At [Y/N] family restaurant, they always arrange karaoke night on Fridays. This Friday [Y/N] helps to serve the tables, as one group of guys decides to sit down. This will change [Y/N]'s life forever.
"Hey! Did you forget something?" I asked nervously as he walked closer to the counter. I expected him to look around the room, as he might have forgotten something, but instead he locked his gaze on mine.
"No I didn't" he laughed and reached out his hand
"I'm Daniel, nice to meet you"
"[Y/N], nice to meet you too" I replied shaking his hand gently as a wave of his fruity cologne hit my face.
"I'm sorry for just barging in after closing, I just had to give you something" Daniel smirked as he handed me a little paper note. It was a phone number, I looked up at him with a confused look.
"I'm sorry this must seem so strange, it's my phone number. I just couldn't take my eyes off of you and" he stuttered
"I would like to take you out for dinner or a coffee. Whatever works for you"
I noticed myself blushing and smiling widely. His accent, it's Australian.
"That would be lovely, a dinner sounds nice" I smirked.
Daniel fixed his hair as he nodded with a huge smile on his face as he headed back to the front door. He turned confidently around and looked at me
"I can't wait, let me know when you're available" he shut the door behind him and I was left speechless behind the counter.
Did this tall, super handsome and cute Australian guy just ask me out? In my messy bun, wearing a dirty apron while smelling like a mix of hamburger's and cocktails? How could anyone find that attractive? I laughed a little to myself and had to sit down to realize what was going on. I was still having trouble recalling where I had seen him before. I looked down at the crumpled paper laying in my hand. Should I go on dates and start talking to guys again? Was I ready to start something new after being single for 6 months?
My ex and I met in high school, but we didn't get along. One time my best friend, who was dating his best friend hosted a pool party. It was a great party but I had a few too many drinks and ended up puking all night. Some weirdo at the party saw this as an opportunity and decided to try taking me home. I was too drunk to resist. As we were leaving the house, my ex came running after us and told the creep to stay the hell away from me. He was sober that night so he drove me home and made sure I fell asleep in my own bed. I was grateful and went over to his house the following week to thank him. I offered to take him shopping at our local mall and to buy him whatever he wanted. Instead, we went out to dinner together. And the rest is history.
After high school we went to different colleges. He started studying finance in Pennsylvania while I stayed in our hometown to study teaching. I didn't mind the distance, but he couldn't stand not knowing where I was or who I was with 24/7. He became extremely obsessed and frequently lost his temper. All of a sudden he believed he could decide who I could and could not hang out with. I finally had the courage to break up with him over the phone which is a shitty thing to do but I couldn't take it any longer. I haven't spoken to him since.
The warm breeze touched my face as I stepped out of the restaurant. It was pretty dark outside and I could see a group of friends chattering and laughing loudly on the other side of the street. My mom noticed I was watching them
"Why don't you go out and meet some of your friends, you've been so helpful tonight" She locked the door behind us.
"I'm really not in the mood tonight, I just need some sleep" I let out a small yawn.
As we walked down the dimmed street, my mom put her arm around me and kissed my head. I smiled back at her
"Should we watch a movie together? I haven't been home for weeks" As the words left my mouth I could see my mom's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
I hadn't spent much time at my mom's place for a while since I brought my first apartment six months ago. It's located only a few minutes away from my mom's apartment, also called my childhood home. The exact same door I've walked in and out of for the past 23 years. I've walked in happy because of my good grades, sad when I had a broken heart, serious when I got an upcoming exam and devastated when my dad passed away in a car accident last year. A beautiful photo of him from when he was young hangs up on the wall in the hallway. That way I feel like he's always greeting me when I get home.
"I'll make some popcorn while you find a movie" My mom shouted from the kitchen as I sat down in her brand new couch.
My mom went on a crazy shopping spree last week because the restaurant is doing so well. She needed to change things up a little and I couldn't agree more. The classic American style in her apartment consists of light gray wooden floor with light-colored woolen rug too add some coziness and you can probably imagine the rest yourself. My mom walked proudly in with a huge bowl of fresh popcorn with butter and salt on it and asked
"Did you find a movie yet?"
"I'm working on it" I quickly replied while concentrating on finding a movie under the comedy category but I couldn't. All I was thinking about was Daniel and wondering what he was doing now. Maybe out clubbing? Or asleep? I looked down on my phone and remembered I had the note with his phone number still in my pocket. I was not ready to text him yet, at least not tonight or maybe ever.
"I have to show you something sweetie" she took out her phone from her pocket and added
"The cutest group of guys i've ever seen in the restaurant" she paused and giggled a little
"They were so handsome, all of them. It looked like they were celebrating something and they asked me if I could take a group photo of them" she shoved her phone right in my face and it all hit me as my mom stated
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"They said they were drivers" she looked confused and put her phone back in her pocket unaware of who she had taken a photo of.
"Mom, they are formula one drivers" I pointed out while being super mad at myself. How could I have failed recognizing them? I was too focused on Daniel I didn't realize Fernando Alonso, my dad's favorite was sitting right in front of me. My dad and I always watched formula one races together and he was obsessed. I weren't much into it but I enjoyed doing something fun with my dad. After he passed I stopped watching it because it reminded me of him.
"You and your dad used to watch it together" My mom recalled as she teared up a little. She looked around the room
"I'll get us something to drink and you'll continue looking for a movie"
I nodded and took a deep breath. I grabbed my phone and entered the phone number while making sure I saved it under "Daniel". I desperately wanted to google him, but I knew that would have only led to me making up stories about him in my head. I'd rather give myself the opportunity to get to know him in real life whenever I get the guts to text him. Maybe I should tell my best friend about this?
A/N Thank you so much for reading this chapter, hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it :) I'm still working on how many words it should be per chapter, you have any suggestions? Let me know :)
