A Piece of Your Heart

In the end, I was the one who got drunk.

It had been a long time since I last indulged myself in alcohol. I was usually too busy to drink, and since all my friends from college were all working and traveling women now, they normally didn’t have matching schedules with me. I was also always stressed about working too much, so when I started to drink even one glass, I couldn’t stop myself.

Nathaniel tried to stop me with a worried expression on his face, but I waved him off. Madison was busy with the other demanding customers, so it was only me and him.

My mind was already hazy from the alcohol, and my tongue started saying things on its own. Whenever I was drunk or even a little tipsy, my inhibitions lowered considerably.

I hated it whenever I was like this. Being drunk brought out my vulnerable side, something that I really didn’t want other people to see.

I was forced to be independent while growing up. Being the eldest of the family, I had responsibilities of my own. I needed to look after my younger siblings and also take care of our parents. My family depended on me the most, especially when I started helping with the finances.

Through time, my parents subconsciously started to rely on me more, especially when their health slowly deteriorated over the years. I couldn’t let them down.

Which also meant that I carried this huge burden on my shoulders for so long.

I was only human. I was bound to break sooner or later.

I had never vented to anyone before. I didn’t know why I did it to Nathaniel, of all people.

But I just knew that I was already at my tipping point, so I couldn’t stop myself.

“Slow down,” Nathaniel told me, trying to take away my glass.

I waved him off and chugged it down, feeling the alcohol burn through my throat as it passed. I could feel my cheeks heating up, and all the stressful thoughts in my head started to fade into the background.

Finally, I could focus on what was in front of me. I could focus on my own feelings and not have to worry whether or not I had enough money left for this month after paying for my brother’s tuition fees.

I felt a little light-headed and somewhat dizzy. I had only been drunk a couple of times in my life, most of them happening when I was in college. I didn’t like it that much when I was still in university since I would get nausea afterwards and a huge hangover in the morning.

But right now, none of that mattered to me.

I didn’t mind even if my head would throb later in the morning. All that mattered was that I would finally forget about all the stressful things in my life at least for this one night.

“Leave me be,” I told Nathaniel. “I want to be drunk.”

Nathaniel still had that concerned look on his face. “You’ll probably regret drinking once you wake up tomorrow.”

I shook my head. “I might, but at least I feel free right now. I just want to have no worries for once.”

“Worries?” Nathan said hesitantly. “What kind of worries do you have?”

I shrugged, still too engrossed in my dizziness. I liked the warm feeling spreading to my face and chest whenever I drank. “I have a lot of worries! Why do you think I work so many jobs?”

“Is it money-related, then?”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

I felt irritated at his dumb questions. “Of course it is. What else would it be,” I muttered. “Everything in this world revolves around money. Even when you’re chasing your dreams, you still need money. When you need education, when you want to enjoy something like a movie or a book, all of them involve money.”

“Do you need money?” Nathaniel’s voice was unusually solemn, as though he really meant what he had just said.

“What kind of question is that?” I snapped. I had no control over my emotions anymore. It was so ridiculous that he had to ask such a dumb question. “Of course I do.”

Suddenly, Nathaniel told me the most shocking and absurd thing that I had ever heard in my entire life.

“I can give you money if you want,” he said earnestly. “I can’t use it all up, so if you need it, you can use it.”

I blinked at him, not knowing if I was just hearing things or not. Either way, I felt like I sobered up a little just now from the surprise.

Did he just say he could give me money, not lend me?

Wait. Wasn’t I being the ridiculous one here? Wasn’t this just some silly, insensitive joke?

I shook my head with a chuckle. ‘Damn you, Julia, for believing a stranger outright. It’s like you haven’t experienced something like this before.’

‘Once something feels too good to be true, there has to be a catch. And if there isn’t, it has to be a stupid joke.’

So I decided to humor him instead.

“I need a lot of money, wise guy,” I said. “I need to pay off my brother’s tuition, I need to pay for food and rent, I need to pay my parents’ hospital bills and medicine, my sister’s school fees, and also for my university savings. So, unless you’re the kind of rich guy who likes to show off, I’ll just consider this as some kind of twisted way of expressing your sympathy for me.”

Nathaniel was quiet for a moment. “Julia,” he said, solemnly looking into my eyes. “I’m not joking. I want to give it to you with no strings attached, I promise.”

I was getting irritated at this point. What the fuck was his deal? “I don’t appreciate being played around like this, Nathaniel,” I said angrily. “Are you so damn wealthy, then? Is that why you’re treating your own money as something that can be given away so easily?”

To my surprise, instead of getting annoyed with me, Nathaniel just sighed. “Julia, I don’t care if you think I’m a rich, spoiled brat. I make my own money, and I work hard. I don’t depend on anyone. I’m single and unmarried. I don’t have anything else to spend on except for the drinks here at this bar. I offered to give money to you because you need it far more than I do. That’s all.”

I frowned. The tipsiness was starting to fade from my system, and because of it, I was getting even more irritated.

What kind of blow to my pride was this? I worked so hard all these years, even barely eating more than I wanted, barely sleeping so I could wake up early the next day despite being exhausted, and yet this stranger came into my life like this, offering me money like it was so easy for him to do so.

And just like that, my worries were all resolved? All thanks to a rich man?

There was never anything good about receiving something without the other person expecting anything in return. There was always, always a catch.

Still…

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered. I admitted that it was tempting, but there was no way that I was accepting his money without paying him back somehow.

“I don’t have any other intentions, Julia,” Nathaniel said softly. “If you need money, I can give it to you.”

He repeated that sentence again. Oh, how easy it must be for him to say such a thing. Me, who took care of my money like it was so precious, and then him, who was willing to give it away even to a stranger whose voice and drawings were the only things he liked.

It was absurd, but I was still drunk nonetheless.

So I considered his offer.

Although I felt a bit insulted, I figured that he was just some rich guy who didn’t know anything about poverty and suffering. He had everything handed to him in a silver spoon while I had to work for my own wants and needs.

Envy stabbed me in the gut, but I forcibly held the negative feelings in. It wasn’t like he mocked me in a derisive way or made fun of my concerns. He offered, and I could refuse it if I wanted to.

It might be because I was tipsy, but as I looked straight into his eyes, it was like I could see the sincerity in them.

That he really meant what he said, with no catch at all.

‘But that’s impossible,’ I thought to myself wryly.

Unfortunately, I did not trust men anymore. I learned that the hard way.

So I decided to humor him a second time.

“I can’t accept your money without you getting anything in return,” I told him calmly. “That would make me feel indebted to you, and I don’t like owing people. I already have enough on my plate as it is.”

“Then I’ll buy you,” Nathaniel suddenly blurted out.

I froze right then, stunned at what I had just heard.

What… did he just say?