Forget It Not

“Oh my god. This can’t happen.” Rosé’s eyes widened in horror as she took in her body in an unfamiliar bedroom. By this time I’ve just finished wearing my clothes. “Did…Did we?”

“I don’t—“ Oh. Now I remember what happened.

“If you can build a 20 shot glass tower, I’ll buy you a pink pony.” B.I. slurred, daring me with the shots lined on the table. We are sooo wasted to the point that I don’t even want a pink pony but, ”Challenge accepted.” 

Mark cheered on as I placed the fifth shot glass on top of the fourth. I picked up the sixth, my hands were shaking and I was squinting, thinking it would somehow stop my surroundings from spinning.

“Rosé!” B.I. shouted, startling me, causing the glasses to topple over. “My pink pony!” I cried, resting my head on the table. 

“Have any of you seen my phone? I lef—-There it is.” Rosé pointed to my left. I lifted my head and slid the phone to her. 

“Why don’t you sit and have a couple more shots? It’s fun!” Mark invited, laughing at his own drunk voice.

“I can’t, I have to wake up early tomo—-“

“Let her be, Mark. Mother Teresa has an early mass tomorrow. She has to wake up really early.” B.I. teased while Mark and I laughed. Everything is funny when I’m drunk.

“That’s it with the Mother Teresa jokes!” Rosé glared at the three of us, sat beside me and gulped a shot. 

Mark bought another round of shots and before I knew it, I already lost track of time. Last time I checked it was midnight, now, I don’t even know.

I glanced beside me, hearing Rosé giggling at nothing in particular. No one was really talking. The two guys were staring off in space, lost in their drunken minds. 

“Hey,” I tapped Rosé’s shoulders, “you’re really pretty.” 

She giggled, leaning closer. “Thanks. I think you’re gorgeous.” She shouted over the music.

My head was full of that words just spilled off my mouth without me even thinking about it. “Do you want to go home with me? I’m only staying here ‘cause B.I. promised me he’ll buy me a pink pony. But now that he won’t, I think I’m going home.”

“I’ll come with you only if you’ll buy me a pink pony.” 

“Okay, I’ll buy you one. Unlike B.I., I’ll really buy you a pink pony!”

That’s what happened.

“So, do you still want a pink pony?” And before I knew it, a pillow hit me directly on the face. I’ll take that as a no.

“I was drunk! I didn’t know what I was doing!”

“Well, I was drunk too but I knew what I was doing. If I recall, you screamed pretty loud last—-“

“I don’t want to hear anything about last night! I have a boyfriend! This never should’ve happened! It was a mistake! A huge one!”

“Oh.” I stared at her for a couple of seconds, startled by the sudden outburst. She’s probably scared that her boyfriend will found out. I smiled, “Don’t worry he’ll never know.” I picked up my lamp that was on the floor. “This is just a one night stand anyway.”

“Just a one night stand? Wow.” Rosé had an expression that I don’t really know what it meant but all I know was she most certainly wasn’t happy. But I’m a jerk and I don’t really care. “You should be thankful I’m a no-strings-attached-girl. Your boyfriend will never see our strings tangled.” 

Rosé shook her head, staring at the window. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I know. You told me repeatedly last night.” I chuckled but quickly stopped when I turned to her and saw her hand covering her face, hearing her sniffle. “Are you crying?” I stood in front of her, hoping she isn’t. “Oh . Don’t cry.”

“You don’t get it.” She removed her hand on her face, giving me a glare.

“No, I get it. Look, don’t worry. I don’t even know your boyfriend.”

“I just cheated on him with what?”

“Hey! Look at this perfection in front of you. If anything, you should be proud.” Even though she has clearly offended me, she picked up her clothes and walked out of my room without even saying sorry. Wow. I mean, a lot of people are dying to be with me even just for a night, she shouldn’t feel that miserable.

xxx

I arrived at the precinct 5 minutes before my shift, thankfully. Everybody looked terrible. Except me, of course. 

“Good morning s.” I sat down on my desk, taking a sip of my glorious coffee and giving all of them a smile after.

“How are you so chirpy after literally drinking 15 shots and a mojito?” Mark groaned, drinking his water.

“I never get hangovers.” I shrugged, earning a look of shock from the officers. “I know, I know, you all want to me be, but you can’t, so deal with your hangovers.”

The clock ticked 8 and yet, there was no sign of Rosé. I thought she’s never. 

“So, is this the first time Rosé is going to be late?” I joked, looking at Officer Samuel for a reaction.

“Nope. She called in sick earlier.”

Now I feel bad.

Instead of thinking about what happened, I read the case she was discussing yesterday. It was a woman named Clara Davidson, aged 43. She has two past charges of trafficking in illegal drugs and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, which would’ve cost her 20 years in prison without parole and a fine of $15,000 to $150,000 if she didn’t successfully escape from the police car.

