(I Won't Tell a Soul)

Chapter 1

"Reina?" Kumiko asked me, confusion is visible in her tired yet beautiful amber eyes.

It's natural for her to question me like this. I'm doing something unusual, after all. I eyed the wall clock behind Kumiko. It's already six in the morning; it's time for her to leave. I knew it, but here I am, gripping her arm like a lost child.

"Stay here", I sincerely told her, not planning to let go of her hand."I won't tell a soul"

I'm out of character, especially today. I don't know what happened to me but I just can't get off this possessiveness I'm feeling right this moment. I don't want her to leave. I don't want her to meet him. I don't care if I'm being selfish, I don't care if I'm being unreasonable. I'm even fine keeping this a secret forever. But I want her to stay here today. We started this together so she better take responsibility, right?

Come on, Kumiko. Just stay here. I promise you, I won't tell a soul.

At first, it was just for fun.

...

"I can't believe he did that! I mean, we've been going out for 5 years already. Normally, he should be thinking of settling down with me, right? But instead, he cheated. I can't believe him!", the girl beside me is shouting like a madwoman. It seems like all the alcohol she's been drinking for a while now are all going inside her poor brain.

"Ah, yes ma'am. But please keep your voice down.", the bartender said uncomfortably.

"Fuck him! Guys like him shouldn't have a place in this world, Damn it!" the girl continued shouting, not caring about the bartender and other people around her.

Ahh, so annoying. And I came here to relax.

"I don't get it". I immediately fixed my gaze on her after hearing her voice cracked while she's speaking. Is she crying? She's looking down so I can't see her face properly." I'm always doing my best for him. I tried to match him, I tried to be the kind of girl he wanted me to be. And I tried, so, so hard" She put her head down on the bar, I'm sure she's crying.

Suddenly, all the irritation I felt earlier went away.

If I had to pick a representation of the sad truth about love, it's this girl beside me. Crying like there's no tomorrow, like there's no other guy in the world beside her jerk boyfriend. I never experienced losing in love so I don't really know why people ruin themselves for it, nor do I know the feeling of being hurt.

But it's fine, right? All I have to do is win, so I won't end up like her. It's not like I'm indifferent about love, in fact, I'm honestly curious about it. But I'm not curious enough to let myself be ruined; I know the consequences of love, that's why I never try to fall for it.

It's a basic knowledge. So, why do people choose to fall in love? Now, tell me.

"It's such a waste of time, you know" I said while lightly shaking my glass of margarita.

She slowly raised her head and looked at me. Wow, she's so beautiful. I bet she will be even more beautiful if I'm seeing a smile on her face instead of these tears."What?" I could feel the lack of interest in her voice.

"Crying here, I mean. If you got time to cry, just go find a better man" I told her, even though I know that she won't listen. While I'm not an expert about love, I know full well how stubborn a person in love can be.

"Yeah, I know, I should just do that" Eh? I was surprised. No kidding. Is she serious? Or is it because of the alcohol?

Well, whatever the reason is. This is interesting.

"I'm Reina, and you are?" I showed her a sweet smile. She's beautiful and fits my taste; this is going to be fun.

She took another shot of her drink before answering me. "Kumiko"

A simple answer huh, looks like she's really not interested. Well, it's obvious that she's straight. I don't know why, but I'm enjoying this even more. Maybe because girls that are hard to get are really worth the effort?

I took a sip of my cocktail drink."So, spill it to me. Instead of shouting your problems, it's better to say them calmly to one person that's willing to listen"

She faced me, her eyes looking as lifeless as cold ashes. "My boyfriend cheated on me. That jerk! And With her fucking slut ex, of all people"

"Oh, Mr. Jerk is so cruel" I said, pretending that I care. "So, you broke up with him?"

She suddenly looked away. "N-no"

… Oh, I get it.

"Mr. Jerk is cruel, but you are really stupid" I didn't dress my words. "Did he blackmail you? Or is it the cliché "you can't break up with him because you love him" thing? Are all people in love really this stupid?"

She let out a sad laugh. Oh oh, I overdid it, didn't I?

"It's something a person like you would never understand" I raised an eyebrow but I didn't say anything. She continued, "I can see it in your eyes. You never take anyone seriously. Are you the same as my boyfriend? Are you a cheater too?"

I chuckled after hearing her bold statement. "Yeah, I don't take relationships seriously. But I'm not a cheater; I only went out with people who aren't serious too, after all."

"S-sorry, then" her attention immediately went back to her drink.

I moved closer to her, leaning so my mouth could reach her ears. "I am not a cheater, but I can be a cheating partner"

"W-what?! " *Cough* I laughed at her reaction. "What are you saying? I can't cheat! I'm not a terrible person"

I see. So, she wasn't serious on what she said earlier. But I won't back down. "It won't make you a terrible person, he did it first, right?"

She stared at me for a moment before speaking, "But even so, I'm not like that." She moved away a little, distancing herself from mine."I'm drunk, so I say silly things but sorry, I'm not a player like you"

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. So heavy that it made me say serious things. "Ah, really? Was being loyal always a good thing? If it was, then why are you here, crying like a loser?" Her mouth gaped open after hearing my honest opinion. "Love is a game. You just need to play it well" I was supposed to persuade her but I ended up saying what was really on my mind.

"I-it's not a ga-"

"It is a game" I cut her off. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose." I moved closer to her once again. "And sometimes, you cheat"

She stayed silent, so I continued. "Stop being so nice to people who don't deserve you. You will just find yourself being taken for granted in the end."

"Hehe maybe you're right." What a pushover.

"That's why, use me. If you really can't break up with him then don't give all of your attention to him. Make him realize your worth. " I slowly embraced her. "And don't worry, I'll make sure that you'll enjoy your time with me "

"Really?"

"Really"

"Okay, then", the corner of my lips turned upward. That was easy.

A minute or two have passed but she's still inside my arms. I didn't want to let go first but it looks like she's enjoying this too much. Or so I thought, until I felt her getting heavier. I freed her from the hug. Damn, she's sleeping?!

"Uhm, excuse me? She's with you, right? Here's her bar tab" I accepted the bill. She gave me a good time so this is the least I could do for her. I gave the bartender my credit card.

I looked at the amount. Wow, my card is so dead tonight. Wait, only one kind of drink?

My mouth gaped open after reading the tab. WHAT THE -? TEQUILA? She's been chugging tequila this whole time?!

Damn, Hahahaha. I wasn't able to contain my laughter. What a strong girl. But oh well, I don't think she can go home tonight.