Long Distance is a Bitch by shiprat

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"I am not sure. I used to think so. Now I don't know."

"The next time you visit him or he visits you, maybe you guys should have this talk."

I nodded. We sat in silence for a while as the waiter got us another round of drinks.

"Anar." Dustin finally said. "Do you think he knows.... about us?"

"You mean us being friends? Yeah, of course."

"No, I mean about that night. Does he have a clue?"

"I don't think so. How could he?"

"You said that when you woke up on Sunday, he was talking to your roommates and had already changed the ticket. Maybe they told him."

"Yeah, but they don't know."

"They must know that you didn't come home that night. Maybe they told him and he put two and two together."

"Hmmm...." I thought about it. "Nope, that's not the sort of thing Parag would sit on. Not a hothead like him. If he had even an inkling, he'd have blasted me about it by now."

"I see."

We drank in silence for a while more. That's when I thought of something.

"Dustin! I have been so absorbed in my problems, I totally forgot to ask you about yours. Why the hell did Vicky want to meet me?"

"I really have no idea!" Dustin shrugged.

"Does she know? Did you tell her?"

"No, I told you I did not tell her. But she seems to suspect something. And it's more than her usual jealousy with other girls."

"How did your weekend go?"

"It was mostly nice. We did have a fight about this janitor-band thing again."

"She's not letting it go, huh?"

"Nope. You know this weekend I realized......." Dustin said, took a sip of his drink and stopped.

"Realized what?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"Come on Dustin! I just told you everything about my weekend."

"Yeah. You're right." he took another sip and said, "this weekend I realized that I don't think the Vicky thing is gonna last very long."

"What? Why?"

"She is too pushy. Too jealous and possessive. Wants to..... wants to change me. I don't want to be changed."

"Parag wants me to change too."

"Yeah, you told me."

"Look at us! In relationships with people don't like us for who we are, but what they want us to become!" I said, and finished the drink.

Dustin looked at me in a funny way, then looked into his glass. The waiter came to ask if we wanted more drinks. Both of us said no. Dustin insisted on paying for the drinks and then we left the bar. As I walked, I felt a little woozy. Not drunk, but nicely buzzed. Dustin seemed fine. But just to be sure, I asked him,

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"Yes, I am. Want me to say the alphabet backwards?"

"No, that's fine." I said and got in the car. He sat in the driver's seat. And started driving the car.

When he dropped me off at my apartment, he gave me a peck on my cheek, which I returned.

"We'll be okay." I said, patting his hand.

"Yes, we will." he said with a wistful smile and drove away.