hi i kinda sort of wrote this impulsively one night, and i felt like i should post it here since it's been forever since i've finished anything lol. the capitalization is a little weird because i wrote this on my phone but whatever

anyways um i do plan on continuing this, but i'll be splitting it into an indefinite amount of parts, chapters, if you will. anyways, enjoy!

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word count: 1895
warnings: a little bit of swearing :/

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Part One: Hangover

"and how does that make you... feel..." Monika trailed off sleepily, her eyelids heavy. she hadn't slept much the night before, but so far none of her patients had noticed. well, except for the nasty woman before her.

"well, right now i feel like you aren't paying attention to me." she snapped, crossing her arms.

"i'm sorry." Monika rubbed her eyes. "i promise you have my full attention now." her patient scoffed before continuing on.

"well, when the manager wouldn't give me a refund for my meal even though i didn't like it, it made me very, very angry! i mean, who did he think he was? if i didn't like my food i'm entitled to a refund, even if i'd eaten it all..."

Monika glanced at the clock on the wall ahead of her, stifling a yawn, mentally screaming in agony realizing she had another thirty-two minutes until Karen's session was over. dealing with... unpleasant... patients wasn't usually so hard, but being incredibly hungover and running on two hours of sleep didn't make things any easier.

Monika shifted in her seat a bit, resting her elbow on her desk, a pen in her right hand, nodding occasionally as Karen continued rambling on. her mind wandered to the night before, a foggy series of events she couldn't quite remember.

but she did remember the man she met. she couldn't recall his name, or if he had even given it to her, but he was rather strange, albeit a bit intriguing. he was handsome, in the sort of "i'm probably on drugs and definitely haven't slept in a week" sort of way, but perhaps Monika only thought he was attractive in her drunken state. or perhaps it was because it was dark outside, and she hadn't gotten a proper look at him.

after Karen's session was finally over, Monika had a free hour for a lunch break. she shoved some papers off to the side, placing them atop the ever-growing stack of miscellaneous documents she couldn't be bothered to deal with, and began rifling through her drawer for something to help relieve her pounding, nauseating headache. advil, tylenol, ibuprofen, anything. but all she found was an empty bottle of aspirin she had probably finished off the last time she tried to drown her problems in cheap vodka. you'd think a therapist like herself would be better about solving her own problems, but it was far easier for her to tell someone else what to do than it was to tell herself.

Monika tossed the empty bottle in her nearly-overflowing trash bin, filled to the brim with crumpled paper and empty cans of diet coke and other various caffeinated beverages. her colleagues often teased her for disliking coffee and chugging soda and energy drinks all day, but if she didn't, it would be much harder for her to pay attention to patients all day.

standing up with a sigh, Monika pushed in her chair and grabbed her coat and purse off the rack beside the door, deciding to make a trip to the nearby drugstore to get some painkillers, and maybe something to eat for later if she ever stopped feeling like she was going to puke her guts out.

"where are you off to, Monika?" someone inquired. she swore under her breath, not really feeling like talking to any of her coworkers.

she turned around and was met with the smug, smiling face of Dr. Romero, or Mark, as she knew him. he took a small sip of his coffee - or maybe he drank tea? - awaiting Monika's response.

"um, drugstore." she mumbled. "my head hurts."

"well, in that case, i'll come with you." he chirped. monika forced a smile.

"no, it's fine, you don't have to-"

"i'd love to keep you company."

there was a long pause as Monika stared at him blankly. she didn't want to be rude, but frankly she was feeling a bit like she'd rather die than spend another second with him.

"fine." she finally muttered. "but you have to buy me something to eat."

"that's fine by me." he ducked into his office and grabbed his wallet before following her down the hall, into the elevator. it wasn't until they had stepped outside the building and onto the busy streets of new york city that Mark spoke again.

"so, how come your head hurts?" he asked.

"why do you think?" Monika scoffed, rolling her eyes and sending him a look that said 'i got wasted last night, dumbass.' he nodded in understanding.

"i know how that feels. when i was your age, i was a real partier."

"wait, how much older than me do you think you are?"

"you're 22, 23, right?"

"i'm almost 30, Mark. you're only two years older than me."

he was silent, and Monika knew she should be offended, but wasn't sure why exactly she should be. was it because he thought the reason she got drunk on a tuesday night was because she was a young party girl, or because he clearly thought she acted like a very young adult? no matter, the statement didn't sit well with her.

thankfully, the drugstore was less than a block away, and the awkward silence between them didn't last long. when they stepped into the store, monika quickly hurried off to grab lunch and some advil. the bright, occasionally flickering, fluorescent lights only made her headache worse.

