HOW TO BE SINGLE | SIDEMEN

SEVEN

s e v e n
" what do you mean you can't?"
-

First days were always a little rocky, but Simon didn't feel quite as unsure as he thought he would. Maybe that was thanks to Cal, but he hoped it was more to do with himself. He'd made sure to introduce himself when necessary, without the help of Cal when possible, and gotten on with the work with little to no hitches, only having to ask for help once.

Maybe this was a good change. He'd barely had time to think about Adela with all the influx of work and, although he was bound to find banking work tedious eventually, it was refreshing. Refreshing to be out of the old smelling, tiny bookstore and in a proper working environment.

Simon didn't regret quitting one bit.

He'd been pulling on his jacket when Cal came bounding over. He clamped a firm hand on his shoulder, grinning as usual. His tie was already undone, hanging around his neck.

"So, good first day?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was alright for a first day," Simon replied. As friendly as Cal was, Simon just wanted to go home. But, he would be going home to an empty apartment for the first time in years. It was his own fault. He was the one who suggested the break. He'd never been on his own. After leaving home for university, he'd met Adela and they'd soon moved in together. This break was his way of finding out whether he really could do it alone.

So far, so good.

Even if it had only been a day.

"Wait, wait, wait, you're not thinking of going home, are you?" Cal laughed, his hand dropping from Simon's shoulder to pull his tie off. It dragged across the floor as he sat on the end of the desk.

"Where else would I go?" Confusion spread across his face, merging in with the fatigue and slight hunger.

"Out, of course!" Cal all but shouted.

From the other side of the room, Catherine piped up. "Cal likes to take all the newbies out to his favourite bar after their first day. A tradition that he ends up dragging all of us into." A lopsided smile fell onto her lips, but it faded immediately as she stood and pulled her long coat on. "But, I'll have to give it a miss tonight. You boys have fun. Josh," She pointed at him, "Do not drink too much, ok?"

"Whatever," Josh mumbled, not glancing away from his phone. "See you tomorrow, Cath."

"Bye," She said, swinging her bag onto her shoulder and holding her phone in her slender hand. Catherine looked over her shoulder and smiled as she said, "See you tomorrow bright and early, Simon."

"Bye, Catherine," He replied. He barely had time to come up with an excuse as for why he couldn't go out with Cal when he'd been grasped by both shoulders.

"So, are you coming or not?" He persisted, seeming slightly annoyed that he wasn't as enthusiastic about going out as him. Like this bar was some slice of heaven. Maybe it was for him.

"I can't," Simon said and Cal's face tumbled into a frown as if he couldn't quite process why someone wouldn't want to.

"What do you mean you can't?" The way he said it made it sound as if it pained him to utter those words. It was ridiculous. And, if he weren't so likeable, Simon would have told him were to stick his oblivious rudeness.

"I can't go out to a bar when I just went on a break with my girlfriend," Simon told him. Cal's hands dropped from him and he took a step back as if to process what he just said.

And then he laughed, looking to Josh. Josh began to laugh too and suddenly Simon felt very self-conscious. He crossed his arms across his chest.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing, mate," Cal said, sniggering.

"No, what's so funny?" Simon pushed, mumbling.

"Just that there's no such thing as a break, bro," Josh said. He'd stuffed his phone into his pocket, interested by the new boy's dilemmas and delusions.

"Yes, there is."

"No, there really isn't. A break is an excuse to be freaky," Cal said, looping a hand over him and beginning to walk him to the door. "So, you're single now and you can do what the fuck you want. So you're coming to the bar with us and you're going to party like you've been single all your damn life, ok? Josh, come on!"

"I really shouldn't--"

"Shut up, have some fun and some vodka and you'll be over that girl in a hot second."

"I don't want to--"

"Simon, you're single now, man up." He said as the elevator doors closed with the three of them inside, Cal grinning like a maniac, Josh flicking through Tinder and Simon wondering whether he was making a huge mistake.

-

Here we go boys