"Now tell me," Doctor Kingstone repeated.
"I... eeh... I was beaten up really bad…" I stuttered in between words. My jaw was also aching, and speaking was doing me no good. However, I knew Doctor Kingstone would press the issue. That's how he was, pressing to be detailed even when the time and place were not favorable.
He was still watching me as, for the first time, I took in my glass of whiskey, dipped inside it, a lot of ice. I wonder why he would put so much ice anyway. The whiskey burned through my throat, as my facial situation could not allow any reaction from me.
"I was... there is this girl," I started, as I saw Doctor Kingstone hunch back onto the sofa seat right after hearing the word "girl." "She is in college, she is in her last year at university here in San Francisco. I eeh..." I breathed in and out, listening to my pains in my beaten parts, then continued, "I... she is one of my friend's sisters. He did not take the news so well... what I mean is, I do like the girl. I did not know I liked... I eeh... I actually love her." I realized everything I was saying was damned. I was throwing ideas and feelings all over, and the story was not even flowing in nicely, thus, I drank up all the whiskey in one gulp, as I saw the old man wince on my behalf, as one of the ice cubes lingered in my mouth, making me quite uncomfortable for a bit as I threw it back into the glass. I am sure the doctor was already seeing the messed-up me again... again, God!
"I'm still listening," he stated in between my weird actions, and thus I just had to start over again.
"The girl's name is Aaliyah. I met her at some party, it was sort of an isolated area bash party. She intrigued me. The fact that she was chilling alone, and so I approached. At first, when I approached her, the intrigue was her being a Marine's sister. I think the excitement of trying to woo over a Marine's sister got the best of me, and the next thing I know, I had her in my apartment." This made the doctor squint his eyes, so I knew I needed to adjust, "Not for sex though. I had some emergency, and we had moved from the party area due to the loud music to the Marine's car, his name is Elvis, and my friend. So while we were in the car, I was called up for my job, and I just couldn't leave Aaliyah there, I left with Elvis' car, and long story short, we arrived at my apartment. Rightfully, of course, I changed and went to the hospital, leaving her in the apartment." I did not realize talking about Aaliyah would be this difficult, but I think he was understanding everything I was saying. "So after that, pretty much she started staying much longer in my apartment. We became close, but I wasn't sure about what I was feeling for her and..."
"Did you initiate anything with her?" he questioned.
"No, not until the next day, but I stopped myself. I did not want to ruin her, and she dictated that she was not ready," I clarified.
"How long have you known each other?" he questioned, and calculations started running through my mind. I did not know how many months we've known each other, but I was sure it all felt as if we've known each other forever.
"I'm not sure, but the party was back, before even the Marines were taken to Iraq to help out," I clarified, as I saw him nod.
"She has changed you, I see," he stated in the thickest English accent, and I just glared at him. "You, Hayzen. You are now being open," he added, and this made me smile, just a little, to avoid the pain in my jaw.
"She has been like my only best friend since Elvis left, and Luke being everywhere, but not here. Sometimes we did fight about stuff, like about Kate..." that Kate word slipped, God!
"You still haven't forgotten that girl, have you?"
"I have," I clarified intensely. "I used to, back then, remember her alot, but stopped. When I became close to Aaliyah, thoughts of her faded through. Now, I am just getting beaten up almost every day by Elvis."
"I think you should go home, and tomorrow, sober up, and meet Elvis, man to man, and talk to him about his sister. It is normal for any man to be protective over their sister. Talk to him, and question him why he has all this contempt towards you. And if it is about a past situation, as you clarified, he was or still remains your friend, I believe he knows you better than anyone else. So the friendship privacy degree of personal knowledge might be the great cause of all this. I think you should prove to him that you are what you claim to be. If you love the girl, I think you should just be straightforward. But if you are thinking it through, I prefer you just sit back, and let the girl slip away. For the betterment of yourself, the girl, and your friendship with the girl's brother. You sure would never wish one of your friends to hurt your sister, would you?" I shook my head to that, as Doctor Kingstone stood up and called one waiter, whispered something in his ear, and then both focused on me.
"Head home, son, we shall meet again. Love should not scar you this much," he stated, and I just stood and followed the waiter in a black suit.
"Where do you stay?" the man coldly stated.
"Postal 5678, I will show," I added, as I was invited into a small Lamborghini, and we went off.
On arrival at my apartment residential area, he did not ask for anything, he just reversed the car, turned, and left. He was the coldest man I have ever met, but I still thanked Doctor Kingstone for checking up on me.
Luckily, the spare apartment door keys were still on the window. I opened my apartment, closed it, and entered right into my room, slowly took off my jeans, that reminded me of whatever was almost to happen this night, and laid on my pillow, as tears started flowing. They were just flowing, as my mind told me I was a grown man, crying was never something in us. Grown men never cry... they never do.
The next morning, my head was heavy as the lights blazed into my room. 'Who changed these curtains?' I found myself questioning, as I was always used to having all black curtains that never let any outside sunlight in. Aaliyah had sure done a lot of renovation in my apartment. Now, I had to deal with white curtains and overly unwanted lighting.
Anyway, my head was stinging badly. Sure, it was because of the hit from Elvis. I don't think the whiskey was crazily bad, but hangovers never fail to just knock sometimes, especially in this state. I stood up, barely feeling my legs, which were in pain from I don't know what, as I noticed a slight bruise around my knee. 'Maybe it happened during that drag from the bed,' my mind thought.
After heftily waking from the bed, I dragged myself to the mirror, and for the first time, I could not even recognize my own skin and face. My lip was somehow busted, and a big bruise was observed. The little bandages left on my face after Doctor Kingstone's little first aid were still visible on my forehead and both my right and left sides. I looked crazy. My head was hurting, and I wondered if really Elvis had hurt my scalp really bad. It was no wonder why he was being overly aggressive towards me. He had warned me anyway. But I wondered what that boyfriend, well currently friend of Elvis, did to earn Elvis' trust. What was he anyway? My thoughts directly wandered onto Aaliyah; I wondered how much of a lecture Elvis had given her. I knew the man adored her, but in that state of anger, he would even slap her or something. So, directly, my mind blazed with the idea of first going to some chemist and buying some painkillers. Then maybe heading to Elvis' with maybe some flowers for Aaliyah, hoping Elvis would not be around.