Mild (Very mild) NSFW I just figured I should flare it.
We all die in the end, that’s my only comfort. The moral of this story? Be careful who you talk to, they might not even be what they seem. He’s the one who taught me that.
I lived a happy life. Everything went my way, and I had everything I could ever want. Whenever I thought of something I wanted, I received it, and I was content. Well, everything that is except for a significant other.
I’d known I was bisexual for a while, with the great spice of being aromantic. The ability to be attracted to multiple genders, but not a single feature of an emotional connection to those I should “love”. This had been my only deficiency. I was aromantic and bi, so I had more to choose from but neither that I could love. My first boyfriend wanted more in a relationship, and a girlfriend was disappointed in the shortcomings of my affection. It was the only thing I wanted, and as an inconvenience, it grew into mildly aggravating insecurity. That’s when I started seeing him.
I was walking home from the store with a smile on my face. It was a beautiful day, and there wasn’t much that could affect my mood negatively, excluding that which dealt with my lack of a significant other. The sun was getting slightly above the horizon giving everything a beautiful glow in the morning light. There was a soft breeze that made today almost magical, and last night’s rain had cleared any impurities from the air.
I had gotten the ingredients for tonight’s supper. Parmesan penne pasta sided with cooked lemon chicken and a slight twinge of garlic salt. It would take about an hour to make, and it was worth it. My favorite meal and a thirty-minute walk to boost my mood were all that I needed for a great day.
A soft, revving engine broke me out of this stupor. He was in a gorgeous car. It was a sleek black Camaro. The window was down revealing a handsome man inside. Just like his car, this man could probably make everyone’s head turn. Dark brown, bordering on black, fluffy hair complemented his tan face that was sporting a sharp jawline. He looked out his window towards the innocent bystander that was myself and nodded.
He’s cute. My mind interjected. He is, but he’s probably straight, and even if that’s not true he’s out of my league and probably wants somebody that can love him. He then drove off, dismissing himself from my presence. This was slightly disheartening towards the beauty of today, but I couldn’t let the interaction between us ruin my day, after all this is what I’ve acclimated myself to… loneliness.
The sun was pushing towards noon when I finally made it back to my house. My dog barked as I entered; seemingly angry that I had left her there with a full bowl of food, and an ice cream bucket full of water. She was white with brown spots covering her. All around she was junk that made it difficult for both of us to squeeze through. I guess I’d have to clean when I got the time.
“What do you want, Ash?” I asked as she wiggled her tail uncontrollably while walking towards me. “Door,” I said. Quickly Ash ran towards where I had just entered and jumped on the door shutting it. “Good girl.” I adopted her several years ago and trained her to the best of my ability.
I walked into the kitchen with an energetic fluff ball following in close pursuit. “Sit,” and as per her training, she listened. She always followed my instructions, and every time she did it made my day much better.
The kitchen had a rustic vibe to it. Mason jars were spread all over the place, slightly rusty tin hung on the walls, bright lights swung underneath the tin strips, and the mainly dominant color was silver and rust with woody undertones.
I set my bags down on the table and started putting everything away. When I was done putting everything in its respective place, Ash was still in her sitting position. I decided to give her a treat. The day went on without incident and led to the delicious finale of pasta.
I finished eating a great dinner and got ready for bed. My room and a dark aesthetic. There was a jar of peacock feathers in a glass jar beside a piano. On the other side of the room, there was a dresser with a shamrock plant that was thriving. Next to the dresser was a desk wielding a candle holder I made by hand and more mason jars, this time with pencils and pens in them.
When I got on to bed Ash jumped up. I then reprimanded her and pushed her off the bed. She lay next to my sleeping place and started to rest her head. She sure does shed a lot. I thought as I closed my eyes.
Light shone through the curtains the next morning. I looked around in a slight panic. Even with the rays from the sun my room still held onto bits of darkness. I’d had a nightmare, nothing unusual, but my heart was racing. Ash seemed to notice my dismay and walked over to comfort me. I patted her head, and she wagged her tail. Why does my room smell like copper? I thought. I didn’t have the time to worry about it though, I had work soon.
