You are walking home from campus, tired from a long day of classes. Especially tired since the literary journal is under fire because the editors were talking about their decisions in the lounge, and one of the authors heard about it then cried to every English faculty who would listen. You decide to text J and ask them what they think about it. They respond immediately, "I'm still on campus." Do you [[invite them to your apartment to talk about it]] or [[call them]]?They say yes, and that they will be there in 10 minutes. You run to your apartment because you're still 5 minutes away, and every article of clothing is laying on the floor of your maid quarter's studio as well as every cereal bowl and wine glass is in the sink with the fruit flies you can't get rid of. You beat them to your place and speed clean. They somehow knock on your door even though it's not a walk up. You make a mental note to tell your landlord the front door lock is jammed again.
knock knock
Hi J! Welcome, sorry for the [[mess]]!They pick up.
"Hey what's up? Can you believe our meeting earlier? Prof is pissedddd. Do you think he'll fail all of us?"
"Noooo, I mean probably not, right?"
"Right. Hey I'm walking by Morris right now. Wanna come back to campus and chill? We'll be sure not to talk around any narcs this time haha"
"oh yeah sure. Give me 15. See you soon! Grab me a [[pumpkin spice latte]] if you get anything!"They step into your small apartment and compliment the moss green chairs your Tita donated to your studio. They perch themselves on the one close to the fridge. You sit beside them in the matching chair while nursing a cup of coffee.
They ask, "can you fucking believe Prof? He did not handle that well."
You reply, "can you believe Breslin would tattle like that? Surely she knows not everyone will love everything she submits for publication."
You both laugh. It's twilight, late fall in Cincinnati. Some studio ghibli lo-fi plays in the background.
"oh what song is this?"
"I think it's a lo-fi bop version of "one summer's day" from Spirited Away"
They smile. Somehow it's been hours since they first got here. You start to cook [[dinner]].You find them in the back corner of the library by the windows into the courtyard. There is a pumpkin spice latte and a pastry bag sitting on the table beside them. You wave, and they stand as you take you seat.
They immmediately start to rant about class.
"can you believe that shit happened? God, what a shit show."
You reply, "it's insane. We don't get anything done. Will we even have an issue to publish by the end of the semester?"
"No clue," they say as nibbling on their pumpkin scone.
You chug your coffee.
Do you [[say you better get going and start to pack your bag]] or [[ask them about your Shakespeare homework due tomorrow]]?You pull out a lean cusine pad thai from the freezer. As it's almost in the microwave, you realize it's past dinner. Do you [[offer to share your lean cuisine]], [[stop cooking and make a bag of popcorn instead]], or [[ask if they're hungry]]?They say "oh I didn't realize how late it's getting. You want a ride home? Do you [[take the ride]] or [[walk home]]?They say, "shoot yeah I started that last week." You panic and say, "shit I better get writing. I'll see you later, okay"[[They politely refuse as they don't want to eat all your food since you're quite hungry. ->uh oh]][[You split the bag of popcorn. It is slightly burnt.->uh oh]]They say yes. Do you [[mention your favorite thai place down the road]] or [[ask them if they need to go home for dinner]]?You graciously accept their offer, and walk with them to their car. You have a nice conversation and they drop you off at your apartment. You hope to see them again soon. You graciously decline their offer. They ask if you are sure and you say yes. You don't want to be a inconvenience. "Well actually," you say, "My favorite Thai place is just down the road would you like to go maybe?
(after:2s)["Oh yeah that sounds great it won't be too much trouble for you to drive will it? My car is still in the university garage and it is quite the walk back." ]
(after:6s)["No that's totally fine do you want to go now?"]
(after:8s)[[["Sounds good to me"->go to dinner]]]"Shoot do you need to go home for dinner?"
"No, not really," they say, "my parents are out of town so I'm on my own dinner-wise anyway.[[ Is there anywhere you wanted to go?->mention your favorite thai place down the road]]"
You both go and have a good time at dinner. Each orders Pad Thai, only later do you find out that J hates green onion but didn't say anything because they didn't want to seem like a picky eater in front of you.
The night goes well and the two of you are in total agreement on every topic that comes up. It is wonderful getting to spend time like this togeather.
(after:8s)[[[Eventually, you two head back to your apartment. ->back to apartment]]]You drive back to your apartment with J in the seat next to yours, the two of you still talking about all that you have in common.
Even upon returning to your apartment the two of you just go back in and continue to talk. Both of you have now moved to sitting next to each other on your bed.
[[Who knows where this night will go?->uh oh]](after:2s)["Uh oh" J says sits up with a start. ]
(after:4s)["Oh no, oh no, oh no"]
(after:6s)["Hey I need to leave right now, I just realized I'm not allowed to have my car parked in the University garage overnight, and uhhh it is past midnight."]
(after:10s)[[["I'm so sorry! I had tons of fun, and we should definitly hang out again!"->rush]]]
With that you two rush to the garage where J discovers that they have indeed been ticketed, and with that you part ways. You drive back to your apartment and they drive to their house.
Both of you would continue thinking about that night for years to come.