Take a Chance! [Karamatsu X Female Reader]

1 - A Peculiar Man

In no time at all Saturday night has arrived, and you suddenly feel a pang of anxiety.

It's been awhile since you're even been to a proper social gathering like this. What if everyone else there is way more talented than you? What if you actually don't have anything in common with any of them? What if they immediately see right through you and recognize that you're not a true artist?

You practically cringe as all these intrusive thoughts begin flooding your mind. You shake your head in an attempt to force them aside as you finish getting ready in the mirror.

You decided to go with a more neutral makeup look that wouldn't draw too much attention to you. Just some light blush and nude lipstick, along with some mascara and a little bit of eyeliner to bring out your eyes.

As an outfit you decided to wear a pair of black denim skinny jeans and a chic white button-up shirt. You look about as average and non-imposing as can be.

After slipping on your shoes you look yourself over once more in the mirror. You fix an unruly lock of hair and flash yourself a halfhearted smile in an attempt to calm your nerves, before heading out the door.

You make your way down the familiar street that you walk home from every night. Before long, you stop in front of the entrance to the same building you were peering into last night. You reread the flyer once again and take a deep breath. This is it. You're really doing this.

Here goes.

As you open the door, a gust of warm air welcomes you, making you shiver as the chill from the evening air melts off of you. You attempt to fix your hair again, hoping you don't look too disheveled from the windy walk here, before walking inside and taking in your surroundings. There appears to be a small table set up with free water, coffee, and cookies available for visitors. Actually.. a nice warm cup of coffee might be just what you need to help relax.

You walk over and help yourself to one of the small styrofoam cups and pour yourself some coffee. It's getting pretty late, and caffeine would only make you more jittery, so decaf is probably the smartest option. The steam from the coffee carries a comforting aroma up to your nostrils, and as you inhale the scent you can swear it's already beginning to help you relax. You reach for some sugar and creamer packets to add to the coffee and as you stir it all together you turn your attention to the circle of chairs in the middle of the room. A decent amount of people are already there. You do your best to walk confidently as you make your way over to the circle. However, your timid voice betrays your confident gait as you meekly say hello and take your seat. Nobody pays you much mind, as they're already talking amongst themselves. You look around to see just what sorts of people you're sitting with.

Most people there look to be middle aged. There's one older man holding a clearly well-used guitar, but rather than talking to the others he looks to almost be dozing off. There's a younger couple sitting and chatting happily together, wearing matching T-shirts of their favorite band, a middle aged woman smiling politely while chatting to another woman who looks to be around her age, and a young beautiful woman laughing at something said by the man who looks to be the leader of this meeting, judging by his place at the head of the circle.

You suddenly feel immensely out of place. Being in a new town is hard. You don't know anybody. You don't know how to integrate yourself into social circles. In your head this seemed like it'd be easier. You thought you'd at least be able to get further than a simple "hi" upon arriving. Maybe you would have clicked with someone and actually made a friend, or at least made a few acquaintances. But right now all you can do is awkwardly sip at your coffee and fiddle with your hands in your lap as you wait for the meeting to begin. Though just as your intrusive thoughts begin to fluster you, you hear the door open, and a cool breeze rushes in as another person enters.