I got dressed in my usual suit and started to head out. My closet smelled a tad musty. Maybe I should clean the house. I gave Ash her food and water for the day and left. I knew Ash didn’t need to be locked up because she always minded very well.
This morning was much clearer than yesterday. The sun shone on the trees giving them a neon-green look. It was time for another good day. I took in a deep breath of fresh air and started to walk to my business for my workday. That’s when I saw him again.
The soft revving of an engine caught my attention. The window was still down allowing me to see his beautiful face again. As was my habit towards others I smiled, raised two fingers in an odd wave, and nodded my head. He looked in my direction, lifted his pointer finger off the wheel, and drove away.
Definitely straight, I thought. He looked like he was headed off in the same direction as me. Even if he’s not straight, he’s still something I’d like to look at. I couldn’t be mad at my brain’s random thought because it was true. Maybe I’d see him after I got done with my job.
Leaves glowed bright greens and birds sang amongst themselves showering everyone with warbles and chirps. It was a chill morning, around 60 degrees Fahrenheit outside providing me with a comfortable temperature to walk in.
Although beautiful, the walk to work was uneventful. There was nothing but a couple of cars present in the streets and a few of their owners bustling about in their workplaces. No small talk was made, and no Camero was seen.
I turned a corner to see my fine establishment. It was a nice building with glass windows lining the walls, and a futuristic look to it. My building was 4 stories tall and had a beautiful view from the roof. I was so happy when I finally found an engineer that could make my idea come to reality.
I walked in and everyone that was already present warmly greeted me. The inside was a warm gray color as well as some flares of color throughout on post boards. Plenty of desks and computers were scattered everywhere. After welcoming me the entirety of my staff sat back down and got to work.
“Welcome back sir!” It was my most trusted accountant. She was a beautiful brunette with dark brown eyes. She stood a few inches shorter than me, although she probably never noticed that. Whenever she addressed me her head was down tending to some other matters, like the clipboard in her hands.. “We have someone you might want to talk to.” She said shortly slipping into silence.
“Okay,” I responded, an obvious tension now in the air.
‘Talking’ usually resulted in me firing someone. It was my company and ever since I started it I held my employees to a relatively high standard. In this work, if there was a misstep we could be set back several days, so I often had to fire someone for their wrongdoings.
“Tell them to meet me in my office,” She nodded. “Thank you, Sam.” She smiled and walked away so I went towards the back of the building by my office. I opened the door, walked over to my desk, and sat down. I was on the fourth floor, and my office had a glass wall, so I had the best view out of the entire building. No other buildings rose as tall as mine, and I took pride in that fact. I could see a ways away, and the morning sun shone on the surrounding buildings below giving the world a glimmering touch.
“Sir,” Sam said slowly, surprising me. “John would like to talk to you,”.
“Let him in,” I responded. In walked a man. This man, John, had been with us since the founding of my company. As long as his mistake wasn’t too bad I could probably keep him at work. He was rather pale and seemed a little downcast with a hint of fear. He wore a suit very similar to mine. I looked him up and down and smiled. He on the other hand did not return the favor. “What’re you in here for?” I asked jokingly. This got a slight smile on his face as he relaxed. I decided I’d approach this in a friendly manner. “So what do you need John?”
“I… I,” He stammered, still scared. I signaled for him to take a deep breath in. Sam slowly started closing the door, but several security personnel slithered in. They had badges showing that they were here for business. They always entered my office when I had a talk with anyone. John looked backward and got even more nervous. I wasn’t surprised at his fear. The security guards were bulging with muscle, had beards, and visible tattoos, and sported an array of lethal and nonlethal weapons.
In the most soothing and calm voice, I could muster I said, “John, take a deep breath.”
He did as I commanded and finally continued. “I made a mistake.” He said with a slight hiccup in his voice.
“How big of a mistake?” I asked with slight concern while adjusting the picture of my family on my desk.
“Not too big,” He said and then stopped. “It… it… it’s a grade 7.”
A grade 7? That’s not too bad, but it still wouldn’t fly. This type of mistake could cost us about a week’s amount of work. A one is the worst that can happen and a ten is not very consequential.
