Lessons After Midnight (mxm)

Chapter 7

I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "Sure, Milani. I'll let you know,"

"Great! That's all I needed. My students are about to come back from lunch. Talk soon!"

After saying goodbye, I ended the call and turned back to Ben, who was waiting for me.

"Sorry about that. One of my friends was just inviting me out," I explained as we resumed walking toward the garage.

"No worries," He said. "Was that the high school teacher you mentioned?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "She and her fiancé are having dinner next Tuesday and she invited me to join them. She said I could bring someone if I wanted. Would you be up for it? I'd hate to third wheel them,"

"Sure, why not? Next Tuesday is Halloween, isn't it?"

I thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, I guess it is,"

"That's perfect, actually. I can't stand Halloween. Having to listen to the doorbell ring every five minutes. Going out to dinner would save me from enduring that," He chuckled

I smiled, despite his passive aggressiveness towards trick or treaters. They were just kids having fun, so I didn't see the big deal. I wasn't going to bring it up though, he was entitled to his own opinion.

"Great! I'll let her know."

As we reached the parking garage, we waved our goodbyes, and I headed to the elevator, taking it to the fourth floor where I was parked.

I knew that Milani had been meaning Erick, but I wasn't ready for them to meet yet. I wanted to get to him for who he is first, before making him feel pressured by my friends. It was a funny reason for not inviting him, but it was as good as any.

I sat at my computer later that night, using my recent date as content for my book. As silly as it seemed, my writing was mostly based on experience. The other books I've written and published have all had hints of my relationship with Matt.

A story about two roommates falling for each other gradually over months of living in close proximity? I've written that. A story where two tourists meet on a cruise ship and eventually end up together due to being stranded in the Bahamas? I've written that too.

Sometimes, life experiences were easier to write about, being able to describe how you felt in that moment really makes stories feel more relatable.

That's not to say it's the only way to do it of course. How else would we have amazing works of fantasy? Contemporary romance was what I specialized in, and it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but to those who do enjoy it, I have respect.

After a few hours of putting my thoughts on paper, or computer, I finally had a rough story map made. It had been so long since I made one, so it was a bit messy. I'll clean it up over time, but for now, I was proud of myself for even starting one. As it got later in the night, I wrapped things up with my story board, planning to refine it another time.

Before heading off to bed, I checked my phone, wanting to see a text from Erick. Was I really this starved for connection? Unironically, yes.

✯✯✯

Even by the next day, I hadn't heard from Erick, which made me want to suck it up and reach out to him myself. I didn't want to rush him though. I was sure he was busy with work.

Though, by the time Thursday rolled around, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask him out to dinner. Yes, I had dinner with Milani coming up, but perhaps that's why dinner was the first thought that came to mind when I texted Erick.

Me: Hello, Erick.

Erick: Amore.

His response was short, only a single word, but I could practically hear the way he said it. I didn't know exactly what it meant, but the spelling was similar to Spanish. I got the idea though.