Two Months Later
"Yeah. I understand... No, no, Dad honestly I understand. Stop apologising. It's okay. I'll see you later anyway..."
Oliver's eyes focused on the row of elite black taxi cabs parked along the private airport's entrance. His father kept profusely apologising for not being there to collect him. Oliver didn't mind too much but his father was really upset he couldn't be there. After all, it was Oliver's big return home from rehab.
His big return back home had been anti-climactic so far. The weather was terrible with rain shooting down like bullets and lightning and thunder striking violently. The storm delayed his flight and by the time he arrived his father had to go back to work. He obviously didn't expect a cheering crowd to greet him after his return but good weather and his father would have been nice to have. Still, he wasn't going to dwell on the lacklustre response of the universe. He was just grateful to be back home.
He had spent the previous two months at a rehab facility in the Hamptons. He had only intended on staying a week but once he got there he found himself enjoying the serenity of the resort. He was able to unwind and relax and finally be relieved of Manhattan's pressures.
Obviously there were difficult days, especially in the first two weeks. The detox was particularly hard and he found himself becoming nauseous and crippled with headaches very often. However, as he got used to the place and its unlimited detox juices, he adapted and recovery came in small increments.
Perhaps the best part about wellness resort was how anonymous he was. Residents had probably heard of him from magazines or general gossip but no one actually knew him or came from his social circle. The consequent freedom allowed him to open up slowly but surely.
There was one-on-one therapy as well as group therapy (which he skipped). There were other programmes as well that were based on metaphors and symbols but that "holistic BS" (in his words) wasn't really Oliver's cup of tea
The experience was also very bizarre at times. Every once in a while Oliver would dissociate and realise just how privileged he was. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it sooner. All of the residents were rich and they all somehow had similar reasons for their alcoholism, a lot of which stemmed from the extent of their wealth. And, the truth was none of them would probably have to face devastating, long-term effects from their drinking. Their jobs were waiting for them, their money was still stacked high in their bank accounts and their reputations were not irreverisibly disfigured. Oliver felt an odd certainty that everything was going to be okay and he wasn't sure if someone in his position from a lower social class would have been able to say the same thing.
But still. He had changed and he was grateful. He felt clearer. Cleaner. Faster. He felt ready to continue with his life.
He hailed a cab to take him to his father's house to drop off his bags. His only request for his father before he left was to make sure his old apartment was put on the market. It was sold almost immediately but was yet to be inhabited and Oliver could technically still stay there as the seller's cool-off period was still under-way. But he couldn't bear stepping into it again. Too many bad memories. Whenever he thought back to his time with Nora in that apartment, his mind would become clouded with images of broken glass, tears and whiskey. He could never go back.
The decision to leave rehab was his choice. It wasn't an easy decision to come to because the resort felt like a safe haven. It was a shield from the harsh world and he didn't want to return. The maximum stay was three months but at the end of his second month there, he realised that his progress had platoed. He had learned all he needed to learn. There wasn't much point in staying. It was time to leave.
Before leaving rehab, he was made to make a list of his plan for the future. It involved getting his job back and making amends but Oliver was simply too exhausted to begin anything. He needed a coffee. Caffeine was his new drug and, although the replacement wasn't as efficient as cocaine, a cup of coffee didn't have the risk of killing him. There was also an influx in the amount of cigarettes he smoked but even the caffeine-nicotine concoction couldn't conjure up or even come close to the intoxication of cocaine and cognac.
The lashing rain reflected Oliver's mood perfectly as he walked to the café closest to him. He would have called the chauffeur or driven himself but his car was still wrecked from his accident. So he was stuck walking. Of course, just his luck, it had started to pour rain again as soon as he exited the door of his father's house. Oliver had to sprint to the café, finally collapsing inside, panting for breath. His noir leather brogues were not made running. His shirt was soaked to the skin and he was beginning to feel misery creep in to his newly revived soul.
"Oliver Scott?! Woah, is that really you?!"
Oliver turned around to find the source of the shrill voice only to be met with one of the most annoying girls of all his high school experience. He mentally groaned.
"Angel....hi..."
Angel clapped her hands together and grinned. "Wow! It's been a minute! How are you? Congratulations on your wedding, I saw it on a magazine!"
Oliver was about to tell her about the divorce but he really couldn't stand any more misery that day so he remained silent.
"It's crazy! It feels like our high school gang is growing up"
Our high school gang? Angel was never part of the their gang. She was simply an embellishment placed on the outside of the main core of four to make them look good. And after her betrayal in high school (which led to Oliver and Nora's first break-up!) Oliver hated her even more. She had videoed him and Madeline making out and showed it to Nora. She was infamously cunning.
"Yeah...."
"I mean between you and Nora getting married, me graduating college and Madeline and Spencer having a baby, it looks like we're all succeeding!"
"Nora and I aren't..... wait what? What was that last part that you said?"
"That we're succeeding? Oh, I mean-"
"No! About Madeline and Spencer!"
"Oh, yeah, they're having a baby!" She said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Oliver's heart slowed down. It made no sense. Since when were they even back together? Spencer? And Madeline? No, no, Angel had to be mistaken.
"H-How do you know?"
"Um, duh, everyone knows. Especially with all of Nora's Instagram stories! Do you not watch your own wife's stories?!" She joked.
