"shocking" ! supertf

8. keep in mind.

"thank you," i gave the waitress a small smile as she placed our drinks down. daniel sat across from me, giving her a similar smile before she walked off again. "this place is nice."

"yeah, it is. a lot better places in houston, though," he stated, as i took a small sip of my lemonade. "sorry, i know i keep talking about texas. i just really don't like it here. i'm definitely taking that permanent spot in houston."

"it's alright. i get it. i didn't wanna leave dallas either. i love those guys, and that place is so beautiful," i reminisced on the time i spent there, long before i met matthew, and it was a much needed escape as that was around the time jacob started dating kayla. dallas fuel was my favorite team at that point.

"you should take the spot. dallas fuel will get a TA pretty fast, you might wanna apply for it now," daniel advised, knowing just how popular the team was. i nodded slightly, agreeing but unsure at the same time. i liked dallas, but did i like it enough to be there permanently? never see matthew again? wouldn't it get old after a while? "besides, we'd see each other all the time. keep this streak we have going."

i smiled in response, noticing our waitress coming back with our food. i was starving, as i had skipped on lunch today and just settled with a yogurt for breakfast.

"i don't know. i end up liking everywhere i go. maybe if i stay this way, i can just keep traveling to different places."

"yeah, but consider the pay raise, more benefits, paid flights back home after the season's over, and that's if you even wanna go home," daniel went on, stopping as the waitress set down our plates. he adjusted his glasses slightly, glancing back at me.

"here you guys go. let me know if you need anything else," she smiled at us again.

"thank you," i grinned before looking back at daniel. the waitress walked off, and the short pause in conversation between us gave me time to finally eat.

"just consider it. really, i'd love to see you more often in texas. or, wherever you might decide. it's a really good position, keep it in mind. plus, not everyone knows about it yet, so we can have first picks," he advised, before starting to eat, too. i nodded, still unsure. what if i ended up staying where i chose? never to see jacob again, until the obligatory holidays came around, at least. and what if what matthew and i have going on ends up something more? would it be appropriate to even stay here? and would it be good for us if i left?

i really needed to stop letting personal things distract me from work. it was a great position to take, and really nice of daniel to tell me about it. he just wanted to see me succeed, that's all. i needed to take this a little more seriously.

i felt my phone vibrate, and almost didn't check it. i glanced at daniel, who was too focused on the alcohol menu to notice. i figured it was okay to check.

matthew - missing your face. where are you?

luna - i'm at dinner. let the guys know i made reservations for you guys a few blocks away. there's a ride waiting for you guys outside.

"want a drink?" daniel asked, pulling me back in. i looked over at the menu with him. i was never much of a drinker, but i suppose it would help me ease up a little.

"what do you suggest?" i asked, completely unsure, as he seemed to be the bigger drinker than i.

"tipsy to shit faced," he pointed out, as the menu seemed to go from least containing alcohol to most. i smiled at the response, choosing a fruity drink from the upper half of the list. "why doesn't that surprise me?" he smiled in return, as i went back to eating.

matthew - dinner without us? ): by yourself?

luna - im with a coworker, he offered. and i figured you guys could have fun by yourselves!

matthew - i guess i can try to...

daniel waved the waitress back over, before politely asking for her to bring our drinks out for us. she nodded in response, quickly moving back to the kitchen to retrieve them.

"you drink a lot?" i asked, taking mental note of how often i've seen him drinking or drunk. my first year, he seemed to not have taken a sober breath.

"i guess you could say that. i'm not an alcoholic or anything."

"that's what they all say," i bursted into laughter, as did he for a moment.

"no, i'm really not. it just helps take my mind off stuff. you know, stress and whatnot," he shrugged, making me nod, i understood his stress now. daniel was a little older than me, so i could only imagine. if i thought i was stressed now? i wasn't on a good track to my mid twenties.