Chapter 65
About ten minutes later, Zachary smoothly brought the car to a stop in a neighborhood. After opening the door and stepping out, Julie turned to the car and politely thanked him, “Thank you for driving us back.” Zachary smiled faintly. “If you’re really that grateful, Jules, maybe you could consider inviting me to dinner.” Jabe’s face showed a flicker of embarrassment, and she quickly explained, “Maybe next time. As you can see, Maya just went through a breakup, so I have to stay with her.” Amaya leaned in and pointed at a nearby spot. “Isn’t that a late-night food stall? Shall we grab something to drink?” Julie immediately waved her hands to dismiss the idea. “No way! He still has to drive back. How can he drink?” Zachary responded without hesitation, “No worries. I can call for a driving service.” Julie sighed helplessly and silently lamented, “It’s freezing cold; I really want to just go home and sleep.” But seeing Amaya’s downcast expression, she swallowed her reluctance. She couldn’t rest assured leaving the former alone. So, the three of them headed toward the food stall.
Still bitter about her breakup, Amaya wasted no time ordering two rounds of beer as soon as they sat down. Julie did not intend to drink and obediently sipped on fruit juice while waiting for the food. Amaya vented about Christian throughout the night until something suddenly dawned on her. She exclaimed, “Jules, I totally forgot!” Julie blinked and was puzzled. “Forgot what?” “I gave him an extra bank card when we were dating!” “Didn’t you get it back?” “I was too busy yelling at him to remember that,” Amaya responded with a snort. “He’s spending my money to live it up, huh? I’ll contact the bank and freeze the card.” If she remembered correctly, Christian was a student, but his expenses at the nightclub could go up to tens of thousands of dollars a night. Though he would pretend to be a big shot, he’d eventually pay with her card. With that, Amaya whipped out her phone and called the bank to freeze the card.
Feeling immensely satisfied afterward, she lifted her beer toward Zachary. “Cheers, Mr. Quinn.” She downed the glass in one go and turned to Julie. “I treated him so well, Jules. I thought we could last a long time, but look at what happened.” Julie was unsure how to comfort her, while Zachary intercepted, “There’s nothing worth remembering about a jerk like him. Pull yourself together.” Amaya nodded and broke out with a grin. “Exactly! Thank you, next!” She raised her glass again and grinned at Zachary. “Come on. Let’s drink to that!” The two clinked glasses and drank back and forth until the whole case of beer was nearly empty. Seeing that Amaya was visibly tipsy, Julie quickly intervened. “That’s enough. You should stop drinking now.” Amaya waved dismissively with a carefree smile. “Don’t worry. I have great tolerance.” But as she stood up, her body swayed. Julie grew concerned at the sight. She reached out to steady Amaya and worriedly asked, “What are you doing?” Amaya giggled. “Going to the bathroom.” Julie didn’t hesitate to offer, “I’ll go with you.” Amaya didn’t object and giggled all the way as Julie supported her to the restroom. On the way, Amaya kept muttering, “I liked him so much, Jules. That damned jerk, how dare he?”
For, she was sensitive and delicate at heart. She lacked a sense of security in relationships, and that was why… Julie knew Amaya well. Despite the latter’s carefree and bold demeanor, her romances never lasted long. The longest one lasted a couple of months, while the shortest could barely last a few days. She gently patted Amaya’s shoulder and reassured her softly. When they arrived at the restroom, Amaya handed her purse to Julie and had the latter hold it for her.