It was always you

Chapter 1

Kyle sighed, swiping left on every person he saw. He swore to himself he'd never use a dating app, but since splitting with the mother of his children a few years back he decided it was about damn time he got back out there again. He'd only matched with around 3 people, and that for him was enough.

One of the people he matched with was nice, but overall she was a pretty dry texter. It wasn't that he was judging her for that, maybe she was just nervous, he definitely was after all these years. They'd sparked up a conversation and had organised a date for the upcoming Saturday, and though he was nervous, he was also excited.

His friends and family seemed to be happy that he was putting himself back out there, but his kids were hesitant, which he fully expected. His eldest had never seen him with anyone but their mother and his youngest had never seen him with anyone and he knew that this kind of change would shake them up a little. But they agreed that it was time for him to date, that's one of the many things Kyle loved about his children, they were incredibly supportive.

There was just one person he had yet to tell...

Just as he thought that, his phone started to ring and he jumped, said person calling him. He smiled upon seeing the name and picked up, a giant smile plastered on his lips.

"Hey Stan!" He said, the giddiness in his voice making him flush with embarrassment. Jeez, was he really that desperate to talk to him?

"Hey Ky." His best friend replied, warming his chest from the inside out. Whatever stress he was feeling before was already being alleviated just by the sound of Stan's voice. He grinned,

"What's up? Have you checked the time?" He asked lightheartedly. Stan snorted,

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Believe it or not I just wanted to call and check up on you and the kiddos."

Again Kyle's heart warmed, growing in admiration for his best friend. "We're good! I mean, the kids were fighting a lot today and I felt like I was going under but other than that we're good."

Stan laughed, and that alone made Kyle beam, the familiar, comforting sound all of a sudden making him feel slightly bittersweet, wishing that they were having this catch up in person and not over the phone. A few seconds of silence passed, and he decided to voice his feelings.

"I miss you." They said in sync.

Again, silence—until both of them burst into laughter.

"Are you busy?" He asked after their laughter died down.

"No... I mean, if you count laying on the couch and watching tv as busy." Stan replied.

Kyle huffed out an amused giggle. "You should come over."

There was silence for a few seconds, and he was starting to get worried until that familiar voice rang through his ears again. "Right now? It's almost midnight."

"So what? We're not kids anymore. You can come over any time you like."

Stan laughed. "Okay, you might have a point there."

"So... see you in ten?" he asked hopefully.

"Make that five." He replied.

And within the next 5 minutes, he heard a car pulling up. He grinned excitedly and hurried over to the door, opening it just as Stan stopped directly in front of it.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey yourself." Kyle laughed, pulling him into a hug. Stan immediately wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his head down on Kyle's shoulder, smiling at the comfort of that alone.