It Had To Be You ~ Joost Klein

Chapter 5 - Rosy Crown

Thursday, it was Thursday yet again, and my alarm woke me up right at 8:30. However, I felt widely different. Today, I woke up not feeling drowsy, which confused me beyond repair, considering I didn't go to sleep until 2 in the morning. I got out of bed swifter than usual and got myself in the shower.

While waiting for the water to warm up, I sat on the toilet in my towel, doing a full-body scan. Why am I so... okay? That doesn't even make sense... What the fuck is happening, was all I could think to myself as I noticed my normal morning phlegm was non-existent. There wasn't that gross taste in my mouth that had to be scrubbed away viciously with my tongue scraper, and my hair wasn't completely tangled. I got up from the toilet and looked into the mirror, poking under my eye to prove to myself it wasn't puffy.

"Finally got some good sleep then?" I uttered out loud to myself. I tested the water in the shower and decided that it was adequate enough for me to finally step in.

The water hit my face, completely washing away any sweat from last night's concert. Oh, last night... I had just remembered, and I then remembered my interactions with that Dutch boy Joost, that Uber ride, and then talking to Natalie before going to bed. I started to replay Joost's and my interactions while washing my hair, mouthing out the conversation we had as if I were there again. However, this time, I was smiling a lot more and adding things that didn't happen to add fuel to the fantasy, things I could have said, and what would have resulted from it. If I felt so bold to have invited him back to my place after paying for my Uber...

Woah! Pause! He was being friendly, and you're being weird! I mentally slapped myself and told myself to just lock the fuck in. I finished the rest of my shower, thinking of my plan for today and trying to keep my thoughts in line.

Finally, I exited the shower with a towel wrapped around my head and body so I wouldn't drip water everywhere. The first thing I saw when I entered the room was Joost's jacket neatly placed on my desk chair, so I wouldn't dirty it. The memory of his voice played in my head as he put it on my cold frame and how his hand was so firm when I tried to remove the garment. This caused me to physically shake my head as if to wring out the memory. I rolled my eyes at my cringy loneliness and folded it, deciding that it would be best to return it to him when I went to Bram's. Even if he wasn't there, I know Bram would hold onto it for him.

With that being said, should I talk to Bram about his daughter? A part of me wanted to, but the other part of me knew he hadn't given up that information to me yet, so maybe I should continue acting as if I didn't know. Though it was only briefly mentioned in Joost and I's conversation last night, I was thinking about it a lot before I went to sleep. The closest person I've ever lost was probably a grandparent, but your child could drive anyone crazy.

I decided to keep what I knew to myself because there had to be a reason he hadn't told me. I put on a comfortable outfit of hoodie and jeans and was about to make my way out the door when Natalie called for me from the living room.

I peeked my head around the corner, and I saw her put her laptop down on the coffee table, "Hey, I wanted to chat for a sec, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah of course," I sat beside her on the couch, "What's up?"

She fidgeted with her hair for a moment before speaking up, "I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for Cornelia last night. I was about to go back to you, but then she stopped me and would not stop talking my ear off. I didn't want to be rude, but I also knew you were waiting for me. I know last night was supposed to be for us, and I kind of ruined that, so again, I'm really, really sorry."

I smiled from how ernest she was being. It was clear that it was eating away at her for a bit, considering her apologetic look. "I know how much of a people pleaser you are, so it's okay. Thank you for apologizing. I won't lie and say I wasn't upset by it, considering I was looking forward to spending time with you, but there are always other days when we can spend time together. Also, I guess it worked out... for me at least," I shared, and she regained half of her happy composure.