Gravity

Chapter 10 - May 2019

The days passed since our weird hang-out/date thing and I hadn't really arranged that date I'd promised Stacy. Or she'd promised me, who was counting?

I'd mentioned it at work and she'd said something along the lines of "Yeah we'll definitely get to that," but we didn't seem to be getting there at all.

It was weird but it made me realise that even though we'd had a great night and were now friends on every social media account, I still didn't really class us as close friends. Teenage me would have, but I'm a bit smarter now.

In reality, all we really had in common was that we went to the same school and we now worked in the same place. That, and we both like to drink apparently, but that might not be a good thing. So I made it my mission to try and find something new.

Thankfully, the accounts department had something of a revolt against Jerry and as a result we were now allowed to have radios on in the office again. Woohoo! The only condition was that when the news came on every hour, we'd turn it off for five minutes. Not ideal but at least it was a break from the impending doom of the eventuality of Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister. Christ, life is hard.

Anyway, it meant that I could see what songs or artists she liked but it didn't really work as she basically seemed to enjoy all the songs that I would rather never hear again. And Queen. She liked them, but then so does everyone.

Radio, someone still loves you!

It actually reminded me of the days in third and fourth year at school when I'd go home and listen to pop punk songs that perfectly encapsulated my feelings for her and imagine a scenario where I'd actually written them for her, or at least got her to listen to them. Her eyes would light up and she'd swoon hard for me but alas that day never came. I'd just have to keep Simple Plan and Good Charlotte to myself.

It was actually almost funny that I'd reverted back to my school self with the sudden re-emergence of Stacy. I was now unsure of myself and uncertain of what to do next.

I'm no master lover or anything but I like to think that I'm pretty good with women. I have good jokes and can more than hold my own in a conversation. But Stacy was like a black hole that sucked all of my confidence away.

Ok, bad example.

Part of me thought that if it was meant to be, then it shouldn't be this hard. But of course I was single for a reason.

In times of crisis, I'd normally talk to Joe about it but he was at some baby class with Angie. That left Evie, who I was still unsure on. She was one of my best friends and would always tell me as it is but that didn't mean I always wanted to hear it.

"You seemed to be getting on with her on Saturday!" I said after she groaned at the mention of Stacy's name.

"Yes but I was trying to be, for you. Plus I was hammered."

That second part was true anyway. I'd already asked her what she was talking about in the taxi on the way home but she didn't even remember being in a taxi.

"I think we're going to have to call it a night. I can't see anything," she sighed, lowering her binoculars.

We'd come out to the beach to try and see the shooting stars of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. Every year at this time there was a chance to see the falling debris of Halley's Comet as the Earth crossed the orbital path of the comet.

Unfortunately the southern hemisphere is the best place for seeing it and neither of us had any money for travelling right now. So we'd tried to see it from here but the sky wasn't playing ball, and the clouds were blocking our view of anything exciting. To be fair though, we'd been lazy.