Summary: after some heartbreak, Y/N heads to the bar to make herself feel better, little did she know that Matthew had the same idea.
Requested: no
The glitter of star lights flickered overhead, an ambience sound of clinking glasses and clashing cutlery filled the room. Tones of brown and beige were accompanied by golden lights, radiating down from crystal chandeliers that clung to the ceiling for dear life. Class and Luxury oozed from every corner of the dining room.
Whispers from the wealthy and stares from the sophisticated made Y/N feel like she was drowning. This was never her scene. In her twenty one years of living, she had only ever been in a restaurant like this once. It was the night that she had become engaged.
Now sitting in the less than familiar dining room once more, she felt like she was suffocating, the air was barely reaching her lungs as she stared ahead.
"You're breaking up with me?"
In front of her, a man offered her a nervous smile. His blonde hair was combed back perfectly and his round glasses complimented his chiseled jaw. He wore a navy coloured suit that Y/N had once looked at in adoration, but now, as she stared into the deep ocean hue, she found herself transfixed, suddenly focused on every strand of thread that ran along the lapel. She needed something to block out what her fiance was saying.
"Y/N are you listening to me?" his voice was too smooth for her liking, he was too calm for this.
Matching his gaze with disgust, the woman glared. "Who is she?" Y/N asked, her voice torn raw.
Noticeably faltering, the man cleared his throat- trying to play dumb. But Y/N wasn't about to let it go that easily.
"No Ryan- Tell me. Who is she? Because I know damn well that you're not going to throw away a four year relationship out of the blew." she whimpered, she wanted to do her best to remain calm, she couldn't let Ryan see her cry like this- it wasn't fair, he had taken everything from her, she needed to keep her dignity if nothing else. Swallowing harshly,
Ryan sighed. "Her name is Paige." he spoke hesitantly, the air leaving his chest was raw and rushed, he was guilty and he knew that there was no turning back.
That was all Y/N needed to hear.
Slapping her Napkin down against the table, she didn't care about holding her composure anymore. If she could embarrass Ryan on the way out just a little bit, then it would make her feel better. Taking off the diamond ring, she stared at him. "You know what? I hope you two make a lovely couple. You fucking cheat." She growled, smacking the ring into his chest as she stomped off, her heels clicking against the ground- echoing throughout her departure.
It was hard to tell exactly how many shots Y/N had gone through since arriving at merlots. After her exit from the restaurant, she had headed straight to her comfort spot.
A little cozy sports bar in downtown Calgary. It was dingy and too warm, but it was familiar. And in this time of uncertainty that was exactly what she needed. The dress that hugged her frame was far too tight for her liking, the heels on her feet were killing her and the makeup on her eyes felt like sludge. She got dressed up for Ryan and all he got for her was a breakup speech. One that she had neglected to listen to, but she had heard enough as soon as she found out that he was seeing someone else.
"Rough night?" A voice asked from beside her. Glancing to her left, Y/N was met with a head of curls and an apologetic smile.
"You don't even know the half of it." Y/N grumbled, slumping against the bar and pulling her glass to her lips, pouting upon realization that it was empty.
The gentleman next to her waved his hand to the bartender. "Another round for me and the lady." he smiled, sliding his card across the bar.
The bartender's smile was large as he nodded eagerly. "Yes sir."
Y/N was too sad to pay attention to anything that was going on, but at the premise of a free drink, she sat up a bit straighter. "Thank you... you didn't have to do that." she told him. Turning to look at him fully, Y/N quickly realized that he was decently attractive. His body was toned, covered in a black sweater that looked incredibly soft, while his bottom half was adorned in dark blue jeans and brown Chelsea boots. He had good taste. After she had finished her once over, Y/N sighed.
"So, my guess is that you were just dumped." The man spoke from beside her. Y/N's eyes immediately narrowed, her lips pursed and she huffed.
"How would you know?" she snapped, it came out harsher than anticipated but she couldn't help it.
"Because you have the same sad look in your eyes that i do." he told her. "And obviously im going out on a limb- but I also just got dumped, and i recognize your pain." he explained further. Y
/N tossed her head back and scoffed. "You think you know my pain? I was engaged, and he left me for some bitch i've never even heard of." she grumbled.
The man smiled faintly. "Well. My girlfriend just dumped my ass for a guy i've never even heard of either." He told her.
