Roy met up with Edwin at their usual bar at night. He was curious as to why Edwin had decided to pursue a relationship with Hannah when he was still in love with Jessica. Roy wanted to understand Edwin's motivations, so he waited till they were together before asking him why he would engage with someone new when his heart still belonged to another.
"Yo man." He greeted. "What's good?"
"Ah." Edwin exhaled tiredly. Ever since the banquet, he hadn't heard from nor seen Jessica anywhere. He was a little worried. Perhaps she didn't care about him again? Or maybe the engagement was too much.
"I'm good. Just stressed. You know I can barely do anything at work when you are far away" Edwin confessed.
Roy glared at him. "How can you confidently mock me, Edwin?"
Edwin chuckled. "Yeah, you know these things."
Roy sipped his wine in response. "How are you?"
"This the second time you're asking, Roy. Do I not look okay to you?" Edwin asked thoughtfully.
"Well don't feel bad, I just had to ask. I did watch the engagement banquet, and I was worried you lost it."
"Lost what exactly? If I recall, the only thing I've lost in the past few days is the contract which Graves' Construction won." Edwin explained. He was confused.
What else could he lose? Okay, maybe his dignity. But then it was just a little. He had intentionally sent Roy to get the contract ideas from Florida during the time of the banquet. He didn't want Roy to find out. He knew Roy was going to advise him against it.
Roy sighed.
"That, and your mind too." He wasn't talking to him as a worker now. He was talking with the authority of his best friend.
Edwin scowled at him aggressively. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"
"How could you engage someone else when you're still in love with Jessica? Moreso, Hannah Reid for the matter? I thought you were done with her?!"
Edwin closed his eyes. "You don't understand. I'm very aware of the current situation. I intentionally engaged Hannah. Although a part of me regrets it."
Roy deadpanned. "Of course! How couldn't you regret it?! Even I regretted it on your behalf!"
Edwin exhaled sharply. "I didn't really want to do it. I was so mad because I saw her with Gary the other night and she didn't talk to me but followed him out. So I had the mind to make her jealous. That was why I accepted the engagement idea from my mother." He explained.
Roy oohed. He could understand now.
He understood that Edwin's feelings for Jessica have not changed, but his anger from seeing her with another man drove him to make a rash decision. He proposed to Hannah Reid in an attempt to make Jessica jealous. Not only that, he actually hoped his decision would make Jessica jealous.
Roy watched sadly as Edwin drank too much wine. He tried to console him and stop him from drinking, but Edwin refused to listen.
"Ed, quit drinking. You're going to be drunk!"
"At least I won't remember my pain anymore. Is it so hard to love a woman?" Edwin slurred. "Love is so dangerous!"
"Ed. You really have to stop." He tried again. There was no response.
Despite Roy's best efforts, Edwin continued to drink until he was inebriated. Roy felt helpless as he watched Edwin succumb to the effects of the alcohol.
Edwin had a night to remember and not in a good way. He got so drunk that he was unable to drive himself home.
Fortunately, his friend Roy was there to help him out. Roy drove Edwin home, helped him get into bed, and stayed with him through the night to make sure he was okay. It was a long night for both of them, but Edwin was grateful for Roy's help.
By the following morning, Roy had gone down to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He stayed there for a while, reflecting on the events of the previous night. After a few minutes had passed, he returned to the room to check on Edwin.
He walked into Edwin's room and was surprised to find him awake, staring intently at his phone.
"You're awake?" He asked. Edwin did not respond to his question, and neither did he respond to his presence.
"Ed." He called again. "What are you looking at?" He asked, inching closer to Edwin. When Roy peeked into what he was looking at, he could see a picture of Jessica. Roy knew that Edwin was deeply in love with her, and he felt a pang of sadness for his friend.
His gaze shifted to Edwin's childhood picture on the shelf. He couldn't help but notice how similar the child in the picture looked to the one he had met earlier. He was filled with curiosity as to why they looked so much alike.
Roy's mind was filled with a question, could Edwin have screwed someone who gave him children? Did he know? He couldn't quit staring at the picture. The only difference between Edwin's childhood picture and the child he saw when he dropped Angela off was that the boy had green eyes. Whereas Edwin had hazel brown orbs. Roy couldn't tear his gaze from the picture. Edwin was oblivious to what was happening. He was focused on Jessica's pictures which were being displayed on his phone. He scrolled left and right. Comparing her previous pictures to the current ones. Somehow for five years, there was no news of her on the internet. Until she returned to California, it was as if she vanished into thin air and then returned from the blues.