I remained silent, ignoring Vino. I still couldn't believe Brian would do that to me. We had sworn on it that he wouldn't tell Vino, and I wouldn't pry on him about why Vino was drunk.

When I saw a convenience store up ahead, I requested Vino if we could stopover, and he obliged.

The parking lot was almost empty except for a single motorcycle parked near the entrance of the store.

"Brian and I made a deal, and he broke it," I muttered as Vino turned off the engine.

"Kane, I swear he did keep his word," he explained, pulling the key out of the ignition.

"Really? Because you just told me he told you about Gab. That didn't sound like keeping one's word."

I climbed out of the car and hurried to the store's door, leaving Vino behind. But I couldn't possibly leave someone behind who could catch up to me in a few strides.

Vino beat me to the door, pushing it open for me.

An aromatic scent of coffee whiffed inside the store as we walked in. I got distracted by a middle-aged man getting a cup of coffee from the machine. I might not be a coffee-lover, but I liked how it smelled.

My eyes flickered back to Vino when he said, "He kept his word for two years, and I only found out about it recently. You can ask him about it—"

"He better has a good reason."

I had known Brian since kindergarten. He might be the most playful and happy-go-lucky among the four boys in our squad, but he was a loyal friend.

But right now, I couldn't think of any good reason why he would break our deal. We fist-bumped on that deal, and that was his pinky swear.

"You want to call him?" Vino asked, offering me his phone.

I stared at the black phone in his hand before looking up at him.

"No. They're still at the bar, having a great time. I don't want to spoil their night."

He nodded and put his phone back in his pocket.

We walked past the instant noodle aisle, and I went straight to the fridge. There was an assortment of drinks from bottled water to cartons of fresh milk to different iced tea flavors, and I couldn't find what I wanted.

"I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because of you. But he has to explain to me when I get a chance to talk to him," I said, failing to sound threatening.

Finally, I spotted the can of beer I was looking for.

"He will—"

Vino stopped short when I took out two cans of beer from the fridge.

His forehead creased as he asked me if I really wanted to drink. I told him I want to, and he was about to protest, but he just shook his head.

He took both cans from me and returned one from the fridge.

"I'm not drinking," he offered as an explanation before opening another fridge to get a bottle of water.

"But that wasn't for you. It was both for me."

"Can you drink two cans of beer?"

"I can," I lied.

He shook his head, whispering, "I don't think so."

Then he turned his back to me and proceeded to the cashier, not giving me any time to argue about the beer.

After paying, we both walked out of the store, and he opened the passenger door for me before handing me the can of beer.

"Thanks," I murmured.

He nodded and closed the door for me.

I watched him open the bottle of water and swig it as he walk to the driver's side. As soon as he was in the car, he put his phone back to the magnetic phone holder and placed the bottle on the cup holder near the gear shifter. I gripped the can in my hands and felt the coolness of it against my palm.

"Brian never told me the reason why you were drunk that night," I murmured as soon as he started the engine.

He took a deep breath before turning his head to face me. His face was void of any trace of a smile and said, "I was supposed to watch Lily's gig, but I canceled and told her I couldn't because Grace suddenly wanted to see me."

I wasn't expecting him to tell me what had happened to him that night, but I also didn't want to stop him. I'd be lying if I say I wasn't interested to know. I had been dying to know what happened that night, and Brian was the only other person who could tell me.

Of course, Brian wouldn't speak about it.

"We went out and things didn't go quite as planned," Vino continued. "We had a fight and almost broke up that night. But I didn't want to break up with her that night because we were both mad, and I would probably regret it the next day."

"So, you called Brian..." I whispered, finally putting the puzzle pieces together.

"Well, I figured the best thing to do was look for someone to talk to, and luckily Brian was still at home that time."

"Talking meant getting wasted?"

He only smiled in response.

"So, when did you and Grace break up?"

"Just last year. After graduation."

