King Von Imagines

I Still Remember

Word Count-832

"Happy birthday, Durk"

You smiled as you handed over a small box. It had taken you weeks of poring over hundreds of websites before you deemed an unassuming silver ring to be the perfect gift for your friend of 15 years.

"Cerise, thanks for coming!" Durk pulled you into a hug, his warm cologne wafting from his tattooed neck as you let yourself get swallowed by his embrace.

"Enjoy yourself tonight, ok?" Durk flashed you one of his smiles before he moved on to greet the other guests. 'I'll try my best'. You thought to yourself.

You felt awfully out of place, normally not one to spend a Friday night at a club. But you also couldn't miss your best friend's birthday party. Especially not after knowing how much effort he put into planning it. Your friends always joked that it was the one time you ever left your cave of a home to meet others.

The VIP section of the club was completely packed - so characteristic of Durk to invite every single person he knew. Sometimes you wondered how someone as outgoing as Durk managed stay friends with someone as introverted as you all these years. As you continued scanning and taking in the scene, your eyes stopped by a figure that was sitting at one of the tables. Your heart skipped a beat. The dimly lit table barely revealed anything about its sole occupant, but you knew instinctively who it was. As you let your eyes adjust to the darkness and slowly make out the features of his face, you felt a deep pang in your chest.

Dayvon.

Of course he was here. The two of you had met through Durk  - how did this slip your mind? Were you so busy blocking out everything related to him that you totally looked past this? Sensing your gaze, Von looked up from the drink he was mindlessly swirling. The the two of you briefly met eyes across the club. Your heart was pounding so quickly that you could hear your hastened pulse in your ears. Even after a year of not seeing him, your eyes familiarly traced the contours of his face. He looked the same, which made it so much harder for you to accept that so much had changed between the two of you. You were first to drop your gaze, as you rushed over to the bar to order a drink.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!"

Sensing your somber demeanor that carried through in the brief moments Durk interacted with you, Durk continued to pour you endless shots. You were silently thankful for how Durk always seemed to keep tabs on you at these gatherings knowing your shy personality - even doing so at his own birthday party where he deserved to drink as if there was no tomorrow. And because you knew this was Durk's way of looking out for you, you downed the shots without much hesitation, the bitter liquid burning your throat and helping you get closer to your goal of wanting to feel completely numb.

"I need a chaser" You muttered softly. As if by command, the guy standing next to you handed you his can of Pepsi. You take it, but instead of drinking it, stared at the can. The beads of condensation on the can swim down and feel wet against the palm of your hand.

"Is something wrong?"

The guy asked. The somber lighting of the club revealing a smattering of tattoos running down his neck. You thought you remember him introducing himself earlier to you as Muwop, but your memory of the earlier parts of the night start to get fuzzy as the alcohol begins to hit you.

"No, nothing.. it's just that.."

"She doesn't drink Pepsi. Hates the taste of it."

A hand appeared by your side and pushed a can of Canada Dry towards you. You didn't even have to look up to know who it was. It was a voice you recognized all too well.

"Why.."

"I still remember, Cerise"

"Von..."

"How could I forget?"

Von smiled bitterly. And in that moment, you realized. Something about the tone of his voice and the look on his face made you realize that it wasn't just you. You had spent the past year desperately trying to move on from Von, but utterly failed to do so every time. You replayed your three years with Von over and over, trying to figure out where it had gone wrong. And you realized that Von had done the same.

"Well, enjoy your ginger ale. And try not to drink too much"

Von gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze as he disappeared into the crowd of bodies. Maybe one day you would be able to sit down and talk to him about everything. Tell him how much he's hurt you and apologize for how you've hurt him. But you knew now wasn't the time. It was all still too fresh.

SN~ Happy New(late) Years!! Should I start it back with weekly or biweekly updates?