Almost, Fanfiction

Rob and Eric p2

Eric didn't know what to do with himself at this point. He thought he had it all planned out! He had a hot girlfriend, a steady job, and ideas for the future, but after his roof collapsed from the blizzards last month, everything went to hell in a hand basket. He and Marvalyn had to temporarily relocate to Ma Dudleys boarding house, which was a massive step down from where Eric wanted to be, and, the cherry on top, he began seeing Marvalyn less and less. She was his girlfriend! Wasn't it her job to take care of him? She'd been absent from the apartment often since last Friday night. 

Eric knew his relationship with his girlfriend was rocky, but weren't all relationships like that? Everyone goes through a rough patch that lasts weeks, right? Everyone yells at their partner, right? 

God, Eric knew he was being paranoid when he assigned Marvalyn a curfew, but he was scared! He didn't want to lose her. What if she was seeing other guys? What even happened last Friday? What took her so long to get back from doing laundry? By all accounts, Eric was stumped. He didn't know what else to do. 

To get his mind off things, Eric took his Chevy Pickup and drove down to the Moose Paddy. He parked on the street and almost slipped on another area of black ice on the asphalt before he even made it to the sidewalk. He stepped inside the dingy bar and took in the smell of Bud Light, cleanser, and frying oil. 

The Moose Paddy was your average local bar: dimly lit with bar seating, a few sticky booths, and some tables in the back. The bartender, a young woman with long dark hair and bright eyes was pouring herself a beer when Eric entered. He sat at the bar and raised his eyebrow toward the bartender. She had a name tag, but it was hard to make out in the soft glow of the yellow lights. Looked like it might say "Jillian" or "Veronica" or something. 

"Can I help you?" She asked joyfully, turning to Eric. 

"Just a beer, lady." He huffed. She rolled her eyes and walked behind the bar and into the kitchen. 

As he waited, another man approached the bar. He had weary eyes, a five o'clock shadow, a blue winter hat, and a frown. Strangely enough, the man sat right next to Eric at the bar. Wasn't that against the unspoken rules of an empty bar? 

"Hey man," Eric started to say, "Could you-" but the man turned to face him and Eric noticed his deep green eyes that seemed on the verge of tears. His jawline was sharp, but marred by a couple shaving scratches. 

"Never mind." Eric sighed. The man turned away and the bartender brought Eric his beer. She asked the stranger if he wanted anything, and, in a soft tone, he ordered a Bud. 

Something seemed familiar about the man, something beautiful and something he recognized.

"Do I know you?" Eric asked.

"Maybe?" The stranger answered, cocking his head and surveying Eric. "I'm Rob."