I opened the can, at a loss for words to say. I listened to the satisfying tiny pop followed by a light tsssst from the beer. I took a couple of gulps and felt a burning sensation in my throat. The beer had a subtle hint of sweetness, but it had a more bitter taste, causing me to almost gag.

I noticed Vino giving me a sideways glance, so I stared at him, daring him to say something. But he just blinked at me. Although I was sure he wanted to tell me, 'I knew you can't drink'.

"I can't imagine how Brian had felt that night listening to our stories," I mumbled instead.

"Yeah, he must have felt awesome because he didn't have to deal with those kinds of stuff personally."

"He had been the hero that night."

"Yeah, he deserved a medal for that one."

I hadn't been gladder that Brian picked up the phone that night. I was also thankful that he didn't tell me the exact reason why Vino was drunk.

I came to a realization that he was just trying to protect me. He knew I would feel worse than I already was.

I shut my eyes and let out a heavy sigh as I thought about how so messed up that night would've been if Vino had answered the phone.

Vino backed out of the parking lot, and I could hear a new song on the speaker as he turned up the volume.

"Last night, I felt like Iris was trying to bring back our issues in high school. You know—me, you, and Lanie," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"How can you say so?"

I opened my eyes and gazed at him.

"Was that the reason why you looked uncomfortable last night?"

"One of the reasons, yes," I admitted. "I felt like she didn't want us to be friends or she was expecting that we were no longer friends."

"I think I know why she thinks that, but that's ridiculous. I mean there's no way I'm cutting you out of my life."

I smiled, even if a familiar ache was starting to creep inside my chest.

"Well, we all know she's Lanie's cousin. Maybe she still hadn't moved on that you two had broken up. Do you and Lanie still talk?"

"No," he was quick to reply. "Not since we broke up."

Of course, you don't talk anymore.

That was what happened to me and Gab. We just stopped communicating after our break-up. All the good morning messages when I woke up and the good night messages before I went to sleep were gone.

We were still friends on social media, but that was about it. The person I talked to every single day was no longer there.

I slowly sipped the beer, careful enough not to gag this time. I already regretted picking up this one. I should've gone for a lighter kind or a citrus-flavored one.

From my peripheral vision, I could see Vino checking me. I didn't want to tell him he was right, so I swigged the beer in five gulps to show him I could, in fact, drink.

I adjusted the AC as I already felt warm from drinking. Even my lips were starting to feel dry.

"Kane, I think you should go easy—"

"I think can handle it," I cut him off. "There's not much left in the can anyway."

"Alright, calm down."

I gulped down the beer until the last drop and placed the can down on the vacant cup holder beside his water bottle.

I didn't realize that I started talking about Gab and our unfortunate break-up. Vino said Brian had never elaborated what happened that night. According to him, all Brian said was Gab and I had broken up.

"He said I wasn't trying—that in two years of being together, he never felt I chose him. Do you think he was telling the truth?"

"I never got the chance to watch you as a couple, and I'm not in the right place to judge him—or you."

"He's a great guy. His mom didn't like me much, but still..."

I chuckled, feeling stupid talking to Vino about Gab. But it was too late to take back everything I had said.

"I don't know what to say. I guess some things, no matter how perfect they seem, just don't work out."

It hurt hearing those words. Was he still describing my break-up with Gab? Or was he describing his break-up with his exes? Or was it about us? But I was momentarily distracted from my thoughts when I noticed familiar landmarks of our town.

We had just passed by the weekend drive-thru farmer's market.

"Are you driving me home already?" I asked.

"Only if you want me to," he replied.

I shook my head in response. I didn't want the night to end just yet, and I didn't know what would happen next because I knew he had to drive me home eventually.

He nodded and remained silent, and my mind drifted off to what he had said.

Some things just don't work out.

"Gab said I didn't try hard enough to show him I love him," I mumbled. Then I thought about why Vino avoided me and suddenly leave me. "Was that the reason why you left me? Because I didn't try hard enough?"