“Since I hold all my staff to such a high standard I will probably have to fire y-“
“Please!” He cut me off. “I have a wife and two children! I’m the only one that can provide for them, they need me!” He started to sob. I slowly slid a box of tissues over to him and he took some. Passing the box of tissues wasn’t just to console him but to keep my anger in check too. He tried throwing the tissues into the trash can but missed.
When he was done I stood up calmly and looked down at the sniveling mess before me. I felt a small amount of pity for him and I was considering not firing him since he had been with us since the beginning. Heck, he had been one of the people that helped me found this company.
“I,” I said with calm emphasis, “was going to keep you here.” There was a hint of agitation in my voice, nevertheless, I continued. “You have been such a help, but that little outburst there will now cost you your job.”
“NO!” He screamed standing up. The security guards approached him and started to escort him out. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so, sorry! I’ll do anything! Please don’t fire me!!!” Soon he was out of the room with only Sam and I left.
“Sam,” I started.
“Yes sir?” She stated.
“Please clean up those tissues John left behind,” I commanded.
“Yes sir.” Said Sam slowly seizing tissues.
When she left I thought back on what had happened. I was slightly disturbed by John’s pleads, but I shrugged it off, after all, he was the one who messed up. I have no obligation to keep him. I got out a little notebook with a black leather cover and wrote down his name and the date. I looked back and saw several other names of people I’d fired. There weren’t too many compared to how many I thought I might fire by this time.
Amy Lynn Bradley: 1/31/21
Anthony Ross Allen: 2/16/21
Steven Koecher: 3/4/21
John Jackson: 3/24/21
I’d have to find somebody to replace him though, someone better. I’d put up an advertisement in the classifieds for a new worker. Besides that, today was turning out to be a good day.
As a complement to my optimism, I saw him again. I had just gotten off work and was heading home. I decided to stop by the store to get myself a treat for the stress of my workday. As I walked by the parking lot in front of the store I saw his Camaro. My heart started to quicken a little.
I walked into the store and looked around. Tans, oranges, and reds popped out, but what I was looking for wasn’t anywhere in sight. With that, I decided to discontinue my search and get what I came for.
I headed to the candy aisle and grabbed a bag. Lemon drops are a tangy but sweet treat. The first couple of seconds they taste so sour, and after a bit they get sweet. Lemon drops have always improved my day, even if it had been a little difficult.
“Lemon drops huh?” Came a deep but soothing voice. People often describe voices as silk or butter. The only way I can think to describe his voice is an iron ball. Deep, head, and smooth. I spun around to see dark hair, a tan face, and strong cheekbones talking to me. His eyes were a perfect mix of blue and green, making it so I couldn’t quite make out what the dominant color was.
“Ya,” I was nervous and didn’t know what to say. “They’re my favorite.”
“Hm…” He said contemplatively with a beautiful grin spreading across his face.
“What?” I asked, starting to blush.
He extended his hand, grabbed the bag from me, and smiled even more. I tried resisting the pull of his grab, but he was too strong, and I was too enamored by his physique to stop him. His muscles were more defined than I’d previously noticed.
“Nothing.” He retorted with a short, low chuckle. He then handed the bag back to me. He had a watch on, and the wristband… the wristband was rainbow. “It’s just, out of the three times I’ve seen you I just didn’t peg you,” He hesitated purposefully before continuing. “as the type to like lemon drops.”
I was dumbfounded. How had he known I was into him? “Ya,” I replied slowly. “How… How did you,” I started accusatorily before he cut me off.
“Know? The way you look at me reeks of desperation.”
I smile and look down. “Well, you’re not wrong,” I responded slightly blushing.
“Well seeing as I’m not wrong, how about you do something right and give me your number?” I hesitated only for a moment before telling him my number. He looked me dead in the eyes before saying, “I’m aromantic if that’s okay with you. I may not be able to fall in love with anyone, but I always can gi-,” He stopped when he saw the look on my face. “I guess not. Sorry to have disturbed you.” He said dismissively and he started to walk away.
“No!” I said stopping his retreat. “I’m aromantic too.” He turned, a bit of a stunned look on his face. His surprise soon wore off and he smiled yet again.
