Just Steve

O N E

"So (Y/N), what brought you here tonight?"

The question was innocent but it stopped you short, your heart beating rapidly. You took a large sip of your drink, leaving about half of the glass he had bought for you left and thought back to your night before you had stumbled into the bar and onto the stool where you were currently perched.

You were walking to the small but homey apartment where James lived, the cold winter air blowing your hair backwards. You had just finished a particularly long exam and were in desperate need of cuddles from your boyfriend. Climbing up the steps to the apartment, you opened the door with the spare key he had given you. A key that to you had symbolized the trust and love that you both shared. You stepped inside the apartment, calling out his name but there was no response, so you walked down the long hallway heading to his bedroom to check if he was there. He had this thing for blasting music through his headphones so this wasn't that strange. Cracking open the door, your eyes landed on two bodies rather than one, entwined in the sheets of his bed.

You pinched your arm, convinced that you must have been dreaming. This couldn't be real, could it? Your arm stung dully from the pinch, but that could not compare to the pain you felt as you processed the image before her. Amanda and James, in the middle of a passionate kiss, both stripped down to their underwear. After a moment you were able to shake yourself out of your frozen state, anger bubbling up quickly.

"Sorry for interrupting, I'll just leave you to it," you remarked, your voice shaking slightly as the two broke apart in surprise.

James's eyes widened in horror when he saw you standing in the doorway.

"(Y/N)?"

You looked into his eyes, and then at Amanda. Her face was flushed, cheeks tinted a light pink as she searched frantically for her clothes. Deciding that you had seen all that you needed to see, you tossed the spare key onto the floor and spun on your heels heading towards the nearest escape route.

You heard James calling after you but ignored him.

"(Y/N) wait-," he yelled, grabbing your wrist as you reached to open the front door.

"What?" you snapped. "What could you possibly have to say to me right now?" you said, locking eyes with the man you had once thought was your person. You waited a moment for him to speak, to give some sort of explanation for what you had seen, but there was only silence. There was no explanation he could give to fix this, and you both knew it.

"That's what I thought. Go back to Amanda, no need to keep her waiting," you said, wrenching your hand from his grip, slamming the door behind you.

"(Y/N)? You alright?"

Steve's voice calling your name brought you back to reality. Realizing you had never answered his question you thought about what to say. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the fact that you knew you'd never see this man again but you decided to tell him the truth.

"Well I walked in on my boyfriend, or ex- I should say cheating on me so..."

Steve winced at your words. You could tell from the look in his eyes that the man had experienced heartbreak on some level before. He shook his head back and forth before responding.

"Ouch," he grimaced. "Sounds like you really needed that drink."

You scoffed, taking another sip and savoring the bitter taste on your lips.

"That's not even the worst of it," you continued. "The girl he was with was my best friend, or supposed to be at least."

He stared at you sadly for a moment. There was some other emotion hidden in his eyes that you couldn't place.

"I'm sorry (Y/N), nobody deserves that. Sounds like you deserve better than both of them," he said consolingly. "I know that doesn't help you feel better right now, but it's the truth."

You downed the rest of your second drink placing the glass down, your fingers drumming lazily on the top of the bar.

"I'll be fine. It's just strange. I feel like I should have seen it coming, but Amanda and I have been best friends since we met at orientation freshman year. Everyone said that orientation friendships don't last but here we are, one semester left of senior year, almost done with Columbia, and she does this," you sighed, staring sadly at your empty glass. It may have been odd but you were more hurt by Amanda than James. Boys broke hearts, that's what they did. But best friends were supposed to be forever.

"Wow, Columbia?" Steve interjected. "We've got a smarty over here!" He smiled when he heard you laugh in response to his joke. It was strange, he really didn't know you at all but he felt in that moment he would do anything to keep replacing your sadness with laughter.

"Want another drink? This one's on me." You had noticed Steve's drink was also empty but he wasn't exhibiting any signs of the alcohol affecting him. Impressive, as this was strong stuff. Steve nodded so you waved your hand to get the bartender's attention and called out for another round, ready to drown your sorrows in another drink with the company of a handsome stranger.