When One Story Should End, Another Begins

Chapter 5: Bad Ideas, Good Stories

Attempting suicide seems like it would (or at least, should) have a massive impact on one's life; however, ever since that night, life has continued to go on, hardly affected. You got up every morning, ran errands and did chores, continued to search for a job, and even visited with a few friends and family. It was especially strange talking to loved ones, knowing you held a life-changing secret from them, of which they had absolutely no idea.

The only person who knew was Wade.

Spending of whom, the two of you had been texting quite regularly since the last time you saw him, getting to know one another better.

It was currently around 8 PM, and you'd spent much of the day doing chores and catching up on some shows. Admittedly, it seemed a bit late to ask him to hang, but to be fair, Wade didn't strike you as a guy who had a consistent or normal sleep schedule. So, you decide to step out of your comfort zone and initiate for once.

You: Hey Wade, busy tonight?

Wade: Hey! was literally just about to text u lol. and nope, just got done with work 4 the day, I'm actually walking home now. pretty nice out 2nite, wanna go 4 a walk?

You: Sounds great! Meet you at the corner of 26th and 54th in 20 min?

He responded with a thumbs up emoji and you made quick work of getting dressed to go outside. Wade was right, the weather had been fairly nice recently, but it still got chilly at night in your city often. After stopping in the bathroom to fix your hair, brush your teeth, and touch up your makeup, you made your way to the closet to pull on a thin coat with a beanie and fashion boots before heading out of your building to the streets to walk to the place where you asked Wade to meet you.

Once you got there, your friend was nowhere to be seen, and for a moment the fear creeped into your mind that perhaps he'd changed his mind or stood you up. Only a few more minutes of waiting, though, you finally saw his familiar face walking towards you in the night lights.

Or, rather, the familiar mask.

Once he walked up to you, he began, "Shit, sorry I'm late, I had to drop off some things from work at my apartment. Can I buy you coffee to make up for it?" You waved a dismissive hand at him, unbothered that he was a little late and understanding of what it's like to be tight on time from the late nights you used to work.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, it's 8:30, who drinks coffee at this hour?" You teased with a smile.

"I do, because I'm an idiot with no sense of self preservation and no regular sleep schedule." He retorted with a chuckle. Well, you were correct in your assumption that Wade wasn't exactly someone who operated on a normal schedule. As you were thinking about how that must impact his job, whatever that is, he interrupted your thoughts.

"At least let me get you a hot chocolate or something. C'mon, the air is a little chilly and you know it sounds good," he persuaded with what you assumed was a grin underneath the mask that always concealed his features in public.

"Fine," you gave in with a soft smile, leading him to extend his arm for you to link yours with his as he lead you down the street.

"There's a Starbucks a few blocks down, but there's a really good place by the park on the next street over," he offered.

"I mean, I'm always looking to try new things," you replied, and he nodded as he pressed the button on the crosswalk to make your way to the other place he mentioned.

After about ten minutes of walking with pleasant small talk, you two finally arrived at the cafe and decided on takeout for your drinks so that you could enjoy them in the park together.