Oliver didn't have the heart to admit how he had been blocked from her account months ago. His mind was whirring like a broken machine, pumping out the same three outputs; when, why, how.
"Oliver? You look a little pale there?"
He would be lying if he said it didn't feel like a slap to the face. Despite everything, Spencer was like a brother to him. So to find out from outside sources that your 'brother' was going to have a baby with your ex was indescribably painful. As Nora, Madeline and Spencer laughed and planned their kitsch futures, Oliver was left watching them from afar. From the outside.
Oliver faced Angel. For the first time, he realised he had something in common with her. He too was now an outsider. And it wasn't a pleasant realisation to come to.
"I'm fine. Um, Nora and I aren't together anymore."
Angel was known for being a very efficient spreader of gossip so telling her he and Nora broke up would be the best way to let everyone know. That way he would never be asked the awkward question of how his wife was. She even went through a stage in high school where she tried to be 'Gossip Girl' and spread gossip through an anonymous Facebook account but it was quickly shut down after the school found out about it. Besides, it wasn't very 'anonymous' considering everyone realised it was Angel almost immediately.
"What? No way! What happened?" Her tone had a slight inflection near the end. It was tinged with curiosity and mischief.
Oliver knew better than to tell Angel all his business.
"Doesn't matter."
The barista handed him his order and Oliver quickly nodded in appreciation.
"Maybe you and I get dinner then..."
Oliver wanted to laugh at her suggestion but he was a 'changed man' so instead, he smirked.
"Sorry, I'm... busy. Anyway, I should probably go..."
Angel's shoulders fell. "Oh. Okay. That's fine. I'm busy too. I just came back from jail and-"
Oliver's ears perked up in interest. "Jail?"
She threw her head back and laughed as if a joke had been made. "To pick up my brother!" She explained.
Her brother. Dustin. As in Charlie's ex-boyfriend Dustin. What if...
"Dustin's out of jail?"
"Yes! Isn't it so exciting?! He got out on good behaviour. I wanted to celebrate with him but he made me drop him off at his boyfriend's place. Or ex-boyfriend. Or...to be honest I don't really know what they are."
"Charlie Kingsley?" Oliver asked although he already knew the answer.
"Yep. Do you talk to him often?"
Oliver's heart broke a little bit. "No... not anymore."
"Oh... okay. Well, I should go. But I hope I see you soon. We can go out somewhere..." She winked flirtatiously but Oliver had already stopped listening to her
He didn't even see her leave. Instead his mind kept popping back to Charlie. Charlie had said they had broken up months ago but what if they had gotten back together. What if Dustin was there right now to get him back. Oliver needed to see him. He wanted to take things slow but it was like a sudden timer had been put on their relationship. If Charlie and Dustin got back together, Oliver would probably not get another chance.
He hopped into the first taxi he saw and sat anxiously in the back as the cab driver drove to Charlie's place. His stomach was churning and his coffee had gotten cold. He didn't expect Charlie to forgive him easily but he really hoped that he would hear him out. And, more than anything, he really hoped that he wouldn't get back together with Dustin. Was that selfish? In an ideal world, Charlie would forgive him and maybe they could rekindle whatever they had but Dustin put all that in jeopardy.
The taxi slowed down as it parked in front of Charlie's apartment. Oliver took a deep breath in anticipation before looking out the window, ready to open the door.
However, before he could do so, he spotted two guys standing close together on the steps. They looked too close to be just friends. Charlie and Dustin. Dustin took a puff of whatever he was smoking before passing it to Charlie.
"No..." Oliver whispered.
Dustin leaned closer to Charlie while he was distracted.
"Don't do it..."
He placed his hand on Charlie's cheek. Charlie in turn jumped at the sudden contact and faced him.
It was agonising to watch.
"Please.... please don't do it."
"Sir, are you getting out or do you have another destination to get to."
Oliver ignored the cab driver and watched as Dustin leaned closer to Charlie, ultimately closing the gap between them with a kiss. Oliver quickly closed his glassy eyes in resignation. He was too late.
"Just... bring me back to where you collected me."
His day had begun so hopeful. The holistic counsellor at the rehab had promised that everything from then on would be smooth-sailing because he wasn't going to drink anymore. He was two months sober but he didn't think it would be this hard to not want to drink after he left rehab.
His eyes landed on a liquor store across the road as the cab came to a halt at a red traffic light. It was glowing with neon lights so it was probably the most recognisable shop behind the rain and fog. It was like the universe wanted him to drink. He could just quit the drugs. A lot of people around the world drank alcohol. It was normal. It wasn't illegal and it didn't carry the same risks as drugs.
"Stop the car..." He murmured, leaving it to chance whether or not the cabdriver heard him.
"You want to get off here?"
Everything was pointing towards him having a drink. It could even be his last drink. Then he'd quit.
It took everything in him to say his next words.
"Never mind. Keep driving."
⢠⢠â¢
A/N; I have a confession to make! I really wish my books had more reads! I don't mean to sound ungrateful, I love you all loads but there are books written this year with nearly a million reads meanwhile Opulent Glory which was written in 2017 is still on less than 150k. I feel terrible for caring so much about the amount of readers I have but I really do wish my books had more recognition.
Any ideas on how I can increase my reader count?
And if you're reading now, let me just thank you. I really appreciate you. Thank you for giving this amateur writer a chance.
Love,
-hexed
xoxo