Mark followed her towards the small fridge in the back. she had already grabbed a small bottle of painkillers, and now scanned the rows of sandwiches, salads, and fruit bowls.

"you can get whatever you'd like." Mark chimed, grabbing one of those diy salad kit things. after another moment, Monika decided on a large bowl of cubed watermelon, knowing she would eat it all once she got back to the office.
Mark took the items she held in her hands and sauntered over to the checkout, paying for them in cash.

"so, Monika." Mark started as they began heading back towards the office. "how's life been treating you lately?"

"fine, i suppose." she lied. in reality things had been far from fine. she was broke, still struggling to keep the lights on after her boyfriend (and soon to be husband) of five years drained her savings, stole anything valuable from her, and abandoned her after she caught him cheating on her. she was drinking again, and really wished she wasn't. it only made paying the bills harder. she had no friends, or at least nobody she considered a friend. the only person she could recall enjoying herself with was the stranger she'd sat on the sidewalk with last night.

"that's good." Mark said. "are you still seeing that guy?"

"who?" Monika stopped, frowning at him. her hardly existant romantic life wasn't exactly a secret, but it surely wasn't something she would share with Mark of all people.

"you know, Dale, i think his name was."

"i went on one date with Dale in March. i'd hardly call that 'seeing' him."

"oh, sorry. i just wondered if you were single, that's all." Mark shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Monika felt her stomach sink a bit, the way it did whenever she had to talk to her boss, or see a difficult patient. that nervous, uncomfortable feeling deep in your gut. she didn't like it.

she didn't want to talk to Mark anymore. in fact, she didn't want to be anywhere near Mark anymore.

they walked the rest of the way back to the office in silence. Monika gripped the plastic bag holding her items tightly, feeling Mark's lingering gaze as he walked ever so slightly behind her.

Monika practically slammed the elevator button when they reached the lobby, and in the brief moment before the doors opened for them, she contemplated taking the stairs, still not wanting to be anywhere near Mark. he stood beside her, and she felt her hands begin to shake, a heavier sense of dread washing over her. her instincts told her something bad was going to happen to her, but she couldn't figure out why.

"i think i need to go." she said, staring at her shoes. with a ding, the doors opened, revealing the empty elevator.

"what?" Mark questioned, confused.

"i'm going home. i think that's best for me."

"you can't stay home because you're hungover, Monika. you're a doctor, people count on you."

"no, it's not that." Monika squeezed her eyes shut, taking a shaky breath. the elevator doors slid shut. Mark pressed the button again.

"then what is it?"

"i just-"

"why don't you just come upstairs with me? we can talk. just us."

Mark grabbed her wrist, and Monika jerked away, dropping her bag on the ground. the watermelon spilled, sliding across the marbled floor , the flimsy container opening itself when it flew out of her grasp.

"don't fucking touch me!" she screamed, her shrill voice echoing through the empty lobby. Mark glared at her.

"you're being ridiculous, Monika." he snapped. "did someone drug your soda this morning or something? what is wrong with you? you were just fine less than five minutes ago."

it felt like time stopped as Mark stared at her, awaiting an answer. she wasn't a short woman, standing at about 5'5" without her heels, but felt tiny and helpless as he towered over her, suddenly seeming much scarier than a white guy in his 30s wearing a flannel shirt should look.

he grasped her shoulder tightly, and Monika closed her eyes, her lower lip trembling. oddly enough, her mind wandered back to the man she had met on the street last night.

she'd kissed him, she suddenly remembered. she probably wouldn't have kissed him if she were sober, but that didn't matter now. but for some reason, in this moment, while the world seemed to be moving in slow motion, all she could think about was how he shyly, awkwardly kissed her back, and how he carefully, gently, held her hand, as if she were fragile, afraid he would shatter her like glass. he had touched her with the same care one would touch an antique porcelain doll with.

too bad she couldn't recall his name.

"Monika, just come with me, okay?" Mark said sternly, forcing a smile. Monika stayed frozen in place, feeling so conflicted she could just barf. but perhaps that was because of the hangover.

she squirmed out of his grasp and ran out of the building. Mark called out for her, but didn't follow her.

her heels clicked against the concrete as she ran, unsure of what she was running from. maybe it was Mark? after all, she was positive he would have done something unsavory to her if she'd went back to the office with him. but he wasn't following her, so why was she running?

Monika found herself at the entrance to the subway station, staring at her reflection in a puddle. it had rained last night, she now remembered. it was the rain that had prompted her to leave and go back home. she had kissed Arthur before she went home.

Arthur? was that his name? it sure sounded right to her, but she couldn't say for certain.

"Arthur..." Monika muttered to herself, staring up at the cloudy sky. his name rolled off her tongue nicely. "where are you, Arthur?"