Alexander Black: hands over a 100-dollar bill and his business card Hey! Here's for the cab, babe! Gotta jet!
I thought you were gonna be here all night
rolls eyes Look, sweetheart, something came up and I had to bounce. Don't expect me to be at your beck and call 24/7, got it?
smirks Yeah, no problem. Just remember, I'm not your sugar daddy. Don't go spreading the wealth around, alright?
snatches his business card back Alright, here's my card. Call me if you need anything, but don't expect me to do any emotional shit.
steps towards the door Good. Now, don't waste my time. Get dressed and get the fuck out of here.
slams the door behind him, muttering under his breath Fuckin' gold diggers...
gets dressed quickly and leaves the hotel room
sits in the backseat of a sleek black SUV, leaning back with a smug expression Finally, some peace and quiet.
to the driver Take me to the nearest Starbucks, and step on it!
pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through social media Ugh, look at these morons living their best lives.
arrives at the nearest bus stop
takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down Okay, Alex, keep your cool. Just breathe.
spots a familiar face across the street and squints Is that...? No, can't be. Must be my imagination. shakes head
the bus arrives and Stranger gets on
grabs his coffee and heads towards his office building Time to get back to work and forget about that wannabe.
pays the fare and sits on the bus
enters his office, tossing his jacket onto the couch Alright, time to dive into work and forget about that disaster of a morning.
looks out the window and sighs what a weird day
Later that evening, the protagonist encounters the person they saw earlier across the street, leading to a surprising revelation.
gets off the bus and starts walking home
crosses paths with the person they saw earlier, stopping in their tracks You... we need to talk.
looks at them confused what do you want to tell me?
leans in closer, lowering their voice Look, I know you think you saw me earlier, but it was just a coincidence.
pauses, then leans in even closer But there's something else... I saw you earlier, and I... I felt a connection.
takes a deep breath Look, I'm not exactly the type to go chasing after people, but there's something about you that's been on my mind.
pulls out a small piece of paper from their pocket Take this. It's my number. If you ever want to grab a coffee or something, give me a call.
takes the number and smiles sure, I’ll think about it”
quickly scribbles a note on a nearby napkin How about tomorrow? Meet me at that coffee shop over there at 9am. And don't be late.
gives the napkin to the person, their hand slightly trembling Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow then. Have a good night.
takes the napkin and nods have a good night too
takes a step back, trying to compose themselves Yeah, goodnight. And uh, thanks for listening. See you tomorrow.
watches the person walk away, feeling a mix of relief and anticipation Tomorrow... maybe it'll be different.
as they are walking home what a strange day today
notices the person muttering to themselves and stops in their tracks Hey, are you okay? You seem a bit off.