Month: September 2022

“Sorry for ruining the mood…”

“Hey, it’s perfectly fine. I’ll go make you some tea for now.”

Jenny hugs the blanket she was given, watching the man she came here with head to his kitchen. Randy, she hopes. After what happened, she wanted to at least get his name right. Leaning back against the couch, she thinks about how she got there.

It was a night like any other, especially for a freshly on-break college student. She was finally letting loose for a bit, spending time with her friends at their usual haunts. With this newfound freedom, they all decided to cruise for a bit to find someone else to spend time with. That’s when Jenny caught sight of Randy. There was something about him that made her feel weirdly at ease, especially when they started talking. Her friends seemed to agree, leaving her alone with him after a while when they’d usually hover close by the whole night. The two hit it off great, and with all the surprisingly high quality drinks the place always provided, the mood was just right for them to spend some quality time together. Or at least that was the plan.

Jenny sighs, probably for the fifth time that night, sitting up and looking around the unfamiliar apartment. It was similar to her own; they ended up being in the same building after all. Though it was also the kind of place that looks like a controlled mess. ‘Birds of a feather’ really hits the mark sometimes. She looks towards the kitchen, just in time for Randy to come her way. He sets two cups on his coffee table, sitting next to Jenny. Not too close, she notes, but not too far from her either.

He looks at Jenny, making sure she’s still comfortable before settling into the couch. “I didn’t know what kind you’d like, so we’ve got chamomile and matcha.”

“Thank you…” Jenny leads forward to grab the cup of chamomile, sipping it slowly as she finds her words. “Not just for the tea. For…noticing something was wrong.”

Randy nods, picking up the cup of matcha. 

“Of course Jenny. You were shaking a lot.”

As soon as they had gotten to the bed, and as soon as he had climbed over her, it was clear just how tense she had gotten. Even just leaning closer to her made the bed jitter even more, so Randy stood up quickly to give her some space. Before she knew it, she was wrapped up tightly in a soft blanket and led to the living room. She guessed it was to get her to a more open space. Truthfully, she was incredibly thankful. Taking a sip of his own tea, Randy reaches towards Jenny, and when she doesn’t move away, he places a hand on her back, rubbing in gentle circles.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t pry, but…if you need someone to talk to, I’m all ears.”

Jenny nods, taking another sip of tea before sitting up to look at Randy. He gave her such a soft look, it felt like she could talk about anything at that moment and he’d quietly listen until she was done. The embarrassment this situation unfortunately made her feel was overpowered by just…the knowledge that she could talk about it.

“Thank you. This…well, I’m sure you can sorta guess what happened to get me to react like that. It’s just…it happened a long time ago, so I thought I was over it by now.”

Randy moves to hold Jenny’s hand now, giving it a light squeeze. “Right?”

She squeezes his hand back, continuing. “But…but I’m not over it. And it sucks. It sucks to feel like this with someone I vibe with so well.”

Jenny starts to talk about what happened. Nothing too specific, her friends couldn’t even get that out of her, but enough for Randy’s face to change just as much as hers probably was telling the story. Even with the chills coming over her, remembering that excruciating moment, the warmth from the blanket and from the hand holding hers was enough to get her through it. By the end, they had finished their tea and were sitting much closer to each other.

“Thank you for telling me, Jenny. I…I’m really sorry that something like that happened to you.”

Jenny shrugs. “Eh, it’s been a long time now. I’m in a better place.” Leaning her head against his shoulder, she continues. “Especially right now.”

Randy smiles, wrapping an arm around Jenny. “I’m glad you feel so comfortable with me, the vibe check your friends put me through made me more than a little nervous about messing up.”

She giggles, leaning into him more. “Heheh, sorry about that. It was my first time seeking someone out on my own in a while, so they were especially worried.”

Jenny gets pulled into a proper hug now, which she gladly reciprocates.

“I can see why. I hope I made it worth coming out tonight, Jenny. Even with it bringing up some bad feelings.”

Jenny hugs Randy just a bit tighter. “Definitely. I couldn’t have picked someone better to have a sudden episode with, I’d say.”