Hearts Unveiled.

Adonis stood facing the window of his office, overlooking the city. Lost in thoughts as his cousin, Zion droned on about work, complaining about the secretary who he felt was incompetent.

"I think we have to get another secretary", Zion said.

Adonis turned slowly to look at him,

"Jeez, Zion she's barely worked here six months, cut her some slacks!".

“Adonis, if that girl works here another week, I'll quit and she might as well take over”.

Adonis let out an exasperated sigh and then asked,

"Fine, so you want to look for a new secretary"?.

With a grin, Zion replied,

"Yup".

Adonis chuckled, drawing a seat, and asked his cousin,

"Do you have anyone in mind?". Zion thought for a while then replied,

"I think I kind of do, I'll hit her up though, and get back to you". Focusing on the opened laptop in front of him Adonis dismissed Zion with,

"Alright, if you have nothing else to discuss, I'd like to get back to work".

Zion stood up with a big grin,

"That's all for now, bro", then took his leave whistling a tune.

Carissa sat at the table in the kitchen, with the mail scattered around her, she heaved a sigh, placed her head in both hands, and thought of ways to foot the accumulating bills, no matter how much she cut down on her expenses, the bills kept increasing. She was already working two jobs but still their pay wasn't enough to foot the bills, not with her having to fend for her dad's hospital bill. She jumped as the phone rang, picking up the receiver she heard Laura's bright voice on the other end.

"Yo!, girl, what you up to?", Laura asked.

"Nothing much", Carissa chuckled wryly, "just thinking of my life and what it's dealt me".

"C'mon girl, quit with the pity party" Laura spoke to someone in the background then went on "John and I are going down to this fancy bar uptown to meet with a few friends"

"I think you should come with us, you know, a few drinks will surely do you some good "

"Laura, I do appreciate the offer but I think I'll pass"

"Rissa, I know you're going through a rough patch now, but it'll do you no good sitting home sulking about it", Laura said, then added before Rissa got a chance to talk "Don't use work as an excuse, I know you're off till tomorrow evening, get ready, John and I will be there to pick you up in 30" Then she hung up leaving Carissa with no choice but to go get ready.

Adonis and his best friend, Brian stepped through the doors of the bar, into blaring lights and loud music blasting from the speakers placed at different places in the bar. Brian had called him some minutes after he got home telling him to get dressed as they were going out to have “fun”, all of Adonis' attempts to ditch were in vain and Brian eventually succeeded in dragging Adonis out. Finding their way through the crowd to the space already reserved for them, they both took their seats with Adonis looking uninterested and a bit irritated, he'd have given anything to be home, in the solitude and quietness of his room with a glass or two while he thought about his predicament.

"You could pretend like you're happy to be here, you know right"?Brian said with a slight nudge.

"You kidding! Bro, I don't want to be here, you practically dragged me here" Adonis retorted with an annoyed hiss.

Playing a blind eye to his friend's mood, Brian checked out the bar scanning the area for a waitress to signal too, "Since you're here, you might as well make the most of it, have fun, and pick up your worries in the morning ", with a light chuckle and under his breath, Brian added "can't imagine my worries being a lady though"

"Easy for you to say 'cause you're not the one in my shoes", Adonis shot back. A waiter came forward to take their orders, They both ordered beer and the waiter went away to get their orders.

Brian started, "Adonis, you do know that you're the one making this a big issue, right?"

Adonis shot him a look, rubbed his hands over his face, and with a sigh replied, "You don't get it do you"?

"I'm on a deadline here, I'll be turning 34 soon and you know my dad's deadline is 35"

"Why don't you get married to Dee? it's what she wants, isn't it? the reason you're both having issues, right?", Brian asked

"It doesn't feel right, it just doesn't", came Adonis's reply. The waiter came with their order just then and placed it on their table and while they waited for him to leave, Adonis scanned the bar, his eyes falling on a pretty brunette seated at the bar with a drink in front of her, he felt a little jolt in his heart but his attention was drawn away just then as Brian said something to him.

Carissa sat at the bar, nursing her fourth bottle of beer, she knew she was a little drunk but she didn't seem to mind,

"Might as well drink away all my problems, who knows they'll be gone by the morrow ", she mused and chuckled to herself. Laura and her boyfriend were on the dance floor with the friends they had come to meet, but she just wasn't in the mood to dance, she never wanted to come in the first place, she just wanted to lay home all day, probably for the rest of her life and wish the world away. She suddenly had the urge to use the restroom, downing her drink, she stood up and staggered her way through the crowd of sweaty bodies to the restroom.

Adonis watched the pretty brunette make her way through the crowds, he knew she was going to the bathroom.

"Hello Hun"

He stopped at the sound of a voice he knew so well and despised just as much. He gave the owner of the voice an irritated look as she sat down beside Brian, then turned to his friend with a scowl on his face.

"Jeez, Brian!", he said through clenched teeth

"I'm sorry, Adonis", Brian apologized.

"I just didn't know how to tell you she was coming"

"How about, hey, my devil of a girlfriend will be joining us"? Adonis cut it.

"Hello!, you do know I'm here right"? Lucy chipped in.

"Oh, are you"? Adonis asked with feigned surprise.

"Please!" putting his hands up in solicitation, Brian looked from his friend to his girlfriend.

"Can we not do this today"?

With an exasperated sigh, he turned to his friend."Adonis, I didn't tell you about it cause I know you wouldn't have agreed to come out"

"You need this outing, as much as you won't admit it and I deliberately didn't plan it this way"

"Well, I'd rather be in a shit hole than be in the same space with your girlfriend", Adonis said making the quotation sign with his hands when he said "girlfriend".

"So ....."

Brian stopped as Adonis stood up abruptly.

"Whenever you want us to hang out, do me a favor, keep your girl outta my face".With that, he turned on his heels and made his way to the door leaving Brian and his girlfriend. Brian wasn't really surprised though, Adonis had always made it clear and never failed to hide it even from her that he didn't like his girlfriend. But he was dismayed that he couldn't have tolerated her company just for that night.

Adonis made for the door, but on second thought changed directions and headed for the bar thinking he could use some glasses of drink, after all his day just went from bad to worse. He just didn't like Brian's girlfriend, and couldn't even imagine what his friend saw in her to begin with. He got to the bar and with a scowl on his face ordered a glass of whiskey, then took a seat and nursed his drink, thinking about his life in a nutshell.