My fucking heart

Chapter 18

Raphael

Today is Friday. How quickly a week of vacation can pass by. Well, „vacation". It's not like I didn't have a various phone calls and emails with partners and customers every day. A bit of a bitter aftertaste when you're an independent entrepreneur.

Right now, Ben and Matt are chilling in my living room, thinking of a good reason to open a bottle of Möet at 2 p.m. without feeling like alcoholics with addiction problems.

„Somewhere in the world it's probably someone's birthday." Matt justified himself, while staring at the sealed bottle in the middle of the table. Ben changed his spot on the couch and scrolled through social media.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. We all looked up. „Are you expecting someone?" Ben asked and sat upright in order to appear well-mannered in front of visitors.

„Not that I know." I answered, got up and went to the door, curious who it could be. As soon as I opened the door, I saw a face that was all too familiar to me - Jasmin.

„Hey, my dear brother." she greeted me and immediately sneaked past me with a covered baking tray in her hands. She headed for the living room, a heavenly scent trailing behind her. When I closed the door and went back into the living room, Jasmin was already cutting her freshly baked cake, handing Ben and Matt a piece of it each. When the two of them had almost devoured their pieces, she immediately cut up more of it. Thank God, because it wasn't my turn yet.

„I just wanted to bring it over quickly. I thought it would be well received by you gluttons." Jasmin said as she looked at the tray, where large pieces were already missing. I shoveled the last bite into my mouth as I already set my sights on the next piece. God dammit, how awesome food can be.

Suddenly a loud bang! Jasmin jumped while Ben's and my eyes darted in the direction of the noise. „Heurika!" Matt called out, holding the open bottle of Moet in one hand and the loose cork in the other.

„Matt, I thought we wanted to find a good reason to open the bottle in the first place." Ben interjected, looking at Matt in disbelief.

„There is a reason, Jasmine is here." Matt replied, convincing us right away. I got up and got us glasses from the kitchen.

...

We had already finished part of the bottle when Jasmin's cell phone suddenly rang. She recieved a message. She threw her poker cards resignedly onto the table and sighed loudly. A quick look at it told me that she would have lost anyway. She stood up and took her cell phone out of her bag.

„Royal Flash." I bragged and laid my cards neatly at the table for everyone to see. Ben and Matt groaned in annoyance before throwing their cards onto the table as well.

Jasmin came back to us while typing furiously on her cell phone. She seemed focused.

„Is there a problem?" I asked as I collected the poker chips from the middle of the table and arranged them one above the other in front of me.

She looked up from her phone. „No, not really." she replied slyly. Then continued typing.

„Then why are you typing so much?" Matt asked curiously. I wouldn't have asked her about it, but I'm glad Matt did. I was curious too.

Jasmin huffed. „Ana is telling me about her date." She reported us without looking up from her cell phone. I pricked up my ears. Ana had a date? With who?

„And how did it go?" Ben asked. My attention was on Jasmin, waiting for her to answer the question. She just shrugged her shoulders. „The usual. Eat, talk, wait." She didn't say anything more.

So did it end well? What did they do? Suddenly I had some question, but I didn't ask them. Do not want to seem too interested.

I was thinking. Ana had been with a man. Did they get along well? Ana was easy to talk to and it's me, who says that - possibly the least talkative person there is. She keeps things light and always had a good answer. She has a strong opinion of her own, which I find very attractive in a woman.

She fascinates me in a way. The things she told me about herself, starting with her grandmother's favorite recipe, to her top five favorite books, to the scar on her knee that she got in elementary school because her schoolmate Patricia „the biggest bitch she knew" pushed her off the swing.

I enjoyed listening to her. She has a lovely way of speaking. I am interested in her person, and it seemed like she is interested in mine as well. Throughout the entire time she asked me many questions, some were superficial, some were more personal. I gave her the answers she wanted from me, even if she embellished her answers more than I embellished mine. But I've never been much of a talker.

We had good chats. I wonder if that was the case with this guy too?

Surely it would have been like that. Ana is great. Only a complete idiot wouldn't realize that.

I shifted back and forth in my seat, a strange feeling suddenly filling me. Somehow I didn't like it.