GINA

We ate the meal in awkward silence. When I was done, I looked at the bottle of wine apprehensively wondering If I should go drip it back in the fridge. With what I had just heard, I was certainly in no mood to drink.

"What is stopping us from opening the wine, Gina?" Dennis said as he finished the last of his meal.

I sighed. "I don't know. I am in no mood to drink again."

Dennis leaned back on the sofa to watch me. I was sitting straight on the sofa, my body wound up with tension.

"Me telling you this does not change anything at all, Gina. "

His posture was casual and he was trying to sound casual but I could still detect the tension in his own voice. Even though he was trying so hard to hide it, he was anxious as well.

"Then why did you tell me? Why bother?"

" Two reasons."

"Two? What are they?"

He paused briefly over each word he spoke as if he was thinking of what to say. or maybe it was because he wantsed each word to sink in fully before he went to the next word.

" You are leaving by tomorrow. So I wanted to tell you before you go how I felt so I know it is done. Finally. So that I know that wherever you are, at least you know how I feel about you.. That it is a relief that these feelings were not kept to myself because I do not take them for granted."

"Hmm."

"That is the first reason."

"Is it? What is the second one?"

"I told you because you should always know that you are a beautiful strong woman and that you deserved to be loved truly and amazingly. Don't let your past relationship taint that knowledge of yourself. You should not think it was because it is you, that is why men would hurt you this much. It's them not you. I would hate that the woman I liked thought that of herself."

I did not say anything for a while before finally exhaling slowly to say, "Why did I not like you first before Ken came into my life?"

"Maybe, because of Lisa. If not that Lisa was in the picture back then, I think you would have." He said and winked at me.

I shook my head in laughter. It was the first time in hours I was laughing. "You are so full of yourself, Dennis."

"Yeah yeah."

"Thanks for making me laugh."

"Thank you for being that woman that made me still have faith in your gender."

"Yeah. You are welcome. I get what you are saying. I should not never look down on myself and that that yeah, I should not lost all hope in your gender."

"Yeah. You get it." He said, smiling briefly at me.

"It's not going to be easy."

"I know. No one said it was going to be."

I stood up to take the tray of dishes inside the kitchen and washed them instantly.

"How the hell am I going to move all this to a new apartment especially when I do not have much cash with me?" I said as I went back to the sitting room.

"Well, you can change your mind on moving out, you know. That solves the problem. Entirely." Dennis turned to face me as he placed an arm over the sofa.

"I am not doing that. Ken is coming back tomorrow."

"Well, when he comes, tell him to move the fuck out."

"Well, I don't want to stay here anymore. Too many memories here. Besides, changing areas would be good for me."

Dennis rolled his eyes. "Jeez, not only are you strong and independent, woman, you are stubborn. Do you know that?"

"Of course." I said with a laugh. "How else can I survive being strong and independent?"

Dennis shook his head as he waved the wine opener in front of me. "Let's drink to that, shall we? Don't say no. This is the last time I am going to be drinking with you in this house."

"Yeah. Let's."

"Thought of what area to go?" Dennis asked as he opened the wine with the opener.

I watched the wine make the usual pop noise then bubble up to the top before relaxing into itself.

"I have not thought of that. Hopefully, it won't be far away because of my Job at King Restaurant."

"Yeah. True. Does your job still make you want to go crazy?"

"Every day."

"Man, it's weird that they would not employ more staff. If you had not told me this, I would not believe that the labour system of such a popular brand sucks that much."

"It is what it is." I took the glass of wine he had offered to me, letting the content flush down to my stomach and the impact seep to every part of my body.

"Thank you. I really needed this." I said, letting my head rest on the sofa. "Not just the wine. The company as well. You made me laugh twice. I never knew I would in a night like this."

"I get you. Though I am miffed that you were counting. It shows I didn't do the job well enough."

I smiled. Dennis was a friend I was forever grateful for. "I don't know what job you are talking about but I can say you did it well."

"Well, if you say that."

I yawned. "I am actually feeling sleepy. So that long story outside my apartment did not work too well, did it?"

"That is because I am here. Those demons work too well when one is alone."

"I guess so. Thank you for everything." I stood up. "It's nearly midnight. I have wine in my stomach, I am full with spaghetti, I had an exhausting day and you are here. So I think I will be sleeping. Let me head to my bedroom and sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Yeah. No need to thank me, Gina. I don't want to have to say that again."

"Alright."

"Tell me tomorrow which area you might want to go to. I have a friend who is a realtor. I will call in a favour."

I wanted to thank him, not knowing what else to say but remembering he did not want it, shut up instead.