James woke up to his phone ringing loudly. He must have fallen asleep on the couch last night but he was frantically looking for his phone, still too tired to even open his eyes.
He reached for his phone and opened his eyes to be hit by a bright light from his phone. He winced but quickly recovered from the flash. He saw an unknown number pop up and he was confused for a second and hesitant to pick up but he picked up anyways. "Hello? Um, who is this?" He heard a light chuckle over the phone and got small goosebumps. "Morning lovely. It's Sam, from yesterday." He sat up straight away and gawked for a second, his mouth opening. He took in a deep breath and smiled a little as a small blush formed on his face. "That's right, sorry. Morning Sam, is there anything you need?" She chuckled once again and James bit his bottom lip holding the phone tighter as he tried to stop his face from heating up from embarrassment, he felt so dumb.
Sam was quiet for a second and he almost thought she hung up. "It's about our date today. Can I pick you up at four?" James blinked his eyes a few times, trying to figure out what she just said and then it hit me. "Date! Oh, right, our date! Sorry, um, yes, that's fine. Four is fine with me if it's fine with you." He just blurted out verbal vomit and flushed once he finished, smacking and facepalming himself. 'She must think I'm so stupid.'
James sighed deeply as he patted his cheeks. "Alright then lovely. See you at four. Also, wear something casual or comfy, I don't care what you'll wear, I bet you'll look good in anything. See you at four lovely." Before James could even comprehend what she said or give her a response the line went flat and she hung up.
He sat there clutching his phone trying to process what she just said. He sat there for a while but just a while and then sat up. He saved her contact his hands shaking a little from excitement. Anxiety? James had no idea but he felt butterflies in his stomach.
He put his phone on the couch and paced around his apartment for some time, trying to process what has just been said and trying to calm down his growing anxiety. Or is it joy?
'Why are you panicking like this James? What the hell is wrong with you? You only met this girl yesterday, so calm down. It might not even work out, or she might just be playing with you and your feelings.' He stopped in his tracks with those thoughts in his mind and his mood went low. What if she was just playing with him and he gets heartbroken or even worse hurt?
"I can't let myself be too happy or excited. This might not even work out!" With all that on his mind, James made his way into the kitchen and made himself some eggs and a hot cup of coffee. He sat there eating his food just thinking of all the negatives that could happen on this date. His happy, anxious mood was now fully gone, turning sour and only doubts crossed his mind. James looked up at the clock and sighed. "I still have seven hours till our date."
James finished up his food and washed the plate and cup. He slowly made his way to the bathroom and washed his face brushing his teeth. He made his way to his bedroom taking his working-out clothes. He put on his joggers and a white tee along with some Nike shoes. He picked up his phone and keys and left his apartment, locking the door. He stuffed his phone and keys into his pocket and went for a run around the block to get his mind off things for a little while.
When James returned home only an hour passed and he was fully exhausted and sweaty, and his body hurt like hell. He panted heavily as he sat on his couch trying to catch his breath gulping down a cold glass of water. He placed the cup on the desk and stood up taking off his white shirt and throwing it on the floor. He made his way into my room and picked up fresh clothes and underwear and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
After the shower, James sat on my couch and tried on the TV. He sat there for what felt like an eternity, just watching whatever was on, flicking through different channels, trying to waste some time. He laid his head on the couch and before he knew it he was out and fell asleep. He was only awakened once again by the ringing of his phone. He squinted his eyes and picked up the phone. "James I'll be at your apartment in a few minutes. Hope you're ready for our date." He rubbed his eyes and then quickly sat up looking over at the clock. "Ah, um, yes, see you soon." He hung up and jolted up running to his bedroom. He looked through the closet for a little while trying to pick an outfit. He finally decided on a white turtle neck, some jeans and a jacket on top. He ran into the bathroom and washed his face trying to wake himself up fully. He brushed his teeth and put on some spray. He then brushed his hair and tried to style it a little but fully gave up as his hair wouldn't behave.
He heard his phone ring and he picked it up. "I'm here, I'll wait for you downstairs." His heart beat fast and anxiety rose but he quickly covered it up. James hung up and grabbed his keys, phone, and some gum. He turned off the lights and locked his door, making his way down the stairs and outside. Once outside he saw Sam waiting by her motorcycle. He slowly approached her, his anxiety rising, his hands sweating a little. She looked so nice. She wore a fitted shirt and some black jeans showing off her form, on top of that she wore a black leather jacket and black boots. Once Sam saw James she smiled and waved him over.
