Tonight was a night like any other, and yet, unlike any other night, there was an electricity that hung in the air. Sometimes, the most opportune exchanges can be made at exactly the right moment, and there was no moment better than now.
Toby's heart was racing, and the blood was pounding in his ears. Tonight, of all nights, he was going to finally meet someone. He appraised himself in the mirror, going over every minor detail.
He was a perfectly average boy of 19; a decent build, an ordinary height. His light brown hair was cropped short and formed a fauxhawk tip at the point of his head, with light sideburns and a goatee accompanying it. He tried to force a smile, and bring out an endearing look. He wasn't an unhandsome youth, but his confidence had always been somewhat lacking when it came to girls.
It had been months since he had been in bed with anybody. Not that his sexual encounters were unsatisfying; he liked to think that he knew something about girls that other guys simply couldn't understand. No, Toby always had a problem with confidence. He had been the loaner throughout High School, and was still trying to break out of his shell before he graduated in his Senior class.
He checked his phone, waiting for a sign. It had been only three hours since he had made a message to a want ad for a casual partner on Craigslist, and he was eager to hear back from her.
"Lonely Housewife -- 33", the heading had stated. The opportunity to get with an older woman was something considered fairly legendary among Toby's circle of friends; it was an impossibly high standard to reach for many guys his age. Only his friend Joe had ever succeeded in bedding an older woman, and he rarely shared any of his wisdom.
There was something about the girls his age he had found to be simply unappealing. They never acted very mature around Toby. That is, whenever he mustered up the strength to talk to them. He frowned. So much for ever being a ladies' man.
In the throes of his hormone-addled youth, Toby was seeking out a complete stranger. His mind raced to think of the possibilities of the night ahead.
A green light blinked on his phone, and he quickly flipped open his email application.
"Error in State.AccessHandlerException(33)" the message title read. He sighed, slightly crestfallen. Of all the evenings he had wanted to hear from this mystery woman, he instead was getting error messages from a developer mailing list. He hated that his hobbies could somehow get in the way of pursuing what he really wanted. Rather, what he really
needed
.
Throwing on his jacket, he stormed out to the deck for a smoke. The cool air blew past him on this solitary November eve, as he looked over the fence at the suburbs around him. He silently prayed that he would have somebody to hold onto tonight. He needed this.
The light on his phone went off again, contrasting against the red glow of his cigarette. He flipped it open again.
"Re: Fun For This Evening" it read. He opened it, and read over it several times.
