An hour beforehand.

The only thing that snaps me out of my crazed Instagram stalk of Alyssa is the familiar screech of Hugo's brakes as he parks outside my apartment. Sighing, I throw my phone aside and collapse backwards on my couch, the cold leather prickling my bare back. Great. Just the person I wanted to see.

I shut my eyes, praying that Hugo would stop trying to cheer me up and leave me alone. Sure, Alyssa's breakup with me was harsh. Sure, she didn't have to end our two year relationship and leave me stranded in the middle of rugby season. But, of course she decided to. 

It's not like I did anything wrong. She just fell out of love with me and fell for some twat lifeguard. Psh. Whatever. I'm doing fine. Totally fine. 

My phone pings, and it's a post notification; another photo of her with one of her friends and aformentioned hunk from the lifeguard. Her silky black hair tumbles down her exposed collarbones, her mouth wide open and eyes crinkled. It's a nice candid photo of her, laughing. 

I see that the guy's arms are around her waist, and my heart breaks a little more. I miss doing that. Wait, no, no I don't. I'm doing fine. Totally fine. 

A rushed knock on my apartment door makes me shoot up. I squint in the dark, looking at the chipped wood as if my eyes can see through it. "Wes! Get up! You better not be on her Instagram again!"

I sigh, groaning dramatically. "I'm not looking, Hugo!"

"Sure you aren't--will you let me in, please?"

"Ugh, fine."

Feeling the leather of my couch unstick from my skin, I trudge towards the door. Deftly weaving my way through dirty laundry and rubbish,  I unlock the latch, swinging the door open. Hugo's face curls, either at the sight of me or the scent of my apartment.

"You could have at least put some pants on."

I shrug. "Eh. Boxers are the best you're gonna get."

Turning around, I crash on the couch and let a very grossed-out Hugo into my apartment. He sees the laundry, the rubbish, the dishes piled up in the sink, and frowns, crossing his arms in front of him. 

"Mate, you're really spiralling."

Snorting, I shrug, eyes shut. "Eh. What do you want?"

I feel a weight sink next to me. Opening my eyes, I see Hugo's settled next to me, concern painting his expression. "Look, mate, this is the last time I'm letting you do this to yourself. You've been ignoring my texts and calls for two weeks now, and only God knows how many training sessions you've missed. Coach and the other boys miss you. You can't let a girl get you down like this!"

I roll over, groaning. "Too late."

He sighs, wrapping a hand over my shoulder, rolling me back to face him. "God, you're dramatic. Look, what you need is a distraction. Firstly, you need to get out of this apartment. It's a pigsty, and it's not doing your mental health any favours. Come on, get up, get dressed. I'm not leaving without you."

Picking up a pillow from the couch, I toss it at him, narrowly skimming his combed-back hair. "God, you're insufferable. Just let me die, please?"

His face scrunches up in disgust. "No, I'm not gonna let that happen! Come on, up, up, up!"

He hoists me up by the armpits, a choice he regrets almost immediately, and shoves me toward my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I hear him mumble about finding a clean sink and a washing basket as I open my walk-in wardrobe. Black jeans and a white button-up should be fine. 

Hugo and I have been friends since we both started playing rugby. We were two seven-year-olds, with no clue about what we wanted to do in the future. Now, fifteen years later, we're still just as close with slightly more clue about our futures. We drink together, we make gameplans together, we do almost everything together. Hugo wants to go to the big leagues, play in the Rugby World Cup someday. Me? I guess I did too, but now I just want to curl up on my bed and look at more photos of Alyssa. 

As I slip into the pair of jeans, I look at my phone, scrolling through my Instagram newsfeed again. Photo of Alyssa--nice. Photo of another distant highschool friend with their kids--gross. Photos of a shirtless man--nice. 

My eyes gloss over the man's taut abs, rippling arm muscles, and bulging shoulders. Damn, maybe I do need a distraction. I hope Hugo's willing to wait a few minutes, because-

"You better not be on your phone looking at her again!" Hugo's voice warns from outside my bedroom door. Locking the phone and shoving it in my jeans pocket, I start unbuttoning the white shirt hanging in my closet. 

"I wasn't! Promise!"

He walks away, probably rolling his eyes. I slip into the shirt, trying to settle the half-mast that's started to form. Think about Hugo's face. Think about how gross he is. Think about anything else other than that photo. Mum. Dad. Sister. Ugh.

The boner fades, and I sigh in relief. Slipping into the shirt, I crack my bedroom door open. Hugo's tossing some dirty laundry into a basket, keeping every article of clothing at arm's length. Physically gagging, he moves the basket to a bare corner in the room, shivering from top to bottom. He notices me, and his pinched face dissipates. 

"Why does everything in here smell like goat cheese?"

I arch an eyebrow. "Why do you know what goat cheese smells like?"

He shakes his head. "Whatever. Good to see you're dressed. I've sort of cleaned up the living room; you're washing all of that when we get back. Come on, get some shoes; we're going out to a nice restaurant to help you forget."

#

"Where exactly are you taking me?" I say, playing with the window button. Hugo swats at me with a free hand, almost crashing the car in the process.

"Stop that! God, you're annoying. We're going to a nice bar I found along the coast. The Golden Palace. Thai food and cheap food, plus, a nice view of the ocean. Perfect to keep your mind off things."

"Mhhmm," I say in response, pulling out my phone. We roll to a set of traffic lights, Hugo swiping the phone from my hand. 

"Hey! Give it back-"

"Nope, not until you delete her off of all your social media. You really need to stop checking up on her--it's not going to bring her back to you."

I shrug. "Maybe it will."

Look, Hugo's a great guy. I honestly don't know why he's stuck around this long. Sure, the tenure of our friendship might be a huge factor, but he knows how awful and dramatic I can get when things turn sour in my life. Every failed grade, every lost game, every breakup; he's been there for all of them, no matter what. I'm surprised he hasn't turned the wheel into oncoming traffic yet. 

He rolls his eyes. "God, you're so immature. Go on, you know the drill."

Sighing quietly to myself, I shrink further into my seat, hoping that Hugo forgets I'm in the car. It doesn't work.

"Wes, you know this is a necessary step. It's how you got over Jessica and Mabel. Delete her off of everything, right now, or I swear I'm going to throw your phone out of the window."

Begrudgingly, I press the unfollow button on her Instagram profile. Hugo lifts an eyebrow. 

"Now, her number, and your messages with her."

"What? Hugo, that's an insane-" 

"Do it!"

I groan, opening my contact list and delete her number. Soon, the messages are gone too. Clicking open the glove compartment infront of me, I ditch my phone in, crossing my arms and looking out the window. 

"Happy?"

Knowing Hugo, he probably has a huge grin on his face. I refuse to look at him. "Yes, very happy. You'll hate me for this for now, but trust me, it'll help. We'll find you a new girl to keep you distracted, okay? After tonight, you can't let those emotions cloud your judgement--rugby season is coming, and we need you with us."

"Fine."

I fold my arms again and look out the window. "Are we nearly there yet?"

"Yeah, it's just around the corner. Trust me, you'll love this place; the curries are to die for. Plus, there are always cute girls at the bar. Maybe you could snag one for the night."

Snorting, I look at the restaurant's entrance as Hugo rolls to a stop in a parking bay. "Sure. Maybe."

=============

A/N: Wow! Super super short chapter with 1420 words, but I'll make it up later!

What did y'all think of this chapter? Your votes and comments are truly appreciative for when I come back and revise this story after NaNoWriMo!

With all my love,
Jacob Sinne xx