When One Story Should End, Another Begins

Chapter 3: Nice to Meet When It Isn't Life or Death

You: Hey, this is Y/N

Wade: Hey, meet me at the taco truck on 42nd st around 7 tmrw nite? I guess 2nite lol

You'd texted the number Wade gave you as soon as you got home so you wouldn't forget and so Wade had your number as well. He answered pretty quickly, and his response prompted you to check the time. It was 4:30 AM, and you were absolutely exhausted. You tossed your things onto the counter of your kitchen and immediately flopped into bed, shoes still on but you didn't care. Before you knew it, you were out like a light.

...

Some time later, you had no idea how long, you slowly woke up from what felt like a coma rather than a nap. At first, you were completely disoriented and didn't know what was happening, but slowly the memories of the night before crept back into your mind, snatching you from your pleasant sleep and into a very harsh reality. 

You'd tried to kill yourself, and, in the process, almost killed a stranger. You should be dead, and if not you, then certainly Wade; no human should survive what he did. At first, the memories seemed like a bizarre fever dream, but as you checked your phone and saw Wade's number in your phone, you realized that it was all too real. You also noticed that it was 3:30 PM. Fuck. Despite every atom in your being desperately wanting to stay in bed for the next week, you knew you needed to see Wade. You needed answers, and if nothing else, probably owed him an explanation as well.

After laying in bed for another two hours but with no luck sleeping, you rolled out of your comfy bed at 5:30 PM to get ready. Padding over to your bathroom and turning on the shower, you realized you hadn't really bathed in days. Yeah, depression will do that to you. However, you forced yourself to undress and step into the shower, the water feeling wonderful against your skin. As you washed your hair, you realized how much better you felt already and you hardly wanted to get out now. After a good 30 minutes, most of which were spent just appreciating the feeling of the water cascading over you and caressing you with its intoxicating warmth, you stepped out of the shower, still blanketed by the steam that had filled your bathroom. You proceeded to dry your hair and apply some makeup, the first time in what was probably months. It was weird; you hardly ever put effort into your appearance, so why did you now? It certainly wasn't to impress the stranger who wouldn't even show you his face. Regardless, you made your way into your bedroom and picked your favorite casual outfit and slipped it on. Before leaving, you stopped to look at yourself in the full body mirror in your room. And to think, you were supposed to be dead right now, but instead you were on your way to meet the charming if not very odd stranger who'd saved your life, and for some reason, you weren't too mad about it.

It was about 6:45 now as you made your way to the lobby of your apartment before stepping out into the chilly city night and walking down several blocks to the street where Wade mentioned. Come to think of it, you didn't know what he looked like, how would you find him? One would hope he'd at least recognize you, but if he was a no show, you'd have no good way of knowing. Pushing the thoughts away for now, you spotted the food cart Wade picked and you walked towards it, leaning against a building wall when you got close, as you pulled out your phone to check the time and see if Wade texted at all: 7:04 and nothing from Wade. You started to worry that this may have been a mistake- you hardly knew the man, and what you did know was more than a little bizarre, he clearly had secrets, who knows if he even actually cares and-

"Hey." The voice a few feet behind you made you jump more than you'd like, making your cheeks turn rosy from embarrassment as you turned to face the familiar speaker. "Damn, I seriously do need to get better at introducing myself. The first time I almost scared you off a building, now this. Either you're weirdly jumpy or I really just suck at this," he teased. You were absolutely astounded to see him up and walking around completely normally, as if he hadn't just survived what should've been certain death less than 24 hours ago. He was wearing a red hoodie and black jeans with boots, and, to your surprise, still had the mask on. The mask who's eyes gave him a strange, almost inhuman appearance, which, given what you'd witnessed the previous night, might not be that crazy to think.