Dysphoria

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

I wasn’t jealous, why would I be jealous? I didn’t have any reason to be, yet I still couldn’t stop thinking about the two of them together, probably something they’d regret when the sun came up and they were sober.

I painted a smile on my face and pushed all thoughts of Ashton to the back of my mind and kept myself busy with customers. Unfortunately, it was already pretty late and most of the customers were already done drinking or on their way out.

“The tips tonight were crazy,” Ryan beamed. “Damn.” I looked up to find a goofy smirk on his face.

“I can’t say the same,” I frowned, pulling my small wad of cash out of my pocket. “I mean its not terrible…”

“I made at least-” he started, but was cut off by a woman rushing in. As soon as she made it to the bar, I recognized her.

“Oh hey,” I said in a friendly voice. The women from the grocery store. Ryan took a step back, allowing me to help her.

“Oh wow,” she smiled. “Small world.”

“Very,” I agreed. “Can I help you?”

“Um, you know what? I just remembered I left my wallet at home,” she said. “I’m sorry.” She turned to walk out, but I stopped her.

“Have a beer,” I offered. “It’s on me.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” she shook her head, a smile still apparent. “Thank you, though. I’ll see you around.”

Strange.

“Who was that?” Ryan questioned.

“Just someone I sort of ran into at the food store this morning,” I shrugged. I never did catch her name.

“She’s kind of cute,” he stated.

“She has a kid,” I responded.

“Nevermind,” he said, causing us both to burst out in laughter.

We continued talking about random things, most of which I don’t remember, until the last customer had left and it was time to close.

I wiped down all the tables and chairs before stacking them against the wall while Ryan cleaned off the bar top and stools. It wasn’t long until everything was clean and ready to be left overnight.

“Goodnight,” Ryan said as he grabbed his coat and keys from the back room.

“Goodnight,” I smiled back, doing the same.

We locked the doors and headed our separate ways. The walk home was quiet, but calming. My thoughts were all over the place, but I tried to ignore them and have a peaceful walk. The moon was full and the stars seemed brighter tonight than usual. I got lost in the stars and before I knew it, I was home.

I dropped my bag, keys, and jacket on the floor the moment the door closed and I shuffled slowly to the bathroom, where I took a hot shower. I changed into sweats, set my alarm, and climbed into bed. Tomorrow was Sunday, which meant I had orientation for school. The thought of possibly going to medical school in the Fall kept me up a little longer than I would’ve liked, but I couldn’t help it. Becoming a nurse was something I had always dreamed of. I always liked the thought of helping others, and just the whole atmosphere of hospitals comforted me. I know for most, hospitals were creepy or scary or just gross, but I felt a strange sense of security whenever I was in one.

The sound of my alarm tore me away from my sleep. I sat up, still half asleep, and stretched my arms up in the air with a loud sigh.

I did not want to get up, but when I remembered it was for orientation, I jumped out of bed and quickly got ready. It didn’t take long for me to walk to campus, it was only a few blocks over from the apartment I leased for the next five years.

As soon as I got there, I was in awe with the beauty of the campus. No matter how many times I come here, I will never get tired of the environment.

“Hey mommy, look! It’s the lady from the food place,” a little girl yelled. I turned to see the source of the voice only to find the mystery women for the third time.

“What are you doing here?” she asked kindly.

“Orientation, I’m going here in the Fall. How about you?” 

“No way! Me  too!” She picked up her daughter so she wouldn’t run off while we talked. “I think God wants us to be friends…”

“Apparently,” I laughed. “We’ve run into each other quite a few times in such a short amount of time.”

“Well me and my husband moved here Thursday. His job relocated,” she informed me. “I’m Emma by the way.”

“Delilah,” I smiled. “Well it was really nice to see you again, but I still have to check-in, so hopefully I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. Her daughter waved as we parted ways. One friend down- many more to go. I moved here months ago and the only people I know are Ryan, Ashton, my boss Frank, and Emma. I haven’t really gotten the chance to go out much, I’m always working to try and save up for school.

My job does give me a lot of opportunities to make friends, but no one really has a good conversation with the bartender when they’re out with their friends trying to get drunk and have a good time.

*

This is so crazy... it's only chapter four and this book has already hit #20 in Romance... that's crazy!! Thank you so so much!!

What do you guys think so far? :)