Chapter 23: Full of Hope

I was unable to communicate with Daphne after our breakup. Instead, I spoke with Christian. We were drinking alcohol in a pub. I was drinking vodka while he was drinking absinthe.

"Yo, Alex!" he said to me.

"Yo, Christian!” He said to me.

"How are you?" He asked.

"I feel fantastic," I lied. When I told him this lie, I smiled. I wanted everyone to think I was fine when, in fact, I couldn't get over Daphne.

"I see," he said, smiling. He was happy to see me smiling.

"Have you got a girlfriend?" he asked.

"No," I replied flatly.

"Oh, please! "Chicks really like you," he said. Yes, the ladies liked me a lot. I liked them as well, but I didn't want to be in a relationship with them like I did with Daphne.

"I know," I admitted, "but I still love Daphne."

"Oh, bro. You should move on. Sorry, but she has forgotten about you. She even replaced you with a chick," he explained. He chuckled.

"I knew you'd tell me that. But the truth is that I want her back." I responded.

"It's not possible, bro. She no longer wishes to be with you. She has a girlfriend, for Christ's sake!" he said again. "And she's madly in love with her girlfriend!" To be honest, I knew at this point that Christian was telling the truth. He was having a real talk with me. He was a concerned friend. But I knew what was best for me. Being with Daphne was the only thing that made me happy. Without her, I couldn't exist in this world. I'd go to any length to get her back. I didn't mind doing something stupid or evil to be with her.

I remained silent for a few moments. We were quiet for a few moments.

Christian shifted the subject. "Alex, pay attention. This is something I haven't told you about yet. I agreed to meet with you tonight because I wanted you to know something."

"Yes, what exactly is it?" I asked. I was intrigued.

He responded. "My family and I are going to Japan. We'll be there for good."

"Wow, that's fantastic, bro!" I exclaimed with glee.

He said, "So, because we're flying next Monday, I'll be throwing a farewell party at my house this Saturday night."

"Wow, that was sudden!" I screamed.

He concurred. "I understand. Please accept my apologies for the extremely short notice. We've both been extremely busy for a long time."

"It's fine," I replied. "I understand."

"So I'm inviting you and Daphne to my party," he continued. I want all of my friends to attend. Does that sound reasonable to you?”

"Sure, sure. I'll text Daphne," I said.

He gave me a skeptical look. "Are you certain you still have her phone number?" He asked.

When I called her the last time, the automated message said, "the subscriber cannot be reached." Please try again later." I called Daphne several times using that number. She could have changed it, but I assumed she had blocked me at the time we split up. Maybe she'd unblocked me by now. Needless to say, I was unsure if it was still her phone number. But it's worth a try. If the number did not work, I could always check my social media accounts and message her through one of them.

"Thank you, bro," Christian replied.

"No problem, bro," I replied.

As soon as I got home, I dialed Daphne's phone number. It said "subscriber cannot be reached; please try again later." I assumed she had discarded the sim card and changed her phone number. I went to Facebook and signed in. I stopped using social media for a long time because I didn't want to see photos of Daphne with her girlfriend Ash.

I didn't want to see them being sweet with each other. I knew I'd be depressed and unable to function or focus on important things like my studies and responsibilities. But since Christian had invited Daphne to his farewell party, I had no choice but to open Facebook, log in, and message her there.

I received thousands of notifications after opening my Facebook account! It was as if I hadn't opened it in years. I received numerous friend requests from women and gays. They were all sending me thirsty messages.

"Hey, baby," one tanned blonde said. “What's up? You look amazing. Please accept my friend request. I'm excited to get to know you."

"Hello!" said a Japanese girl. “I saw your timeline and noticed you enjoy anime. Let's meet at my place! My boyfriend is away."

"Oh, what a hot guy you are!" exclaimed a brown-skinned girl with dark hair. "I'd like to date you."

"Let's fuck!" said a naughty redhead.

"Hello, hot stuff!" said a beautiful transgender woman. “Let's meet at the Green Light."

"Good evening, Alex," an elderly gay man said. “I'm looking for a model for an underwear ad. Your sponsor will be me. I'll pay for your gym membership, as well as your cool clothes and shoes. If you're interested, please contact me."

"Hey, Alex!" an enraged woman exclaimed. How come you never respond to my messages? You think you're all that, don't you? Do you believe you are the only hot guy in town? You, man slut!”

Oh, geez. Sorry about that. I just used my Facebook account this time. Plus, I had no idea who you are, crazy woman.

I received around a hundred thousand friend requests. According to Facebook, I could only accept 5, 000 friend requests. I didn't have time for this. I looked through Daphne's Facebook page. Fortunately, we were still friends. I let out a sigh of relief.

I typed my message.

Hello there, Daphne. I know we haven't seen each other in a long time. But I just wanted to let you know that Christian will be having a farewell party at his house on Saturday night, starting at 8 p. m. He intends to live in Japan for good. He extended an invitation to both you and me. You may, however, bring your friends. You are welcome to bring Kathryn and Julio. You are also welcome to bring your girlfriend. Christian will be delighted to see us all. Anyway, I hope to see you at the party.

I hit the send button. I felt as if I was being cruel to myself because I never wanted Daphne to bring her girlfriend. I just told her she could bring her girlfriend so I could prove to her that I had moved on from her, even though I clearly hadn't.

Of course, I knew Daphne would take her time responding to my message. So I decided to read a book. Nothing Lasts Forever was written by Sidney Sheldon. It is about three women who pursue their dreams and eventually achieve success. But something bad happens to each of them. One of them gets murdered. One of them gets into trouble. One of them, a doctor, is on trial for murder. The beautiful and intelligent female doctor swears it's euthanasia, but she inherits a large sum of money from the deceased patient's will.

It was a heartbreaking courtroom/hospital drama. The story is intriguing. Sidney Sheldon's writing style is fantastic. He was direct, and his descriptions of people, places, and things were inventive but succinct. He kept his readers' attention. Each