hello, stranger

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George walks the same route to work every day. He turns the corner by the bookstore, then goes straight for a of couple minutes, he passes a hotdog vendor somewhere along the way. But recently there's been someone who seems to take the opposite route as George because he sees the same man almost every day.

or

George catches feelings for a stranger.

TWs:
Swearing
Sexual mention (I guess, maybe?)
Secondhand embarrassment lol

Inspired by my friend, who is moving to a big city after school and I'm going to miss her so much. I thought I'd write this; hopefully she'll find love like this. So this is for her, even though she'll never read it.

Enjoy <3

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It's crisp, this Monday morning. George leaves his small apartment with a sigh; he does the same thing every weekday. It's repetitive, a routine that George hasn't been able to shake off.

He leaves his apartment complex in hopes that maybe today will be different. Maybe today will be the day where he finally has a little more than just caffeine running through his blood; maybe today will give him something to look forward to.

So many maybe's.

George pets the same cat that sits on the windowsill of one of the apartments on the bottom floor. He takes a deep breath and walks forward.

The pavement of New York City's streets hasn't changed in the past five years that George has lived in the loud city. He can still remember arriving in New York with such hope in his eyes.

A fresh start is what he promised himself.

Look at him now.

Mid-twenties, newspaper editor, makes a good wage, but is undoubtedly alone. He's alone in a city with over eight million people.

The thought makes George sullen, and he sighs. Again. Holding his briefcase in his hand, he keeps his chin up as he approaches the spot where he passes one of his closest friends.

"Niki!" he greets. "How are you on this fine morning?"

Her short, blonde hair drifts over her face as she turns around quickly. A bright smile graces her face and she pulls off her gardening gloves. "George! I'm doing great, how are you?"

"Same as always, you know me," George replies. His eyes rove over Niki's selection of plants that she has on display outside of her shop. "Have you gotten any new ones recently?"

Niki's smile widens and she nods enthusiastically. She gestures to a particular flower, saying, "Hydrangeas! They arrived Saturday."

"They're beautiful," George murmurs.

Niki nods, looking at the flowers fondly. Her smile fades as she looks past George, her eyes growing worried as she looks between George and someone behind him. George's eyebrows furrow and he starts to turn around, but a force barrels into his arm.

His briefcase is torn out of his hands and lands several feet away from him, but, just as his luck would have it, it opens and its contents scatter.

George scrambles to pick up the papers, glaring at the rude person who ran into him. He's met with bright green eyes which are wide and apologetic. The man's shoulder is hiked up to his ear, where he is avidly talking to someone on the phone.

The stranger crouches down to help George, mouthing, I'm sorry. He shoves the papers into George's arms before nodding once to get confirmation that George is okay, and then leaves without another word.

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