Surprise or not, I’m here!

Eris stepped out onto the terrace to light a cigarette with Rron, a fellow cast member. Just two days earlier, Eris had met up with Lorik to attend another play. Eris hadn’t mentioned tonight’s party to Lorik, encouraging him to show up to his play instead. He knew better than to bring up a party at Orchid with Lorik.

He rushed to finish his cigarette, eager to join Lorik at the table.

In a burst of unrestrained joy, Eris greeted his long-time friend with a charming flair: “My other half is here, everyone! Mwah, mwah!” The declaration, equal parts affection and theatrics, captured the essence of their bond — playful, expressive and distinctly Eris.

Lorik paused briefly, casting a glance at Rron, his intent clear as he sought to redirect the conversation. “Well, what have we here? A new face?”

“Hello, Lorik!” Rron replied, knowing Lorik only from the stories that Eris had shared.

Eris, never one to let a moment slip by without a bit of personal revelation, added, “and here we have Zana, another bestie you must know,” making sure Rron felt properly introduced to the circle.

“Hello, everyone!” Rron said, his greeting now directed at the group as a whole.

A round of shots, ordered without hesitation, arrived at the table with surprising speed, as if the bartender had been anticipating the request. As the conversation shifted to the play and as they began to unravel a bit more about Rron, Eris, ever the inquisitive one, leaned toward Lorik and asked, “So, what do you think of me in the play? Be honest, was I a bit dramatic?”

“Bottoms up!” Lorik shouted. “To Eris, for always enjoying being dramatic — which suits him well in plays.”

Eris didn’t quite appreciate Lorik’s answer, and was still sensitive to the fact that Lorik paid more attention to Rron. Restless, he pulled Zana, a trusted confidante, aside, as if about to say something, but hesitated. “I’ll talk to him. Maybe tomorrow. Just the two of us.”

Zana, fatigued by Eris and Lorik, made a proposition. “What’s the point of being here if not to enjoy ourselves? Come on — let’s join the crowd and dance until dawn. It’s good for the soul.”

“Marvelous idea,” Eris replied, his voice merry. “But only for a little while.”

Lorik remained fixed on Rron. With each passing moment, any further discussion from the table faded further from his mind. By pure chance, Rron — tall, slim and entirely unaware of Lorik’s interest — had ended up seated next to him.

Rron had heard of Lorik, but they had never met. Lorik felt a quiet excitement — with Rron, he knew he had to tread carefully because he knew Eris far too well and pursuing Rron, who was Eris’ castmate, might leave Eris to feel needy. Deep down, there was a longing for something real and lasting. He yearned for genuine depth, something beyond casual encounters or friendly exchanges. Lorik craved a connection that would endure, a relationship that could grow, steady and true.

“The drinks are here,” Lorik announced, as they were served tequila shots, then a sequence of cocktails: sex on the beach and plenty of vodka sours.

“You see that wonder in their eyes as they dance?” said Rron, unexpectedly. “It complements the laughter, the drinking. I remember my first time here — surreal, yet strangely free.”

He smiled at Lorik, pleased with his words, then finished his drink in one go.

“Goodbye,” he said, smiling as if to imply that perhaps the next time would offer a chance for more conversation.

Lorik caught the server’s attention and requested another round of shots. “Why not?” he said, his voice disappointed but insistent. “Perhaps I’d find more enjoyment in watching the crowd dance, intoxicated, than in disappointment.” His words betrayed a sense of despair, as if Rron’s departure had signalled a failure.

The dramatic besties

A fictional account of a night on the town.

Duggi Nokaj

The dramatic besties

A fictional account of a night on the town.

Duggi Nokaj