Before I can overthink it, I turn to him and ask, “Are you all right?”

His gaze climbs to mine as if it’s completely natural for a total stranger to ask how you’re doing. Maybe this guy goes out more than I do and it’s actually a normal practice. Who knows.

His eyes are glassy. I can see it even better when he straightens and blinks at me. The beer he takes a chug of is definitely not his first or second of the night. With a voice deeper than what I would’ve imagined, he says, “I will be, but right now, I’d say life could go fuck itself.”

I can’t help it. I snort. I wasn’t expecting such blunt honesty, but somehow, that’s the most perfect answer he could’ve given me.

“Cheers to that,” I say before downing the rest of my drink. Coughing a little, I lift my hand and signal to the bartender for another one. Since I don’t drink often, I’ll probably regret it once I get to the office tomorrow morning, but right now, I’d say I deserve it.

“I’ll take it your life sucks too?” Tall Guy asks as he leans his head on his hand.

“That’s one way to put it.”

“What happened to you?”

Creases form on my forehead as I lift my brows. I know I was about to ask him the same thing, but it feels like a pretty intrusive question for someone I met five minutes ago. Plus, it’s not a simple one to answer. Too much has happened—and will happen—for me to be able to narrow it done to one thing.

So instead, I narrow my gaze and reply, “What happened to you?”

“That’s cheating,” he says, as if we’re playing some kind of game. Maybe we are. Who’s the worse off between the two of us? No matter what he tells me, I know I’ll win.

Goodness, I sound like a whiny, broken record tonight.

Sighing, he picks up the beer the bartender brought him a second ago, after he finished the previous one, and takes a long swig. “I just proposed to the girl I’ve been with for the past ten months, and she said no.”

I wince. “Ouch. I’m sorry.”

His shoulders lift in the most half-assed shrug I’ve ever seen. “’s all right. Guess I shouldn’t have expected anything different.”