Stay with me...?

Stay with me...? chapter 9

The day started like any other. I woke up in your hotel room, the sunlight gently filtering through the curtains as the sounds of the city gradually stirred me up from a pretty deep sleep. After a quick shower, I put on one of the new outfits I had bought the day before—a cozy sweater paired with the perfectly distressed baggy jeans. I smiled at my reflection from the mirror, feeling confident and ready to take on whatever the day had in store.

Even though I've been trying to keep a low profile around the city, the thought of another day spent exploring Amsterdam was too tempting to resist. I decided to head out for a late breakfast at a café I got a recommendation from Instagram to try out. I've been told it has amazing pancakes, and after everything that had happened, I figured I deserved a treat.

The café was nestled in a quieter part of the city, with a few tables set outside under the shade of large trees. I found a spot and ordered the biggest stack of pancakes they had on the menu, along with a strong black coffee to shake off the last remnants of sleepiness left in me. As I waited for my food, I pulled out my phone and idly scrolled through social media, trying to catch up on the world back home.

That’s when I saw it—a notification from Alexander. My heart skipped a beat. It had been a few days since his breakup text, and I had hoped to avoid any further contact with that bastard. The message was short, almost curt: “Hope you’re doing okay (◍•ᴗ•◍).”

I stared at the phone screen, a swirl of emotions bubbling up inside of me. Anger, sadness, confusion… Why did he even bother? The breakup had felt abrupt and cold, and now this? A half-hearted check-in that did nothing but reopen wounds I was trying so hard to heal.

My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of my food. The sight of the fluffy pancakes piled high in front of me brought a temporary smile to my face. I decided to push Alexander out of my mind and focus on enjoying my late breakfast. The first bite was heavenly, and for a moment, everything else around me faded away.

As I ate, I found myself slowly returning to the peaceful mindset I had woken up with. I were determined not to let Alexander ruin my time here. After all, this trip was supposed to be about me—about rediscovering myself, about finding joy again.

Once I finished my meal, than paid the bill and decided to take a leisurely walk back towards my hotel. The weather was perfect, with a crisp breeze and the sun shining down just warm enough to be comfortable. The streets were bustling with locals and tourists alike, but I didn’t mind. It was nice to feel a part of the city’s rhythm, even if just for a little while.

As I turned around a corner, lost in thought, I nearly collided with someone.

“Shit, sorry!” I blurted out, stumbling slightly as I tried to avoid bumping into them.

“No worries! I should’ve been paying attention too,” A pretty familiar voice replied.

I looked up and felt my breath catch. Standing right in front of me, with that same easygoing grin, was Joost.

“Joost?” I asked, half-surprised, half-amused by the coincidence.

“Hey! Fancy seeing you here,” he replied, laughing. “We really need to stop meeting like this.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Yeah, it’s starting to feel like the universe is playing some kind of game.”

Joost tilted his head, pretending to consider my words. “Or maybe it’s trying to tell us something.”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his words. “Oh? And what’s that?”

He looked at me, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “You know, it seems like the universe keeps making us meet by accident, so I’ll take that as a sign to maybe give you my number?”

For a moment, I was too stunned to respond. Did Joost Klein—my idol since college, the musician whose work had meant so much to me—just suggest giving ME his number? I felt my heart skip a beat, a mix of excitement and disbelief flooding my senses.

“Are you serious?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

He chuckled, pulling out his phone. “Dead serious. We’ve run into each other more times than I can count, so why not make it easier on the universe, right?”

I was grinning like an idiot now, but I honestly didn’t care at all. “Yeah, I mean… sure, why not?” I fumbled with my own phone, still trying to wrap my head around what was happening right now. “Here, let me—”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Joost had already handed me his phone. I slowly took it, entering my number with a slight tremor in my hands. This was actually happening.

When I handed his phone back, he smiled. “There, now if we bump into each other again, it won’t be such a surprise.”

I laughed nervously, still riding the high of the moment. “Guess we’ll have to see what the universe has in store.”

He shot me a cheeky little wink. “I’ve got a feeling it’ll be good.”

We both stood there for a moment, the conversation naturally slowing as the reality of the exchange settled in. Joost seemed as relaxed as ever, while I was still trying to suppress the giddiness bubbling up inside of me.

“So, what are you up to today?” he asked casually.

“Not much, just… wandering around. Maybe do some more shopping or something,” I replied, trying to keep my cool to not look like an idiot.

“Nice, nice. Well, I’ve got some things to take care of, but maybe we can catch up later?”

I nodded, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Great,” he said, grinning once more at me. “I’ll text you later then.”

With that, he gave me a casual wave and turned to walk away. I stood there for a moment, watching him go, my mind racing.

As soon as he was out of sight, I let out a small, excited squeal, unable to contain myself any longer. Joost fucking Klein just gave me his number, ME out of all people. And he was going to text me later. This trip was turning out to be way more entertaining than I would have ever expected.

I continued my walk back to the hotel, my heart light and my mind buzzing with possibilities. The day had started off normally enough, but now it felt like anything could happen. I wasn't sure what the universe had in store for me, it honestly all felt like a dream, but whatever it was, I was more than ready for it.

Back in my hotel room, I collapsed onto the soft mattress of the bed, staring at my phone in disbelief. I scrolled through my contacts, stopping when I saw the new entry: “Joost K.”

I let out another small laugh, feeling a mixture of disbelief and pure joy going through me. Things were definitely looking up.

As I lay there, a thought crossed my mind—maybe this trip was exactly what I needed after all. The universe, it seemed, had a funny way of working things out.

[[I'm back with a new chapter y'all!!! And as promised, the phone numbers exchange happened. This chapter was honestly so fun to write and stuff, tho it might be somewhere long, in my opinion it's enjoyable. Anyways, see you soon with a new chapter!!]]

[[Btw, I gotta say goodbye to my favorite manga, My hero academia, I'm honestly so depressed that it ended, I cried countless times when the spoilers of the chapter appeared and it ended right before my Izuku plushie was supposed to arrive. Anyways, goodbye forever, BNHA, I'll miss you]]