Donnie caught the eye of the bartender and indicated he wanted another drink. It was going to take a lot more than a couple of beers to wash away the day's earlier events.

It's not me, it's you.

The words swam around in his head, as anger fought with incredulity. Fair enough, he'd seen it coming, he'd ended enough relationships to know how the conversations typically played out. As the person doing the dumping, you tried to make the dumpee feel better, you didn't apportion blame to them. You tried to soften the blow, to spare their feelings, you took on the burden of responsibility for the relationship failing. Clearly, Germans saw things differently.

He slapped his hand to his forehead, Annalise was right, xenophobic insults weren't the way to go. She was just a bitch. Except she wasn't. She was direct but she never set out to offend, she rarely got involved in slanging matches. It was one of the things he liked most about her. She was honest and she appreciated honesty; she didn't get upset if he was blunt and she didn't demand false compliments.

He picked up his drink and took a large swig thinking he should have ordered something stronger. The irony was not lost on him that only hours earlier Annalise had berated him for drinking too much and here he was seeking oblivion. He wondered how many girls had reacted to his breaking up with them in a similar manner? Hopefully none. For all he didn't try to bullshit people, there were times, occasionally, when he would indulge in the odd white lie. He told himself it didn't count if it was to spare someone's feelings but in truth, it was also for himself. The thought of causing another person pain gave him no pleasure. He was genuinely regretful when a relationship was floundering, however, if he got to the six-month mark and wasn't seeing a future together, then it was kinder to finish it. 

And until Annalise he'd never had a relationship go beyond six months, he had dared himself to believe she was the one. How stupid of him, he didn't even believe in the one. Life was a game of chances, no two people were fated to meet, it was entirely random. He'd met Annalise at a friend of a friend's party. He'd only decided to go to at the last minute as he'd had to be up early the next day, and knew he'd regret it. She had similarly attended on impulse. She was studying for a doctorate at Boston University and had been persuaded to put her work aside for one evening. They could easily not have met, and their paths were unlikely to have crossed again.

And then I wouldn't be sat here feeling like shit.

He allowed himself a moment of self-pity, thinking he hadn't done anything wrong per se. He hadn't lied, cheated, been abusive. Annalise had always come first with him even if she didn't seem to realise that. Yes, he'd slacked off with work lately but that hadn't affected her, it wasn't like he'd ever asked her to bail him out. He got by, he'd always paid his way and often hers, but still, it wasn't good enough. Obviously, she thought his haphazard attitude towards his business was symptomatic of a more general lack of personal discipline.

She should have been a drill sergeant.

He groaned, he sounded like the worst kind of drunken bore, rambling on about how hard done to he was. Thank god, he wasn't drunk enough to share his thoughts out loud, no one needed to hear his self-indulgent whining. He guessed Annalise had a point; that his response to their breakup was to go and get drunk kinda proved he was drinking too much. The thought made him uncomfortable and he reacted by ordering a whiskey chaser.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked snapping him out of his reverie.

He shook his head but the young woman who'd asked had sat down without waiting for his reply anyway. "Oh good," she said smiling. "I could do with some company."

Company is the last thing I'm looking for.

"Can I get you anything?" he said instead as the bartender put the shot glass down in front of him. No point letting his foul mood spoil somebody else's night.

The woman smiled, her red lipstick standing out starkly against her pale skin. "I'd love a Cosmoplitain but this doesn't seem like the kind of place that would do them."

"I'm sure they could rustle something up for you." He looked around at the faded decor, the scratched tables, the drink stains on the floor. "But I'd probably ask for something else."

"I'd love a white wine then." She smiled, tilting her head to one side and crossing her legs, making her skirt ride up. He averted his eyes although he was pretty sure her actions were intentional.

"So what are you doing drinking on your lonesome?" she asked after the bartender had placed a glass of wine in front of her.

He raised his eyebrows. "I could ask you the same thing, this isn't the most salubrious of places, to put it mildly."

"I got stood up," she said pulling a face. "I've been waiting for nearly an hour now. I've tried calling and I think he's blocked my number."

"Maybe his battery's dead or he has no signal."

"You reckon?"

"Probably not," he said, and her face fell. Great, he was upsetting a stranger with his inability to be tactful. "The thing is, why would a guy who likes you want to meet in a place like this? He's not trying to impress you, and at best, he's late. You should cut your losses."

She nodded, wrinkling her nose as she looked around. "So why are you here? You never answered my question."

"Didn't I?" He gave a half-hearted shrug. "I broke up with my girlfriend, or rather she broke up with me."

"I'm sorry."

He downed his shot. "Don't be, it was a long time coming."

"Oh?"

"The signs were there for a while," he admitted shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "It was our first anniversary and she wasn't bothered about celebrating, she was really quiet... and she didn't want to exchange presents at Christmas."

"Ouch, that sucks."

"It is, what it is," he said trying to get the bartender's attention again. "How about I get us some more drinks?"

She picked up her glass and finished what was left of it. "Okay, I'm Chloe by the way."

"Donnie," he said looking at her properly now. "Nice to meet you."

~~~