Found Along The Way

Chapter Three

The room was loud with chatter once again. More so this time since it was Jeremy's birthday, and there were hugs and gifts being passed along to him. Anya decided not to bring a gift since she didn't know whether it would be appropriate to bring one with her only meeting Jeremy once before.

She stood there awkwardly while the commotion continued for the next 5 minutes or so, but it wasn't so bad, considering she couldn't keep her eyes off of that particular writer.

Lucas was looking good, and oh boy did she know it.

The colourful group leader led the writers class once again, and Anya could feel her anxiety building with the time.

At the end of the hour everyone filed out of the room and headed toward the bus stop for the bar.

"Lina."

Anya grabbed her best friend's hand with a worried expression on her face.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if I can do this."

"What?"

"It feels wrong, like... a betrayal to Daniel?" She barely knew what she was saying, just trying to come up with a reason to back out.

"Oh my god. Are you serious lady? Do I have to remind you that he's TERRIBLE?"

"But..."

"Either way, you're only introducing yourself to Lucas. It's harmless, you're not getting married."

"It just feels like... cheating. What if something bad happens?"

"Anya you're not together, he's gone, and he actually cheated. Not you. Remember?"

The day after the breakup, just after Anya begged for Daniel back (which evidently didn't go as planned), Lina had found him behind a convenience store making out with some girl from his college. Tricia, a mythic blonde bitch who was conveniently in a band with Daniel. Of course things like this don't just happen the day after ending a relationship, they had to have been doing things behind Anya's back before the breakup. Which was confirmed when Lina confronted the bitch. Tricia would never have been predicted as Daniel's cheating type, but people can definitely surprise you. And oh boy, did Daniel have a lot of surprises.

"You love me, and only me, right?"

"Anya, yes, you're the only girl for me. You shouldn't even be asking."

Bullshit.

"Ok. I can do this. It isn't even that significant! And it'll be good for me."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

The bar was crowded and full of noise from drunken bar-goers, Anya wasn't even sure how she'd fit into a gap Lucas could see her in. The writers ordered drinks and sat in a dirty red booth, chatting about how Jeremy had hit the big two-five. Anya was beginning to regret coming to the 'big birthday bash' of someone she didn't even know. It was incredibly awkward and she just didn't fit in. She whipped out her notebook and started tracing an outline plan for an art piece which had suddenly struck her mind. She began to get lost in it, making that face Daniel adored so much. Lina kicked her in the leg under the table, and she suddenly snapped out of her zone. Which (as she now realised) was incredibly rude of herself to do while everyone else was conversing, and, you know, being adults.

She sat upright and pretended to listen to everyone.

"People let's take this to the dance floor!"

Lina led everyone to the space just in front of the bar. Music blaring, people screaming, shots being downed, drinking games chanted, everyone shoving, the space was getting tighter, all her senses being overloaded with each passing second,

Anya couldn't breathe.

"Lina!"

Anya tried to get her attention but to no avail.

"Lina!!"

It was no use, she was too caught up in the chaotic fun of things, Lina was like that.

Anya made a run for the door in a panic, when she got outside the wind embraced her and she could see clearly again. Breathe in, breathe out.

"Breathe in, breathe out Anya. I know it's scary but you have absolutely got this."

"You'll be there, in the audience, for me to focus on, right?"

"Of course I will love. You have your speech prepared and you're talking about what you love. Art."

"God, what did I do to deserve you Daniel?"

Daniel smiled and held Anya's hands in his own. They were shaking, but steady when he was near.

"Now I have to go, you're amazing."

He kissed her forehead and went to go sit in the audience, awaiting Anya to go on stage and give her speech.

She had been selected as one of the student artists to have their art feature in the town's museum, and to also give a speech at the art reveal ceremony. It was a huge and terrifying moment for her, and Daniel was there.

She sat on the wall outside the bar's back door, and gazed at the evening sky. A sight she loved so much. It was therapeutic, calming, and exactly what she needed right now. A few moments had passed when she heard the door open behind her, she turned to look at the person there, and oh god. It was Lucas.

Shit. It had to be him, didn't it?

"Hey, are you ok? I noticed you leave in quite the hurry."

"Oh, yeah, I'm all good."

Anya smiled, trying to seem okay, to not worry him into an awkward conversation.

"Honestly," He stuttered, "I've never been one for a party environment, at least not like that."

"Really? You seemed pretty up in those drinking games to me."

They both chuckled, the conversation was happening anyway, and it wasn't awful...

"Eh well I tried, but it just confirmed how not me it is."

"Well you've gotta try before you know, that's what my mom says."

"You're Annie, Lina's friend right?"

"Anya, and yeah. But I could not be more different."

She looked through the window at her best friend who was now being cheered on while taking shots.

"Things are pretty wild in there huh?"

"Yeah I should probably take her home before she cheats on her man." She joked, making him laugh. His laugh was a soft one, pretty and kind, it made Anya have a strange feeling of safety...

"Well if you wanna get a coffee or something after writers group someday then we could totally do that."

Anya's heart almost flipped in her chest.

"Totally." She smiled, "But, I'm not a writer, you should know. I can't write at all, Lina just brings me to get me out of the house." Was that too much information? Did he really need to know? She asked herself these questions and hoped she hadn't ruined things.

"Great! I need fewer writer friends honestly. So what do you do, Anya?"

"I- I paint, I'm an artist I guess. And-" Anya noticed Lina in the window, stood on a table which didn't look steady in the slightest. "Shit. I'll tell you over that coffee yeah? I have to go rescue a drunk girl now." She laughed.

They shared a smile and waved goodbye, and the fact that Lina almost puked on her shoes on the way home couldn't shake that feeling of butterflies in Anya's chest. Did he just ask her on a date? An actual date!? It didn't seem like something that would happen again in a million years, and it made her smile, want to jump and shout with happiness.

But something sat under the joy, doubt. Everything that happened with Daniel, everything he did and every bad decision he made, started off with a first date. What if the same happened this time, with Lucas? Crap.