Acing Romance

Five

Sohal found it difficult to focus on his work. While he sat at his desk, a storm raged on outside, demanding his attention with loud flashes of lightning and thunder. He also couldn't deny that he was thinking of his visit to Vein.

Despite the fact Vein was obviously illegal, Sohal had a great time. Just from his short visit, he got a strong sense of the community that thrived there and it was something he could see himself growing to appreciate.

Hanging out with Asa and Emari was the highlight of his night and he didn't know how much he missed hanging out with actual human people. But most of all, something about Rune caught his attention. He couldn't help but want to get to know him more.

Sohal felt a small buzz of excitement at the thought of visiting Vein again. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel anxious at the thought of going alone. Asa had emphasized the importance of keeping Vein a secret since people could only legally match with others on Fated.

Sohal's phone buzzed and all it took was one swipe to reveal another Fated notification. It was his second match this month, which was a first for him.

His thumb hovered over the app before clicking on the notification. Tapping on it sent him straight to his new match's profile, who he quickly realized was a girl named Gina.

Single girl living in a lonely world. I'm a queen and you better worship me. If your dick isn't at least six inches long, I don't want it. You better last longer than ten minutes in bed or I'm throwing your ass to the curb. Looking forward to building a happy family with someone.

Nausea spread throughout his stomach at the thought of doing the deed longer than ten minutes. Sohal didn't even know how long sex was supposed to go for. Even then, how could he know if he even wanted to tango in the bedroom if he didn't get a feel for their personality first? He wasn't comfortable enough to sleep around with people he had just met.

He was better off skipping this match, he realized. If this girl was already this judgy in her bio alone, there was no doubt that a date with her would end in disaster.

Sohal thought about Vein and how there weren't any expectations when he was there. There would be friendly people just chatting there at least. His mind also wandered back to Rune, the nice stranger he met at Vein, and whether he'd be there again.

Asa mentioned that he could visit anytime he wanted, so... why not tonight?

〜

The storm hadn't let up by the time Sohal had dressed up and left his apartment. Dark clouds swirled above his head, but he had come prepared with an umbrella in hand. Nothing could dampen his good mood now, or at least his clothes would stay dry.

All he had to do was walk to the nearby park that he regularly met Asa at, and then he'd be able to find his way to Vein. So, he set off walking, thinking it'll be easy as pie.

But just when Lazy Crown Bar and Grille entered his line of vision, his umbrella broke.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. It was still raining, and raining hard, and it was at that moment that Sohal realized how screwed he was. Vein was closer than his own apartment, so he decided to run inside but he still got drenched from head to toe.

Once inside, he stood at the doormat, hoping that the water dripping from his clothes would stop soon. His clothes clung to his body and water pooled at his feet. Sohal twisted part of his shirt with his hands and more water fell to the ground.

Fanning his shirt only marginally helped dry him off, but it was better than nothing. Once he was sure he removed as much water as he could, he walked over to the counter and took a seat. A minute didn't even pass before he felt the seat getting wet from his pants. His phone buzzed again, but he ignored it.