Duke, you can't force yourself to like someone who is just your friend. You could even do the same. So maybe tomorrow I'll feel okay and I'll give myself a chance to get to know Vienna better so that you can feel better too,” He told Duke.

And Duke laughed.

"Bastard! I'm just concerned about you. Don't you dare do and court Vienna just because I told you?" Duke said.

“I’m no longer young, so you can always be a concern to me. Then you should be my girlfriend instead," he said.

"Stupid! Never in my wildest dream that I became gay, so get organized." Duke says.

Zander laughs out loud.

“Let’s go, it’s seven in the evening. We may not be able to find seats. I know there are so many people now,” Duke says.

“Just a moment. I will say goodbye to my mother first," he responded.

Zander went to the kitchen and found her mother at the sink washing the dishes.

“Please rest in your room. I'll be the one to wash them later when I arrive. I'm leaving first; we're just going somewhere." Zander said.

"Be careful."

He went back to the living room to visit Duke.

"Let's go, Duke," he said.

"I thought your mother wouldn't let you out," Duke told him.

"I'm not young anymore to have to be stopped from leaving. I'm the only one who doesn't go out much," he says.

"And I can see that your mother loves you very much," Duke said.

"Of course. I've been the one making a living since my father died." Zander replied.

“Of course, I have been looking for money for them since my father died. That is why." Zander said.

“Will anyone else find the money for them? Of course, it's you because you're the only man in the family." Duke said.

He and Duke left the house together.

"I didn't know you had such a beautiful car," he said, once looking at a black Honda Civic parked outside the house.

"I just borrowed it from my father," Duke replied.

"I just found out right now that you are rich," he said.

Duke laugh.

"Only my parents are rich. I'm not. That's why I'm still working until now because I don't want to be spoiled just relying on my parents' money." Duke replied.

Duke was already on his way out of the house. The businesses they passed were quiet; some had already closed, while others were still open. And they stopped at a bar with violet walls. His brow furrowed slightly. Why, with all the colors available, does violet cause eye strain? We exited the car and went inside. There were far too many people for them to get through. And the intensity of the music, which appears to remove dirt from the ear. People were shouting and a DJ was playing in the front. He spoke quietly to Duke.

"Can we still have to find a seat?" Zander asked.

"There's nothing left, so we'll just stand until our feet hurt," Duke replied, laughing.

“Is this the only bar? People seem to have changed faces because of the crowded space," he said.

"There are many more, but this is a new open bar, so people are so excited to go here."

"What's so special about here? As far as I know, it's all the same so noisy and loudly." Zander said.

"Maybe they have a woman to offer for free," Duke said, smiling.

“Is there anything free at the moment? You will also pay the woman to do their service. Then the ending will make you sick, so if I'm with you, just find a girlfriend and settle seriously." Zander said.

“But we can't judge them because they are also human beings with needs in life,” Duke said.

“Let's go, let's grab some drinks.” Duke invited him.

And they both go to the counter.

"Hi. Good evening. When you order a bucket of drinks, you get three free bottles of beer," said the woman.

“We only have a little drink and not a bucket. I'm sure we'll get drunk on that. We still have school tomorrow," Zander said.

“Who says we only have two drinks? Of course, we have someone with us." Zander frowned at what Duke had said.

They walked over to a table with two women waiting for them. Duke put down a bucket, and he took three bottles for free. But what caught his attention was the woman with curly brown hair. She has a strong aura that makes his heart beat fast. She stared at him blankly.

"They are the ones I say we can be with. She is Amara, my girlfriend. And this snobby one is Mitchelle. Ladies, I want the two of you to meet my single friend, Zander," Duke said.

Amara smiled at him, but it was Mitch who rolled her eyes. He did nothing wrong to her but seeing her reactions right now is like he do something bad to her.

"Sit down over there next to Mitch," Amara said.

"Amara, there's still a lot of space where Duke and you are sitting. Why does he need to be here?" Mitch said.

Zander wants to laugh out loud.

"Is there anything you can do if I want to sit here next to you?" Zander said in a serious voice.

Mitchelle eyebrows rose. She was beautiful in this way anyway. But he didn't just tell her, she might get angry forever. He sat down next to her and opened a beer.

“By the way, Zander, Duke told me that you are single,” Amara asked.

He sneezed.

"I didn't know you were talking about my life being single, Duke," He said.

Duke laughed.

Zander felt awkward with the woman next to him. And he heard the phone ring. He looked at his phone in his pocket but no one called, and he saw Mitch pick up her phone that was inside her sling bag.

"Hello, Elodie."

He heard Mitchelle say to the person talking to her on the phone.

"I'm sorry; I was too busy to call you right away.  I'm at a bar in our neighborhood, so it's quite noisy. Okay, I'm heading to the city. "One of these days,"  Mitch said.

"Who's that, Mitch?" Amara asked.

"It’s Elodie. My best friend," Mitch replied.

"Is that so? What did she say?" Amara asked.

"Nothing, she's just sad because I didn't call her; she seemed bored with her life; do the rich still feel bored in life? While we who live a simple life work hard every day to have something to eat," Mitch explained.

No matter how rich a person is, if she is not happy, everything is useless.

“ Do you have a picture of her, Mitch?" Duke said.