Chapter 5
981 Words
Mia swung the car toward the corner shop without argument. “The hangover beverage of the gods.”
By the time they got to Charlie’s place, the sky had fully darkened and the promise of rain hung thick in the air. Mia kicked off her shoes the second they were inside, already opening a beer like it was a sacred ritual. Charlie followed suit, grabbing one and taking a long, grateful pull.
“Okay,” Mia said, flopping onto the couch. “We need a third opinion.”
As if summoned, Charlie’s phone buzzed on the counter.
Anna: On my way. I smelled chaos.
Charlie smiled into her beer, tension easing at last. Whatever was happening—mysterious men, strange feelings, unreadable looks—this part was familiar and safe. Friends, cheap beer, and the comforting knowledge that if things got weird…
At least she wouldn’t face it alone.
Anna arrived twenty minutes later, ducking slightly as she stepped through the doorway—tall, willowy, black hair falling loose down her back like she’d just walked out of a shampoo commercial. She wore jeans and an oversized sweater, engagement ring flashing as she kicked off her shoes.
“Okay,” she announced, smiling wide. “Why was I summoned with the promise of chaos?”
Mia beamed. “Because you’re objective.”
Anna laughed. “I’m engaged to Zach. I haven’t been objective since the proposal.”
Charlie smiled fondly. Anna and Zach were one of those couples—effortlessly beautiful, annoyingly solid, the kind that made strangers believe in soulmates again. Watching Anna settle onto the couch, relaxed and radiant, Charlie felt the day finally soften around the edges.
“Alright,” Anna said, tucking her legs under herself. “Tell me everything.”
Mia launched straight into Adrian, pacing with her beer like a lawyer mid–closing argument. “He texts when it’s convenient. He disappears when it’s not. But when he’s there, it’s good. It’s really good.”
Anna tilted her head, calm and devastating. “Mia… that sounds like a man who enjoys access, not commitment.”
Mia scoffed, already flushed. “You’re engaged. You don’t get it. Not everyone wants labels.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “You want labels.”
“I want—” Mia stopped, waved her beer. “I want him.”
Anna softened, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I know. But love doesn’t only show up after midnight.”
Mia took a long drink, blinking a little too hard. “He says he cares.”
Charlie exchanged a look with Anna—gentle, concerned, unspoken.
“Sometimes,” Charlie said carefully, “caring isn’t the same as choosing.”
Mia sank onto the couch, buzzed and stubborn. “You’re both wrong. You’ll see.” She lifted her beer in defiance. “He’s just… complicated.”
Anna sighed. “So is a Rubik’s Cube. Doesn’t mean it loves you back.”
Silence fell—then Mia laughed, a little watery, a little reckless. “Okay, wow. Drag me, why don’t you.”
Charlie leaned in, bumping her shoulder. “We’re not dragging. We’re buffering you.”
Mia sniffed, then smirked. “Great. Because tomorrow, I’m absolutely texting him again.”
Charlie and Anna exchanged a look—perfectly synchronized eye rolls honed by years of shared concern.
Anna turned back to Charlie, arching a brow. “Alright. Speaking of questionable men—how did your date go the other night??”
Charlie groaned and tipped her head back against the couch. “I ditched.”
Anna’s head snapped up. “You what?”
“He texted me a paragraph about his crypto journey and requested we go uptown to that new Restaurant,” Charlie said flatly.
Anna winced. “Say no more.”
“I made it six messages,” Charlie continued. “Then I claimed a migraine.”
Mia stared at her. “You cannot keep ghosting men.”
“I can and I will,” Charlie said, lifting her beer. “It’s called self-care.”
Anna laughed, clinking her bottle against Charlie’s. “Honestly? Growth.”
Mia squinted at her. “Wait. You don’t just ditch without a replacement distraction.”
Charlie hesitated. Just a beat.
Anna’s eyes sharpened. “Oh no.”
Mia’s eyes lit up, a slow, dawning grin spreading across her face. “WAIT,” she said loudly, pointing between Charlie and Anna. “You ditched Joshua… and you haven’t told her about the bar man.”
Charlie groaned. “Mia—”
“The mystery bar man,” Mia pressed on, waving her beer for emphasis. “Tall. Silent. Stared into her soul like he was about to claim it.”
Anna’s head snapped toward Charlie. “Excuse me?”
Charlie shot Mia a look. “You’re tipsy.”
“I am truthy,” Mia corrected. “This man made her n*****s hard in a public establishment.”
Anna choked on her drink. “I’m sorry—what?”
Charlie buried her face in her hands. “I hate both of you.”
Anna leaned forward, delighted. “Start talking. Slowly. And don’t skip the staring-into-her-soul part.”
Mia plopped back against the couch, smug. “Oh, don’t worry. He showed up again this morning. Coffee shop. Black coffee. No sugar. Hydrated her like a gentleman predator.”
Anna’s smile turned razor-sharp. “Charlie.”
Charlie sighed, peeking through her fingers. “Okay. In my defence, I was violently hungover and its barely been twenty-four hours.”
Anna nodded solemnly. “As one should be when fate intervenes.”
Mia raised her beer. “To mystery men with excellent timing.”
Charlie clinked bottles with them, laughing despite herself. “To men whose names we don’t know and probably shouldn’t trust.”
Anna’s eyes gleamed. “Those are always the interesting ones.”
- Writer
