# The Sting of Rejection

# July Flash Challenge Post 5

"What are you doing here?" he asked me. I knew I was getting entirely too familiar here; your bartender should never shit-talk you before you've bought your first drink.

"Drowning my sorrows," I said in return.

There was a drink waiting for me by the time I sat at the bar. Maybe there was some benefit to being a regular.

I took half the beer down in a long swallow and set the glass down.

Matt, the bar man, noticed.

"Woah, what's the hurry?"

"Gotta work quick. Sorrows got gills." Matt didn't laugh, just looked on.

I drained the glass and asked for another.

When the second beer showed up, I didn't touch it, just looked at it. Matt asked if I wanted to talk about it. His question registered, but I ignored it. I did not want to talk about it. I didn't even really know what it was. I mean, I knew what the problem was: I'd been dumped. What I didn't know, let alone know how to talk about, was what it meant.

What did it mean when the one you were destined for, the one who was destined for you, called an end to things?

I mean, yeah, she despised me. I get that. I'm a pretty hard guy to get along with. You pretty much have to be that kind of guy if you're in a committed relationship and the guy serving your drinks knows more about you than your bride-to-be does.

She wasn't my favourite either. Her family were elitist assholes, and her body count was way too high. I mean, guys she straight-up murdered. I've asked myself, more than once, what is an acceptable number of dead bodies to be responsible for? It's never come down to a concrete number. The answer has always just been, "Less than that!"

But we've both always known that it was bigger than either of us. She'd have to put up with dirty socks on the floor, and I'd have to live with a weekly attempt to gain dominance over the planet. Because our alliance was the only thing that could keep the invaders from annexing both of our planets.

Turns out some guy she'd been devouring said, in her words, "just the sweetest thing," and it had been true love on the spot. She got married, the Earth is doomed, and I'm going to be alone forever.

So yeah, I'd like to drink in peace.