Blind Date

Breathe Again

"There's no way. I'm busy." Wonho whined into the phone as he worked on the paperwork in front of him.

"You're always busy." Came the annoyed reply.

"Which is why I'm saying no."

"Is that your final answer?"

"Jooheon! I'm in the middle of paperwork right now, so if that's all..." Wonho trailed off as he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous question.

"You owe me, Wonho." Jooheon spoke right before Wonho could end the call.

"You're really cashing in your one favor for me to go on a blind date?"

"Yes, because I miss my best friend. You've been throwing yourself into work and avoiding not just me, but all of us ever since you broke up with him."

"Don't." Wonho's hands stilled over the paperwork starting to shake a little. He didn't want to talk about it. He never wanted to talk about it.

"Its been almost a year, Wonho. It's time to move on." Jooheon's voice was surprisingly stern saying the words he knew would upset his best friend.

"Ugh! It's your favor...if you want to waste it, th-"

"Awesome! You're the best! I'll text you the details." Jooheon cut Wonho off before he could change his mind or talk his way out of it, and promptly hung up. Wonho looked down at his phone with a shocked expression before shaking his head and slipping it back in his pocket.
Jooheon was right. He had been throwing himself into work since the break up, but it was the only thing that kept him from completely breaking down. Wonho hated being single. He felt so alone and his apartment felt so empty and cold. Unfortunately, going out on a date still felt like he was cheating on his ex.
Wonho's phone vibrated as he received the details for the date. He decided to ignore it for now and continued to work on the paperwork. For the first time in a long time he just wanted to go home. He felt so anxious and tired at the same time. A couple of his coworkers walked by saying their farewells on their way out. They were used to Wonho being the last one there by now, so no one offered to help. He sighed, starting to work just a little faster so he could leave quicker.
He kept the radio off in his car on the way back to his apartment even though he was dreading the silence that awaited him when he got home. He instantly missed the hustle and bustle of being at work. His thoughts turned into wishing he had stayed and pulled a double as soon as he pulled into his parking spot.
Wonho dropped his keys on the table near the door, and finally pulled his phone out. Jooheon had scheduled the blind date for tomorrow, probably to make sure there was no way Wonho could back out. His best friend was the only one who knew tomorrow was one of his rare days off, annoyingly enforced by his boss. Wonho shook his head and smiled fondly, remembering how much his best friend had nursed him through after the break up even though most of the time Wonho had protested.

"Maybe I should just get a cat." Wonho spoke into the silence. It seemed like a better decision than allowing his heart to be broken again. He thought about trying to cancel for a moment, but Jooheon had only given him a place and time. He knew he really had to do this favor for his best friend, and backing out would be unacceptable.
Nervousness set in as Wonho started on his nighttime routine. His thoughts raced as he showered, imagining every best and worst possible scenario. He tried to push the thoughts away multiple times, but always ended up drifting right back. It was distracting him so much he couldn't enjoy the tv show he was currently in the middle of, making him rewind more than once. He ended up turning it off and resigning himself to try and sleep, but the 'what ifs' flowing through his head caused him to toss and turn. He finally fell into a restless sleep only to wake up tired and now dreading the blind date even more.
His nervous energy pushed him into deep cleaning his apartment while a playlist of his favorite songs played in the background to help try to calm him. Time flowed past way too quickly for Wonho's liking and soon he barely had time to shower before leaving for the date. He had thrown on a white henley shirt and light wash blue jeans.
He ended up being late. The cafe wasn't too far, it was just once there Wonho just sat in his car for a few minutes debating on going in or just calling Jooheon and begging him to get him out of this. In the end Wonho got out of the car, because he wasn't about to rudely stand his date up. He entered the cafe and looked around for a person with their keys on the table.