Such a lovely cover made by that I had to share it!

Thank you sweetie! ❤

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S H A H R O Z

"One glass of apple juice please," he approached the bartender who was working swiftly, giving away shot glasses faster than the speed of light.

Her eyes met his and they widened for a second. Shahroz quirked an eyebrow in reflex.

"Uh y-yeah coming right up!" she chirped too enthusiastically for her own good, her voice going a few octaves higher before she went below the counter to fetch a glass.

'Weird ', he thought.

He turned around his stool to probe for his three mates in the area. Eventually he spotted them playing darts around the corner. Their laughter filled the air, turning his expression to a glum one knowing that they're out there enjoying themselves without him.

They didn't need him.

No one did.

The sound of glass slamming the counter snapped him out of his reverie. The next moment, he was gulping the liquid down, his throat feeling a little uneasy with the unusual pinch of taste. He coughed and wiped his mouth with his sleeve in discomfort.

"What's in this?" he voiced a little too loudly to the bartender.

She shrugged, her grey eyes boring into his hazel ones in nonchalance and annoyance.

"Apples, as you had asked", her hands went below the counter to fetch something else and place it on the shelf.

"But no it-"

"Ay bro wanna come join us at the pool area? We're playing darts over there", Logan interrupted his protest from behind.

His presence took him by surprise and he debated whether it's a good idea to get himself out there.

"Alright just give me a sec", he gave the grey-eyed woman one last glare and went to join his mates in the corner of the area.

"Okay, so whoever gets the least points has to chug down their entire drink in a matter of thirty seconds", Shaheer announced to all of them, hitting his pool cue on the table dramatically.

'Oh that's easy ', Shahroz thought.

He'd been playing darts with his brother since God knows how long. They'd come back to their dorms every Wednesday to practice their aims every now and then.

"-and whoever gets the most points gets to have Rochelle Martinez for the whole night!" he pointed at a young woman dressed completely in red.

She was gorgeous to say the least. Her brown curls framed her face, flowing down till her waist. She had a slim figure which could lure men in an instant. And then the red came in. Red lips. Red cheeks. Red dress. Red heels.

Shahroz averted his gaze. It felt wrong to stare at her like that. He prayed to God not to win the game. Who knows what she could do to him if he does..

He shook his head to get rid of the incoming thoughts, looking around the place a bit, until he heard his name being called out.

"You're up next Shahroz", Shaheer called out to him. As he made his way to the darts, he noticed a chalkboard with names and points written on them.

:

Shaheer: 36

Logan: 28

He picked up a dart and closed one eye, getting his aim to target but was unable to. His head throbbed due to God knows what, making him throw his dart near the border of the board.

"Shit", he muttered under his breath. What was happening to him?

He picked up another one and set his aim, this time saying a prayer - if that helps in any way as he thought. He threw his dart and it landed somewhere near the middle.

"Score!" everybody chorused and he felt the sense of energy and buzz overcome him. The number seven was written next to his name on the board.

"Alright dude one last try", Hasan voiced from behind followed with a pat on his back.

Shahroz picked up the last dart and took his time for the perfect throw. He closed his eyes once he threw.

"Score!", this time it was louder as Logan and Hasan high-fived him, earning him congratulative pats on his back from both his friends.

"Dude that was awesome!"

"Yeah mate that shot was epic! You're the only one who got it in the middle!".

Shahroz gave a full blown smile, one that showed his true happiness. He thought his reputation for being the dart champion would go down the drain if he hadn't got that middle target shot.

He turned around and found 27 written against his name, but what caught his eye was rather who was standing next to the board.

Shaheer stood there, hands in his pockets, having a scowl on his face while staring at the ground.

Shahroz internally shrugged. If he isn't going to enjoy his accomplishments, then he won't let his brother's sour mood affect his.

After a while Hasan played his throws and got 29 points, but only Shahroz was the one who got the middle target. Shahroz was the one who got the least points so he had to gulp down his apple juice.

'what's the point in that? ' he thought, 'It's just apple juice anyways '

He gulped the whole thing down in one go, his head feeling a bit funny. They were all laughing and joking when Shaheer came up to them, his arm wrapped tightly around the lady in red whose cheeks looked even redder than before.

"Guys I'll be with Rochelle. You guys go ahead. I'll catch up with y'all tomorrow", he looked at Rochelle who started giggling the second he laid eyes on her.

"Okay guys let's go. It's 1 AM anyways", Hasan stated and dragged the two of them towards the door, not before flashing a playful wink towards Shaheer.

Before Shahroz could step in the cold winter air, Shaheer grabbed his wrist a little too harshly and turned him around.

"You need to know how to control your drink, little brother ", he whispered menacingly in his ear, waves of confusion coursing through his head.

"What are you trying to sa-"

"Shahroz you coming or nah?!"

Shahroz turned around to tell them to wait awhile, but it was too late as he saw in his peripheral vision his brother leading the woman upstairs.

He went up to them and joined them outside in the cool weather. Both his mates bid him goodbye.

His friends were so used to having a beer that they could drive normally even when a bit tipsy. Their safeties weren't an issue in that case. They were going back to their homes for the weekend, but Shahroz lived a bit too far from his home to do that every week.

Shahroz turned around and jogged to his car, a headache waiting to start due to the lack of sleep. Logan had jumped into his dorm room through the window and dragged him out of his sleep in order to 'get a life'.

'Get a life my ass ', he thought.

He got in the car and inserted the keys, the engine roaring to life. The next moment, he was speeding down the lanes, making sure to reach his dorm as fast as possible before he fell asleep while driving.

As he was making a turn, a sharp pain went from his chest to his head, causing him to lose control of the car and ram it straight into a metal pole, his head hitting straight into the steering wheel despite his seatbelt being clasped tightly.

The last thing he sensed were the faint sounds of a door opening and closing before everything went black.

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