“Well, then you might know what I’ve been through.” He sighed.
I nodded and he smiled again. “Well,” he started. “I’ll be in touch with you to…” He hesitated to think of something. “To talk.” He waved and said one last thing before leaving. “It’s Callin by the way.” Callin. Cal-in. That’s not a name you hear every day, but it was worth the wait. I stood for a while, astonished that he had talked to me. I had to tell my sister and mother.
Oh, you don’t know about my sister or my mother, do you? They’re not completely like me but they do like to talk about boys. I decided to shoot them a text and go back to my house after getting my other snack.
I walked home in the evening glow of the sun. It took about thirty minutes, but I soon got home and was greeted by Ash. Again I said ‘door’, and soon it was shut. “Thank you,” I said. I was soon shown the same amount of energy as yesterday.
I walked into the kitchen and refilled Ash’s food bowl and got ready to cook dinner before I got a message on my phone. Hopefully, that was my sister or mother. We needed to talk.
Unknown: Hey this is Callin! Wanna go eat tomorrow?
He was messaging me this fast? He must be just as excited as I was.
Me: Sure, where do you want to eat?
Callin: I was thinking we could go out to the Chinese buffet on the 25th.
Me: The Eight Immortals restaurant?
Callin: Yes, that one. Meet me there at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow?
Me: That sounds like a plan to me. I’ll see you then!
Callin: I’ll pay, and I’m looking forward to you.
This made me smile. He was perfect in every way, and he asked me to be with him. I was lucky. Not only was attractive, but he was a smooth talker, and aromantic. He’d understand how I felt, and wouldn’t judge. What was I doing before he texted me?
Food, that’s what I was doing. I still had some penne noodles from yesterday, so I decided to make some hamburger and tomato sauce and put it with penne noodles. Dinner was uneventful except for the fact that the copper scent was getting stronger. Tomorrow I’d have to clean the house before I left for dinner with Callin.
After eating I took my shower and went to bed. Ash again tried to jump on my bed so I punished her accordingly. She yet again laid down and went to sleep near my bed.
She sure does drool a lot. I thought as I went to sleep.
I woke up the next day in a great mood. I woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night, so I was a little tired, but today was going to be great. Sunlight was shining through the windows and I started to get out of bed. Ash is still asleep. With that thought, I paused and looked around. Sure enough, Ash was asleep by the bed. I decided to stay as quiet as I could to keep her from waking. I got cleaned up and grabbed my suit. Then I left Ash to sleep. Finally, putting food into her food bowl, I left.
I saw him again. Well, I should say, talked with him and rode in his car. I hadn’t even gotten a third the way through my hour-long walk to work before he drove up behind me. The purring of an engine was again what caught my attention. His window was down and I got a look inside.
“Why is it that every time I see you, you’re either walking or at your destination?” He asked.
“I,” I started. Did I tell him that I had crashed my car and I didn’t even remember the accident? Well if we were going to date I might as well be somewhat honest. “I crashed my car a while ago, and I enjoy walking so I just haven’t gotten a new one.”
He nodded in understanding, or at least what I perceived as understanding. “Do you need a ride to your workplace?” I was a little surprised at this. He was offering to give me a ride. Well, might as well take the opportunity.
“Sure,” I said, walking towards his car. I heard the click of doors unlocking and I opened the door to the car. “If we’re driving I’m about 4-ish minutes that way,” I said pointing towards where my workplace was.
His car smelled of lavender and leather. The seats were the most comfortable things I’d ever sat on, and the led lights he had installed were beautiful.
He nodded and started driving. “When did you total your car?” He asked
“A while ago.” Might as well come clean. “I honestly don’t quite remember when though. I think it happened a year ago.” I responded.
“Oh, okay. So what do you do for work?” He asked.
“Oh, nothing special. I just oversee and make sure people don’t mess up too badly. It’s my job to see everything on a smooth track and to fix it up if something gets messed up.” I responded.
He nodded. “So are you some kind of boss?”
“Kind of, I was just one of the people that helped found the company.”
He nodded yet again.