The total weight of methamphetamine that was initially found with her was 1kg, which she magically brought with her during her escape. 
1kg isn’t really that big of a deal, in a perspective of a leader of a drug cartel. It’s like a grain of salt. Not to brag but, during my four years of leading Non-Altum, I distributed an average of 2000 kg of to Scotland every month. 

Going back, normally, small pushers distribute thrice a month in a regular basis. There’s always a pattern. In this case, Clara Davidson was first caught on April 27, 2017, and the second time was January 18, 2018. There are 9 days apart, so if my theory is right, the third day is 9. And what day is it today? Oh, that’s right, March 9 es. 

Getting ready to close my first case, I checked the schedules of shifts posted on the board before walking over to mark. “Hey, you patrol around East Clinton, right?”

“Yeah, I was just about to do rounds now. Why?” He stood up, picking up the patrol car keys, I assume.

“I’ll come with you.” Mark didn’t ask anything and just let me come.

Two hours have already passed and I’ve got nothing. We’ve been driving around, literally, and it’s already 5 in the afternoon. If there really is going to be a transaction today, it should be between 4 and 6. I can’t be wrong about this.

“Why are we stopping?” I asked when mark pulled over in front of Starbucks.

“I need Coffee. Aren’t you even thirsty?” 

“Oh, I’m always thirsty.” I snickered, earning a laugh from Mark. We both went out of the car and ordered coffee. After getting drinks, we decided to sit outside for five minutes before embarking on another two-hour drive.

“This is boring. How can you do this every day?” I took a sip of my coffee, watching the cars and people pass by the café.

“The most action I get here are small thefts and teenagers expressing their artistic sides by creating artworks on the walls. Or, people using the rearview mirror of their car as an accessory hook, like that one.” Mark pointed at a red car about to park at the corner, standing up from his seat and walking towards the car.

His job big time. I can’t even—-Wait a minute. 

I pulled out the picture of Clara Davidson from my pocket and squinted at the woman in the passenger seat. It’s her.

Not letting another second pass by, I stood up and strode towards Mark and the car. 

“Ma’am, are you okay?” Mark asked the woman. I peeked a little and saw that her hands were shaking and a couple of sweat fell from her forehead.

“Call a K-9 Officer. Now,” I ordered Mark, and although I didn’t tell him explicitly what was happening, he got it.

Not long after, the K-9 officer arrived, and I let him inspect the car for any substance. “There’s something here.” We went over to the trunk of the car and opened it, revealing a white crystalline substance. Bingo.

Playing detective is fun until you had to write the report. No one wants to write a report. No one. 
The day ended with me finishing the processing and report.

xxx

I arrived quite early the next day. I parked my car at the lot, and as I got out, I saw Rosé’s car parking right beside me. I leaned in my car, waiting for her to come out. “Hey, Rosé—oh wow.” Her hair was now dyed dusky pink.

“Detective Park,” She corrected, stopping me before I can even start daydreaming.

“Oh come on! Aren’t I even going to get any compliment? I just closed a case on my second day.” Rosé started walking to the precinct while I followed.

“Okay. Good job. I’m going to call the D.A.” She placed her things on her desk, sitting down. 

“What? Need anything?” Rosé raised an eyebrow, phone pressed on her ear. I didn’t even notice that I was staring. I shook my head, still admiring. “You just look…so nice.”

“Detective Brae and Detective Manoban, follow me to my office.” The captain called right when he entered the precinct. 

Lisa and I followed suit. “Oh god. Did he find out?” Lisa whispered, obviously nervous.

“Chill. We’re not in high school anymore. And plus, if he did find out, we’d be behind the bars already, not in his office.” I patted her shoulder, before opening the door and taking a seat on one of the chairs.

“I’m assigning the two of you on this case.” He gave Lisa the file. “It started off as a simple drug possession but we received a report that he’s involved in a drug organization. Two of the murder cases we took last year was tied to that organization.” He sighed. “You two coordinate.” 

As instructed, Lisa and I read the case together and shared ideas. 

“What do you think of adding hot sauce in vanilla ice cream?”

Lisa continued to flip through the pages of the file. “Stupid. Just like you.”

“Yeah…it’s stupid.” I slowly nodded, but then grinned at Lisa. “But is it really?”

She placed down the file and smirked. “20 bucks says you can’t finish a bowl.”

“I don’t know what I can buy with that little money but…challenge accepted.”

“Aren’t you two going home?” Mark asked, making me glance at the clock. It was pretty late already. 

To prove that hot sauce works with vanilla ice cream well, Lisa and I stopped by my apartment. 

“Your apartment is too big and expensive for a detective,” Lisa commented once we entered my apartment. It’s actually the first time I lived in an apartment. I would’ve preferred having a house with a garden but then again, I don’t want to get questioned on how I can afford such a place.

“Like yours isn’t.” Although I haven’t seen where she lived, I knew she hates small spaces. I’m quite sure she bought an apartment just as big as mine, if not bigger.

