Neon Bar

--Jade’s POV--

I was aware that something would change as soon as we returned to the city.

Afternoon departure and evening arrival for our flight. Beau picks me up from my apartment because he intends to head straight to his workplace. It is after business hours. I'm not sure why he can't seem to put his work away.

"I’ll call you," he said when his car stopped.

I looked away from him completely as I nodded. I prepared my body bag and got out of the car.

He called me, "Jade."

I couldn't help but look at him. I played it off like nothing was wrong.

"Hmm?"

“I said that I’ll call you.”

“Sure,” I replied as I sped out of the car. I turned my head away from him.

I noticed the emptiness the moment I stepped inside my apartment. I exhaled deeply. God. How long have we been apart now, and what are the plans for the next few days?

I lacked the time to get dressed. I let go of the things I had been holding onto for the previous three days because I had been with him as I slouched into my bed.

I sobbed for so long that I failed to notice that I was already asleep. Maybe as a result of being too exhausted. When I awoke, it was already midnight. The first thing I looked at was my phone. I discovered Beau's missed calls and texts.

His last text was:I guess you’re sleeping. Sleep tight, baby.

I sighed. I put it on read before I went to the bathroom so I could get dressed and clean myself, instead of responding. I only did that before returning to my bed and falling asleep once more.

Oli came to see me later that morning. Obviously, we still have work to do in this area. Early in the morning, he appeared so enthusiastic, while I was a complete mess. like a robot that was mistreated after being used in an experiment.

"This and this. You can choose from these two." He put the Ipad in front of my face.

He's making me select the apartment I'll be staying in because it's obvious that I shouldn't be staying here. We'll be severing our connections gradually, so we'll be setting up some things in advance.

"Can I just… live by the woods or something? On a beach, anything… just not here in the city. " I said with no energy.
Oli's grin vanished. He most likely picked up on how miserable I sounded. Before he shut the Ipad, he took a breath.

"You could talk to me. You've not been yourself since you met that man. Is he hurting you? What? You know what's between us isn't just about these bribes and scams, right?

I gave a feeble headshake. “I’m hurting him, Oli.”

He was unable to reply.

“Oh no, I already have a suspicion, but I still tried to deny it,” he said with a mocking chuckle. “Since you never showed concern for those men. I knew you, Jade, so now that you're acting like this, I..."

I had watery eyes. All of my pleasant recollections of Beau suddenly came to mind. I sniffed and blinked those memories away. I'd prefer not to cry. I don't want to burden myself with this. I had better not be this weak since we still have unfinished business.

“We know that it's best for us to keep quiet based on the number of businessmen we have bribed, so just look for something far away from this city. In fact, this is our last, so... this is all done now, Oli.”

It was made harder by his intense looks at me. As tears rolled into my eyes, I bit my lip. I laughed while wiping away my tears.

He said, "I'm sorry." You were drawn into this by me.

I chuckled again and gave a headshake.

My voice broke as I said, "It's been my decision from the beginning, Oli, and it's all thanks to you.”

He sighed and walked over to give me a hug. Unending tears were shed. He hugged me again and stroked my back.

“It’s been fun working with you,” he said.

I chuckled, "As if you call that work."

My heart aches at that precise moment. How long had Oli and I been riding one another's backs? While I did the work, he became the brains behind our plans. It's so difficult to look back now. Because the world has treated us so poorly since we were young, we are like helpless youth struggling to make ends meet.

Yes, it could be bad. It's bad and unfair. From this vantage point, however, it is clear that we were forced to take that action. Some individuals possess so much that they are unaware of their losses. We have no choice but to gamble because we stand to lose so much, unlike some other people.

He too laughed softly. "It's finished now, and we're done."

I relaxed my grip. “You won't be buying people off any longer, right?”

He grinned. “Just keep an eye, Jade.”

I gave him the evil eye and punched his arms. What an oddball. As if hiding something from me would be effective.

“Tonight at Neon, I guess."

My brows drew in. “That's tonight?”

“Yes, I did mention that it was your birthday the last time I saw you.”

I sighed, getting ready to excuse myself for some reason, but he cut me off right away.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, and look, this is our victory party," he added.

"This is not a victory, Oli."

"Yeah, but I mean... victory in life, for enduring all the crap we've been through.

His brows went up and down. He’s convincing me. I rolled my eyes.

“I'll be inviting some of our peers, so please don't be such a downer, Oli. See you tonight.”

I was unable to argue with him any longer because he had already left my apartment. My phone lit up as soon as he left. I caught a glimpse of Beau's name. I sighed and switched off my phone. I wanted him to see that something had changed already. Therefore, he won't be surprised by it.

Oh, Jade, really? Not shocking. If you suddenly treat a man like this after he just admitted that he loves you, he won't be shocked. What a stupid notion.

I would not have gone to that bar if Oli hadn't asked me to. But since Oli's claim made sense, I had no choice but to accept it. Additionally, it might be our last meeting before we fully let go of the past. That evening, exactly that occurred.

I visited the hospital in the late afternoon to see how Eli were doing. Her health is improving. She was not connected to any equipment, and she is now much stronger. They are just awaiting the doctor's recommendation and should be able to return home at any moment.

Erin questioned me, "Are you okay? Oli told me you were going out tonight."

I sighed.

"He insisted, so yes,"

She laughed. “You don't appear to be fine.”

See? She gave her own question an answer. Therefore, it would be best to just ignore her since she seems to already be aware of everything.

The rest of my time was spent at the hospital. I only returned to my apartment to change before heading straight to the Neon Bar. Our usual gathering place is here.

I'm dressed in a black, sleek dress with a bare back but a slightly conservative front. I applied makeup and curled my hair to avoid looking so depressed. I don't want people to think I'm depressed when I'm actually broken-hearted.

"Cheers!"
The night started.
"Cheers to both of us!" I laughed at Oli.

Before chugging our glasses, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and cheered them. To the loud boom of the music, we danced. Given that it is the weekend, the bar is fairly crowded.

I yelled into Oli's ears, "Thank you for everything!”

Since the alcohol has already given us a slight buzz, it is obvious that we are having a good time.

Oli smirked as his inebriated eyes met mine. Before messing with my hair, he grabbed my head and kissed it. I gave him a sneer. He chuckled.

We were invited to the dance floor by our friends. I think the girls dragged me because I can't even walk properly due to my extreme dizziness. dizzy from the lights, alcohol, and crowds combined.

Many men approached me to dance with me as I was moving around. I no longer give a damn. I was just obviously enjoying myself here. I felt a warm thought touch my back in a split second. Since I've been experiencing it for a while, I ignored it.

"Enough of the dancing, baby. You’ve been very bad tonight. "
My system went cold when I heard somebody whispering in my ears. I turned my head to confirm it and hell! I’m right. Beau is here.