James slowly made his way over, smiling back at her. "You look great James." He blushed a little, looking away. "You do too." He felt a little embarrassed and shaky, she must have noticed his distress taking his hands into her own. "Hey, if you want we can just call this a hangout rather than a date if you feel uncomfortable." His cheeks grew a bit pink as he looked at Sam, she seemed so genuine and James smiled. "No, it's not that, I just haven't been on a proper date in years. Well, I have never been on a date before." He felt a little awkward saying this but it was the truth. He has never really been on a date. Sam looked at him and smiled. "Well, then it's my great honour to make this your first and best date ever." She placed her hand on her heart and James laughed a little.
"Thanks, Sam, you're nice." She smiled and stood straight. "Shall we go then?" She gave me a helmet and put another on her head getting onto the bike. James put on his helmet and sat behind her like yesterday holding onto her waist. She started up the engine and smiled, placing his head against her back. "Hold on tightly then."
They arrived at a small local shop. It was homey and the atmosphere was welcoming from the first step into the shop. There were little to no people here and that made James a little happier as he doesn't like crowded places and this was perfect for him.
They sat on a table near the bay window and this felt nice. Sam was smiling at James as he took in the place. It was made from wood and concrete, it felt old and vintage. "This place is amazing Sam, how did you find this place?" She sat across from James with her hands placed on the table as she smiled. "My grandmother and grandfather own this place." James looked at her shocked. This place belonged to her family, she was so lucky and this made him even happier as she shared this place with him. "That's amazing, I'm honoured to be here." She didn't say anything after that but kept his gaze sharp on James which made him a bit intimidated but still blushed from the attention. The only time she looked away was when the waitress came to our table.
"Sam, it's lovely to see you. How have you been lately?" A short petite girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes and a lovely tint to her skin asked Sam. They seemed familiar and he could only smile as he watched their interaction. They looked similar to each other. She could be her cousin or sister. They looked similar. Sam pointed at James and he sat up straight giving the girl a timid smile, shaky from the attention on him. She smiled at him as she watched him. "Are you two related by any chance I don't mean to be rude, it's just you look similar. You don't have to answer, I shouldn't have even asked."
He ran a hand through his hair looking down at his feet, embarrassed. He can never have a real conversation with anyone new as they freak him out so much and anxiety starts to build up and he says stupid and pointless stuff. "Yeah, my name is Sasha, I'm Sam's older sister, it's lovely to meet you." She put out her hand and he shook it his palm was a little sweaty so he pulled away quite quickly giving Sasha a small smile. "So what would you like to eat today?" He didn't know what to get so he let Sam choose her favourite food and let him get surprised. Sasha and Sam talked for a little while and then she went to place the order leaving them alone once again. "Are you alright James?" He couldn't look up at Sam, he just felt so embarrassed and scared for no reason what's so ever, this anxiety bubbled up inside him as he thought through anything that could go wrong on this date because of him. "Yeah, I'm fine, no worries." He was hesitant and James sure that Sam caught up on his lie through his shaky sentence.
"Hey, you don't have to worry, you're perfectly fine and my sister thinks you're an angel." Sam had her hand placed on top of James' and he looked up to meet her eyes, they showed so much worry, appreciation and empathy and he felt like crying but he swore to himself that he would never cry, ever again and not in front of a stranger and a girl.
He gave Sam a small smile as she squeezed his hand a little. "Thanks, that's good to hear, I just have some issues and I get freaked out easily and I don't trust people much. I just had bad experiences in the past that stuck and scared me a little and I have some trust issues from it all I should now shut up and stop ruining the mood of this date, I'm so sorry that you have to hear me rant about all this stupid and pointless stuff." James tried to move his hands away but Sam held them even tighter now and James looked up at her. She had an unknown look in her eyes and his hands started to shake a little from it, sweaty and anxious. "Your story doesn't make you weak, stupid, or pointless, it just shows me how much you have grown to be able to share this with me so soon and put some of that pressure off your shoulders, I can't even imagine what you have been through but know that I will support you through it all if we get a chance to go out more and talk more like this and even maybe one day move further without relationship. We can start as friends and work our way up, with no worry or rush, people need time to heal from their wounds and I'll respect your decisions through and through, I'll wait however long I'll have to and take my time to help and support you to my best abilities so let me help you with your worries, fears, and past and be the person you can rely on. I know it's hard to trust me right now but I swear that I'll never hurt you intentionally and I'll make sure to help you as much as I can James. Let me help you as much as I can, even just for a little bit, let me help you start over."
James was now fully crying, her words felt so surreal and genuine and caring, something he never heard from anyone before, she felt so unreal and too good to be true. This all felt like a dream, a dream too good to be true but even if this was a dream he would give anything to stay here forever. James feels like this girl was made just for him, someone who can get him through all the tough times, someone he can rely on, someone who'll listen and be there for him. He would give his life for this girl to stay and never leave him. "Let's start a new beginning, let's start over James." She gave James a smile, warm and unreal and he felt like breaking apart, sobbing for hours on end to this girl. He composed himself and gave her a smile back sitting up properly.