Lisa shrugged, walking to the kitchen to grab the ice cream and hot sauce. 

“You better prepare your 20 bucks.” I got a bowl and a spoon, taking a scoop of ice cream. “Watch and learn Lalisa.” She watched, and seconds later, I learned that you should never eat vanilla ice cream with hot sauce. Never.

Lisa and I settled on the couch, a glass of white wine in hand. 
“This is funny. Two drug lords playing police officers, putting small time distributors behind bars. This should be turned into a movie.”

Lisa chuckled. “I can’t wait to see the ending.” After a moment of silence, she sighed. “Does your father know about this?”

“He’s in a vacation in New Zealand. He ordered everyone not to disturb his ‘peaceful time alone’. Although I’m quite sure he’s banging strippers right now.”

Without even glancing at Lisa, I knew that she has her disapproving look. “It’s not like he can do anything about it. He passed down the business to me fully knowing that I didn’t want any of it. He should’ve seen this coming.” It was true. I never wanted this life. It was forced unto me the moment I was born. It’s unfair. “But I mean, I left it with Bogum temporarily.”

“Bogum? Are you kidding me?” She scoffed. Lisa never really liked Bogum for a reason she wouldn’t tell me. 

“I taught him a couple of things about our distribution. I’m sure he’s doing fine.”

“You’re trusting him too much.” I met Bogum a year after I took over the drug cartel. It wasn’t the most friendly meeting but I knew right away that I could trust him.

“Speaking of Bogum, don’t tell me he's still waiting for you to settle down.” Another thing about Bogum, he kinda likes me and he’s also hoping that we can be together one day. But I don’t see it happening in the near future. “He is, actually. But I’ve cleared it with him already, especially before I left. I told him not to wait.”

“He’s just too naive to realize that you’re one hell of a demon.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Everyone is too naive.”

She snickered. “Not me.”

I turned to face her. “Really? Tell me you’ve never, not even once, thought of me more than a best friend.”

“Never.”

“You’re lying. ‘Cause I have.”

Lisa’s eyes darted down my lips for a second before looking back at my eyes. “I haven’t.” 

“Liar,” I whispered, leaning closer, still not breaking eye contact. 

Right when our lips almost touched, she moved back. “We can’t do this.”

“Why not?”

“We both want different things.” She shook her head, placing down her wine. “If you’re going to kiss me you’re gonna have to look at our ‘relationship future’ not just ‘me in your bed future’. I know how much you hate relationships.”

I sighed. “You’re right.”

Lisa chuckled. “I’m always right.”

“You know, you used to be so cool, now you’re just lame.”

She smirked, “You know, you used to be lame, now you’re still lame.”

xxx

Today’s agenda is to drop by the precinct for the address of Jake Rinn, the drug user suspected to be working under the organized crime group, then I’m gonna have to watch his movements and hope he does something suspicious. 

I got a message from Rosé earlier telling me to come by the line up room when I arrive. 
Rosé was reading something on the board when I came in. “Coffee?” I handed her the cup. “I didn’t know what you like so…”

“You didn’t have to. Thanks.” She smiled, taking the coffee. At least she’s not as angry as she was that morning.

Turns out she wanted to brief me about…well…me and my drug cartel. Seeing their progress can help me devise a diversion. “…the production of increased by 43% starting four years ago. I thought this will be the golden age of Non-Altum until it started slowing down this year. There hasn’t been much action lately.” 

So they actually saw my four years of handling the drug cartel our “Golden age”. Wow. Considering that dad constantly critiqued and called my strategies a failure, I’m flattered. 

I looked over to the board filled with pictures, news reports, and strings connecting all the people involved in the cartel. They didn’t have a picture of me yet, just my name. Although at this point, I doubt that they can actually bring me down, or even figure out that I’m “Quince”.

While I was praising myself on my mind, a picture caught my attention. It was Bogum. Well, the focus of the picture was a guy I don’t know, probably a small-time distributor, but Bogum was in the background. I need to get that picture.

Rosé talked about past transactions and possible patterns of distribution for another ten minutes before she was done. She placed down her pen while I stood closer to the board. The picture was pinned at the bottom-most left part of the board, a third of the picture was covered by another one on the top of it. 

Pretending to read the articles on the board, I stood on the left side, subtly removing the picture and quickly inserting it into my back pocket. 

Rosé coughed, making me turn to her. “We’re going to see each other every day and I just can’t work when you remind me of the horrible thing I did so, can we just forget it ever happened?”

I smirked. “I can’t, and I doubt that you can. But I won’t tell anyone.” I sent her a wink, before walking out of the room. 

Believe me when I say Rosé will never forget about that night. She’ll remember every bit of it until her very last breath.

Huge thanks for the upvotes Vidithecat, wendyyhoang, PRISTAN, Carameruu, rookiex5, Lisoo30, YuiiStar, and jellymaniac! Really appreciate it ♡♡♡