His coffee came.
Vale blinked. His heart raced so fast that he could feel a physical pain in the left side of his chest, which ran to the base of his neck. He didn't understand what was happening. He couldn't tell how everything crumbled all at once. It was as if some otherworldly forces were against him. Or was this karma? Had he done anything so bad in the past that would bring all these his way?
His eyes got watery as his throat knotted all the more. He had to let it out, Vale decided. He just had to, as he felt one more minute with how he was feeling, combustion would occur.
Vale rose and dashed for the place restroom. He barged into the one for men. Vale chose one, locked the door, and closed his mouth with both his palms. He let out a muffled cry that exploded from somewhere deep within. He squeezed his eyes so tightly that his eyelids appeared white and strained with greenish veins bulging out of his forehead.
Back in the cafe, the podcast was taken off as the anchors of the current show moved on to another hot topic after they'd shared their opinions on the matter, which were subtly brutal.
"What do you think Vanessa Whit was talking about?" one of the anchors asked her co-anchor.
The man shrugged as he said; "Its a video she said she'd release on her YouTube channel later this evening. In her words," the man continued. "I'm working on the video. I just have to look perfect in every scene, you know."
Both the anchors laughed.
"Guess we are going to see some high-grade face-tuning," the female anchor remarked with a small smirk on her face.
"We do hope to recognize you, though, Ms. Vanessa," the man said, suffocating an unnoticeable laugh in his throat.
The crowd in the cafe erupted. Peals of laughter filled the place.
However, amidst this banter, they displayed the link to the full podcast at the bottom of their screen.
In the male restroom, footsteps could be heard approaching the toilet door.
"Are you alright, sir?" a male voice called as a gentle knock rapped on the door of the toilet Vale occupied.
Vale jerked up, pulling his face from its buried position. He had to look around to recall where exactly he was. Vale cleared his throat while he wiped his face with his left sleeve. The corners of his eyes hurt like he applied menthol there.
"Y-Yes, I am," he replied shakily, pulling himself out of the squatting position he was in. His legs almost gave way underneath him. Vale had to quickly lean against the wall for support. He paused and urged himself to be steady as he saw the feet of the worker who'd come to check on him step away from the door.
While he walked to the counter to settle his bill and tip the waiter for wasting his time, Vale heard people talking about and sharing the link to watch the full video of the podcast. He couldn't help but overhear someone close to him read it out loud as she typed it into her search bar. Vale Holmes recoiled deeper into his erect and stiff black collar.
"Is the coffee not to your taste, sir?" the waiter asked with a straight face.
Vale suddenly felt acutely self-conscious as if the waiter was trying to recognize him -- or to match his face to the pictures Dez and his crew had plastered around the screen.
"It's nothing. I have to go," Vale said sharply with his chin almost touching his chest. Hurriedly, Vale paid for the coffee and rushed out of the cafe. Just when he was 10 feet outside the door, he heard a woman say, "Wait! Wasn't that Vale Holmes, the famous loser?"
Vale felt immensely defeated. His shoulders slouched, and he felt weak. He was dehydrated and light-headed. Hunger hurt his stomach, but he didn't have the appetite for food. A few moments later, he sat on a wooden bench that was screwed to the sidewalk. It was almost evening, and for some reason, the skies were getting darker. Vale looked around with wonder and worry on his face and mind wondering what was wrong with the universe.
"Perhaps I should go for some sort of prayers," he murmured, which was followed by a loud burst of laughter that bordered on maniacal.
An old man who was walking by stopped, sighed, and dropped a ten-dollar bill on his lap before leaving with a saddened, pitiful look on their face.
The contact brought Vale back to reality as he looked in astonishment.
"Do I look homeless now?" he muttered as he took the money and gave a needy person who had been looking at him.
Vale needed a stiff drink. And he needed to watch the full podcast. He wanted to see for himself. It all still seemed like a nightmare, so Vale wanted to get it over with and know that Dez betrayed him -- alongside Vanessa. Vanessa, someone he loved and saw a future with. He had been deceiving himself all along. That realization stung Vale Holmes in his heart, and he wondered when he'd ever heal from the pain and shame he was feeling.
He took out his phone. Mistakenly, his thumb touched the camera icon and launched the app. Vale stared at his reflection, amazed at how tired and, yes, old, he looked. It seemed like the betrayal had started sprouting leaves underneath his formerly radiant skin.
He blinked slowly and closed the app.
The neon sign of a store was right ahead. Vale checked his pockets to see if he had any loose change, silently wishing he had not given out that ten dollars earlier. Luckily, he found $50 and was so ecstatic, even though it wasn't obvious physically, not even on his face.
Walking aimlessly, Vale purchased some liquor and decided to walk back home. He wasn't in a hurry to be by himself. He was already mentally detaching from the house that he wouldn't be able to afford soon. His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably. Vale thought about stepping in front of a moving vehicle or just jumping off the bridge that he'd soon get to.
Then, he thought about going to a remote place where there was no internet or social media.
I'll still carry thisshame, Vale thought. Perhaps...
There were bright, LED headlights fast approaching where he was. And they were so close!
He took a step forward. And another.