I pointed to the next right. “Take a right up here,” I said. He took a right and I signaled for him to pull over. “This is my stop.” I looked out the rolled-down window and smiled. I had never been there this early. The sun was bright against the windows and that resulted in giving it a great picturesque feeling. I looked back at him to see his reaction and it was a surprise. I was happy to see he liked my workplace. He then unlocked the door and waved me off smiling.
I soon walked into my business and was welcomed like every other day.
“Welcome back sir!” Shouted Sam.
“Any updates?” I asked her.
“We have made up for all the lost time due to John, and we have a new hire already.”
“That’s great! I’ll get to my work then.” I said to Sam. She nodded and I headed to my office. It was a rather uneventful day, and I was fine with that. It was probably for the better that it was calm because tonight might be enough excitement for a while.
After a few hours of work, Sam interrupted. “Sir?” Sam said, stealing the silence of my serene safe space.
“Yes, Sam?” I questioned.
“How are you feeling today?”
“I am doing well today, why do you ask?”
“You seemed a little down today so I thought I’d check up on you.” She said.
“Why thank you for checking up on me, Sam,”.
“Is there anything I can do for you today? Maybe a cold soda?” Sam suggested.
“That would be great, thank you!” I responded.
Sam soon sped off and shortly secured a crisp soda for me to swig. The cold drink somehow calmed my brain down enough to let me take a nap. By the time I woke up, it was about 4:45. I groggily rubbed my eyes above my desk and remembered I still had to go home and get ready for my date tonight. I waved everyone off and started to head home. It was an hour’s walk so I tried to hurry.
I got home around 5:30 and started to get ready. First I took a shower. Next, I put on deodorant and my best suit. This was followed by the slightest amount of Aramis cologne. I then started my walk to 25th street. It was 6:25 when I got to the restaurant. I checked in my reservations, got seated, and waited.
The inside of the restaurant was sporting reds and golds. It smelled strongly of exotic spices and foods delicious enough to cause anyone’s mouth to water. Waiters were bustling around taking orders in uniform. He arrived exactly at 6:30… on the second. He must have a thing for promptness. He sat down in front of me in the booth.
“Welcome,” I said.
“Hello?” He asked curiously.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“Good. What will you be getting?” He asked.
“Probably rice and sesame seed chicken,” I responded.
“Okay, give me a second.” When the waiter came over he ordered our food. The waitress seemed extremely nice.
“We’ll get that out here as soon as possible,” said the waitress. I looked at her name tag. Willow. Willow is a nice name too. I guess that the world wanted me to hear a lot of good names lately.
“Thank you, Willow,” I responded as she left. She did a double-take and gave me a confused look as she walked away.
“How did you know her name?” Callin asked.
“It was on her name tag.”
“Oh, I didn’t even notice. I should probably pay more attention to people.” He said slightly chuckling. I laughed a little and we started making some small talk.
It turns out he had just moved to this town about four days ago. He had a high-paying job and he was well off. He was promoted for being so good at his job and soon became the head of the area he was in. He got high enough in the ranks that soon enough he was a regional manager. He rarely drove on business. Whenever he would drive around it was most likely just for a joy ride.
I told him a little about my job and some about my younger years. He seemed intrigued and started to ask more. I happily answered those questions. All the conversations were a great distraction even when our food arrived. We didn’t eat in silence and talked in short answers between mouthfuls of food. It was delicious, well at least the food was. I’d find out what he tasted like later.
When the waitress came back we had already finished our food, and Callin already had his credit card out to pay for the meal.
“Is there anything else we can do for you tonight?” Willow the waitress asked.
“No, thank you,” Callin said, scribbling something down on the check. Then Willow picked it up and started to walk away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her open the check. Her facial expression was a little all over the place. A mix of confusion, happiness, and awe colored her emotion.
“What did you do?” I asked inquisitively.
“I just tipped her, that’s all.” I guess Willow the waitress wondered why we would reward her with wondrous amounts of well-earned wealth. He smiled and I swear the room lit up all the more compared to before.
“Shall we be leaving?” He asked when we finally got his credit card back.
I have to cut this short, part 2 will be posted very shortly!