Thank you for reading my story and for the likes and gracious comments. I know you're all anticipating the continuation of the story, so here you go. It had taken me a little longer to write as our country and the rest of the world deals with the COVID19 situation. Wherever you are, please as much as you can stay indoors, stay safe, and stay connected. We'll get through this if we all play a part.
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Ash sat alone on his balcony overlooking the empty city street. Like most weekends it's quiet. He could see his car parked below, along with several others. Their owners must also be indoors, he thought. He took another sip of his coffee before setting it down on the floor. He lit a cigarette and let his thought wander to the night he had spent with Chris. A smile curled on his lips.
It had been a little over three months since then. They had both kept a casual contact with each other, Chris more so than Ash. They live opposite ways, but every now and then would meet for coffee, dinner and some drinks around town.
The sound of his phone ringing snapped Ash from his thought. It was Chris. He tapped the answer button.
"Hey Ash. What're you doing tonight?"
"Nothing much. What's up?" Ash answered quite truthfully. He does prefer to stay indoors watching random movies on Netflix. Chris then proceeded to talk about this new bar across town. Ash had heard his neighbours talk about it and mentioned to Chris.
"And since my bros bailed out on me, I was wondering if you'd wanna be my wingman?" This wasn't the first time Chris asked him to step in, and Ash didn't mind as Chris would pay for his drinks if they didn't drive. Even then, Ash would have just a couple of beers or a cocktail, partly because he wants to enjoy Chris's company sober.
"Come on, first round on me. What do you say?" Ash contemplated. It had been a hectic week at work, he was planning to reward himself by resting but Chris's company, some alcohol, good music, good vibe, is also a form of reward as well.
" I'm not feeling it to be honest. New place, can't really trust what people say you know." Ash really wanted to say yes but his ego bested him.
"Oh come on. We don't try, we won't know? And I'll ask Debbie if Mike is coming?" Chris had been seeing Debbie casually for the past month, and on one time when he'd tag along she brought her brother Mike with her. Even taller than Chris and built like a tank, Ash found himself ogling Mike all night long.
"Mike's straight." It was true. Well Ash never really asked but it was a safe assumption he thought.
"You don't know that for sure."
"There is a clear line between reality and wishful thinking. Plus so what if he's gay too? Doesn't mean that we would hit it off right there." The conversation went on for several more minutes with Chris negotiating his way around. He knew for certain Debbie was going to bring either Mike of one of her girlfriends along. He needed someone to balance out the crowd, so to speak.
"Fine, I'll meet you there." Ash finally agreed after he got tired of playing it hard. "I'll probably Uber over though. Parking in that area is a bitch."
"Well in that case can I park at your place and we'll share the ride?" Chris suggested. Ash hated the idea of Chris riding his bike even with just a couple of beers and agreed. He looked at the time. Quite some hours to kill, he thought.
And so for the rest of the day Ash puttered about. He cleaned his apartment - mostly for the sake of keeping himself occupied. Did laundry, cooked a quick mac and cheese for lunch and checked his email by force of habit. By early evening he was showered and dressed to go.
Chris showed up a little over 7, and they'd split the Uber fare between them. Chris told him that they'd be meeting Debbie and Martha at the restaurant not far from the bar, and walked over after dinner. Ash argued that Chris should also be paying for dinner, but Chris then countered saying it would be weird for him to pay for both Ash and Debbie, and therefore potentially the whole table. Ash folded.
Over dinner, Martha dominated the conversation about her work. It worked well for Ash. At one point, he was only paying half an attention and caught Chris's flirtatious smile towards Debbie. For a brief moment he wanted it to be for him instead, but it was wishful thinking and brushed the thought away. Martha was still talking.
"That's how you get from baking and selling 3 to 5 cakes a week, to running a home bakery and delivery service!" She was explaining how difficult it was in the beginning to start a bakery, and only after months of persevering and trying, she saved enough to turn her humber kitchen into somewhat of a bakery. She proceeded to thank Debbie for supporting her all the way.
"That's so lovely," Chris replied. His hand reached across to Debbie's. The conversation flowed further until Chris asked if everyone's ready to go to the bar. The bill was split between all of them, Debbie and Martha insisted they pay for their own meals.
The bar turned out to be as good as what people say. There was a live band playing different covers over three sets, each distinct from one another. The dance floor wasn't too packed, and Chris asked Martha to dance instead of Debbie.