Chapter Text
Your live doesn't get better by chance.
It gets better by change.
-Jim Rohn
I started as my phone buzzed on my nightstand. Groaning, I rolled over and looked at the time. 3:17 AM. Grumbling, I threw an arm over my eyes, and let myself fall back to sleep. ‘Bzzzz’ went my phone. ‘Seriously? Who the hell is this?’ Snarling, I grabbed my phone, unlocked it, and blinked to allow my eyes to adjust to the sudden blinding light. 2 Messages from DRUNK GUY.
‘Hey bae u there’, was shortly followed by, ‘Come over, I got a bottle of whiskey with ur name on it’. I frowned. I’d refused to tell the stranger my name, and so was usually called bae or sexy. It was rather annoying.
‘I’m not your bae, it’s 3 AM, stop drinking, and go to SLEEP.’ Satisfied, I released his phone and began to relax once more. BZZZZZ.
“Uhhh…..noooooo…….” I whined. I couldn’t resist the temptation in the end, however, and glanced at my phone again.
‘Yah no. Night bae, sweet dreems. Think of me :-))))))’
I growled at the phone and didn’t respond.
The next morning, I woke up at 6 as normal and checked my phone again. No new text. I bit my lip and sent a new message. ‘Hey, are you okay? You were pretty out of it last night.’ By the time I was finished showering and brushing my teeth, I had a few new texts in.
‘I’m k. Yeah, I had a bit too much. My brother invited me for drinks, then my dad decided he wanted to get me drunk.’ ’I’m on my cousin’s couch, so I must have come here sometime.’ ‘Mom died last year on the day, so we’re all pretty shook up.’
I winced in sympathy. Well, at least I wasn’t being called bae anymore, and my new friend had learned some semblance of grammar.
‘I’m sorry about your mom. Maybe you should try and talk to someone about it, instead of just getting drunk.’
No reply came and I sighed, pulling on my shoes. I headed towards the gym where I worked as a personal fitness trainer, and it was almost 8 PM when I received a reply.
‘Do you want to go out sometime? We can see a movie or something.’
I found himself blushing even though no one was around. No one ever went to the gym after 6 PM on a Tuesday, except for the odd fitness nut or two. ‘Yeah, sure. No drinking, though.’ I winced and wished I could take it back. ‘No drinking, though. Really? His mom is dead, and I’m just going to sound like a bitch and tell him how to live his life. Way to be dad, Fin.’
‘What are you, a tee-totaler? I don’t drink THAT much.’
‘Yeah, sorry. Just slipped out.’
‘Right. Maybe next week on the movie.’
‘That’s fine with me. Do you have anything in mind?’
It wasn’t until next Monday that I received a reply. By then, I’d almost forgotten about the possible date, which would’ve been the first one since I’d been divorced.
‘Maze Runner’s in theaters. What do you think?’
It took me a very long, confused moment to figure out why I’d received a text about that. I scrolled up, winced at my gaffe, and replied, ‘I’m off on Thursdays and Sundays. Around 6-ish good for you?’
‘Yeah, 6 is fine. It’ll have to be Sunday, I work the late shift on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Can I have your name? Or should I just keep calling you bae? ;-)’
I was absurdly grateful that the other person’s sense of humor had returned. ‘Lol, call me Fin. Everybody does.’
‘Sounds good. I’ll meet you outside the theater @6. I’m Erestor, by the way.’
I smiled. “Erestor. Sounds interesting.”