"Hi, my name is Samantha Light, Sam for short. It's lovely to meet you and I hope we can be friends." James extended his hand to her and smiled, a few tears running down her face. "I'm James, James Blank, it's lovely to meet you. I hope we can be good friends."
The rest of the night was lovely. They had amazing food and shared stories. James felt so free around Sam and she seemed like a nice girl. James felt like this could work. This could help him out. Sam was a nice girl, she listened and didn't judge. She too had some past issues but she looked strong and she vowed to help James too. It made him happy.
They finished their date around 6, and Sam invited James to the park for a walk right after. She excused herself to the bathroom leaving James alone for a while.
James waited and waited but Sam took a little long so he decided to go look for her to see if she was alright. He made his way towards the bathroom when he heard Sam and her sister talking in the hallway. He knew he shouldn't listen in but something made him do it and he leaned closer.
"Yeah, I got him wrapped around my finger. He's so easy." James was confused when they laughed a little. He didn't know what they were talking about but he felt anxious. "Sebastian will be happy to hear this. You know he's pissed after what he said to him in the hospital. He has shit coming soon." James gawked at this, shocked as he let go of his coat. He backed up a little. the coat made a sound when it hit the wooden floor and the two women got startled. Sam came over the corner and looked over at James who kept backing up, she raised a brow and then realized. She laughed a little looking at James. "You thought I liked you? Are you dense?!"
James stopped in his tracks and looked down at his feet, his arms clenching into fists. He scoffed and then laughed looking up, he didn't cry though. He looked at Sam and smiled. "He won't leave me alone till I'm dead, right?" Sam was taken back a little at this. She looked over at James who looked at her with dead eyes, no longer did they shine just like they did a few hours back or yesterday, they were dull and dark. She froze in place staring at James then laughed. "Of course, he won't, he owns you and he wants his property back!"
James let the words process but didn't say anything. He laughed and then turned around away from Sam. He then started heading towards the door. Sam yelled at him but he didn't hear any of it, making his way out of the door. The rain started pouring down and James scoffed looking up. "Even you wanna make me miserable don't you God."
He started heading down the street, the rain pouring all over him, his clothes getting wet and dirty when a car drove past him and splashed water and mud all over James. He let some tears fall down his face and he headed down the street.
James had no idea where he was heading until he finally stopped and looked up. He was on a bridge. Cars were driving past him but didn't even bat him an eye. He took out his phone and looked at the time, it was already eight in the evening. He looked at his background photo. It was of him and Jess. He liked Jess, she was probably the only real friend he ever got. He pulled up her number as he walked closer to the rails of the bridge. He looked down and saw the river flowing fast, as the rain kept pouring. The phone rang for a few seconds when Jess picked up.
"James? Are you okay? James!?" He was quiet for a while letting the rain drown him out. He sighed and smiled looking down at the river. "Hey Jess, I'm sorry but I won't see you tomorrow at work. You know you were the only real friend I have ever got. I love you, Jess. Thanks for everything. Sorry but this is for the best, I'm tired!" Jess was panicking on the other side of the phone, she was yelling at James and asking him where he was as she got out of her house, her wife with her. "James, tell me where you are?! James, please I need you! We need you!"
He smiled at that, tears rolling down his cheeks with the rain. Some lighting could be heard in the background. "Hey Jess, when I die, can you ensure that I get cremated, I don't wanna be stuffed into another box for the rest of eternity. Scatter my ashes by the sea. I'm glad we were friends. I love you." He let go of the phone which fell into the water below. He then smiled leaning closer to the rails and started climbing to the other side. Once on the other side, James looked up at the sky, the rain kept pouring, lighting roaring through the sky.
"Fuck you, Sebastian Gonzales, I will die a free man! I will die happy!" James smiled as he heard people yelling behind him, and cars stopping to see what was happening. Before anyone could even try and stop James he smiled, closed his eyes and let go of the rail, letting his body drop into the water.
That night James' body flowed down the river for another 6 miles, the local police were informed and they searched the local area for his body. The scuba divers found him the next day. His body was transferred back to his home town where Jess and her wife Rose took care of the funeral ceremony. As James wished, his body was cremated, and his friends and close people together joined hand in hand to scatter James' ashes on the east coast of England. He was finally free, no longer caged. He was a kind and thoughtful soul who went through shit no one should ever go through, his soul is now up with his family, free from all the evils of the world. May he rest in peace for eternity.