"So looks like were in the same boat." Y/N answered him, a sad smile ghosting across her lips. She watched as the bartender came froward with their drinks, her stomach rumbling softly. For a while, Y/N sat next to the handsome stranger in silence, the two of them sharing their drinks and company while they processed their breakups. It wasn't until Y/N started to pick at the maple bar counter that she realized it was time to go home. She hadn't even been ordering drinks anymore, she was just wallowing in her own self pity.
"Well... thank you for the drink, but I should get going." The woman stood up, turning to the stranger and sighing softly.
The man glanced at her and furrowed his brows. "You gonna be okay getting home?" He asked her.
Y/N shrugged. "Yeah I'll just call a cab." she told him, digging into her purse and looking for her phone. As her hands came up empty, she stared up at the ceiling and let out a defeated sigh. "Actually, I'll be walking." she grumbled.
The man bit his lip and shook his head. "I'll drive you, I would feel terrible if you left on your own and got hurt." he told her.
Suddenly Y/N straightened up. "I'm not driving with you." she laughed. "I don't even know your name." she crossed her arms. The woman hadn't even realized that they were making their way out of the bar and onto the street. The cold air quickly whipped across Y/N's shoulders and her legs- a chill running up her spine as she shivered.
"My name is Matthew." The man told her, quickly taking his jacket off of his shoulders and handing it to her. Y//N hadn't even seen him with the jacket inside, but as the warmth fell around her skin she couldn't care less.
"Y/N." She told him, glancing around the road, there were a few restaurants and bars still open this time of night, thankfully lighting up the street. Biting her lip, Y/N took a deep breath- letting the air fill her lungs and shake her from her drunken daze slightly. "I'm not ready to go home." she admitted.
Matthew bit his lip, he really didnt want to leave her there. "Do you want to go on a walk? There is a park just near by." he mentioned. Now if Y/N was smart, she would have seen this as a red flag, she would have asked the bartender to call her a cab, but she was less than sober and she had nothing left to lose. "Yeah... I would like that." she told him.
There was something calming about the darkness that night. The bleak sky and faded stars gave Y/N a sense of comfort. It didn't look perfect, which was exactly how she felt. She had been let down by the one guy that she thought was amazing, she didn't need the stars to mock her tonight.
As the cool breeze brushed against her body, she inhaled the clearness with every breath, slowly finding herself sobering up.
Silence between Y/N and Matthew was pleasant as they walked side by side. Just keeping each other company. "You know you really didn't have to do this for me- I'm just a stranger." Y/N mumbled, she didn't want to be letting someone else down that evening.
Matthew smiled, his hands stuck in his pocket as he walked. "No no its fine- you know, you shouldn't trust strangers so quickly." He chuckled.
Y/N's pulse quickened as she faltered in her steps. "Is that a threat?" She asked.
The man shook his head. "No, I just mean in the future- luckily for you im not a serial killer."
Smiling at his joke, Y/N started walking with him again, she laughed and shook her head. "Thank god for that." She winked.
"So do you want to tell me about this girl that broke your heart?" Y/N asked, turning her head as she paused at a bench, sitting down and listening to what Matthew had to say.
Sighing softly, the man shrugged, sitting next to her. "She was lovely, her name was Paige- I thought I was giving her everything she could have wanted... I'm not around much because of my job, but I tried to spoil her." He admitted. "Probably more than I should've if I'm being honest." He sighed.
"She wasn't greedy, she just wanted some affection- and I wasn't around to give that to her, so I tried to supplement my absence with material items... she didn't take kindly to that."
Y/N pouted. "So she left you?" She asked.
Matthew nodded. "Since I'm away so often, I guess she started seeing some guy from her job."
Rolling her eyes, the woman let out a scoff. "She could have had the decency to at least end things with you first before she started seeing him." She defended Matthew.
Smiling faintly the man nodded. "Thanks..." he stood up and held out his hand to Y/N. "We should get going before it's too cold." He admitted. "Its getting late and I gotta be up in the morning."
Y/N immediately felt herself tense. "Shit sorry- I didn't realize I was keeping you." She apologized.
Matthew shrugged. "It's alright, It was actually nice getting sidetracked for a change." He admitted.
They walked back to his car hand in hand barely breaking a stride. It was comforting and it was enough for the two of them that night. Their hearts were in pain, but for just a few hours- the company of a stranger had been enough to make them forget it for a while. The hurt was still there, but after spending a night together, their situations were a little easier to handle. Sharing the weight of your troubles with someone really did help.