Chapter Text
My breath clouds in the frigid air in front of me. Late again, of course she’s fucking late again. I shove my numbing fingers in the pockets of my windbreaker, ironically the motion allowing the below-zero air right through to my skin. I shiver and look up at the headlights flashing past me at record speeds. Perks of working the night shift, you get home quickly. If your fucking ride isn’t always late.
Minutes feel like hours as I check my phone’s battery, the music blaring through my earbuds draining it like water down a sink. The storefront I’m waiting at finally closes for the night and the lights around me fade, the only thing illuminating the path are the street lights dotted along the road and neon signs in the city centre. I check my phone again, the screen glaringly white with notifications from various group chats that I keep forgetting to mute. I scroll through them quickly before my eyes land on a specific message.
Unknown Number
Today 1:28am
Can’t pick up. Something came up.
Fuck.
Well, no helping it now. I start to trudge my way home on the frosty paths, my boots holding on for dear life on the slippery concrete. A close call ends with me grabbing a lamppost and almost freezerburning my hand off. I slowly get to my feet and look around before heading off again, reading the various signs on the street that are still on before someone’s shoulder makes heavy contact with my nose. Stumbling backwards, I look up to see an equally shocked face, his hands grabbing my shoulders so I don’t fall on my ass,
“Mate, you ok there?” He asks, bending down to my eye level,
“Shit, sorry, I was totally zoned out-” I blurt out, checking if my nose has taken any serious damage,
“Ya kinda got a nosebleed there, need a tissue or somethin’?” He looks concerned which is admittedly unexpected, but I take the offer anyway and he fishes a travel pack out of his pocket. I take a tissue and go to stuff it up my nose before he grabs my hand,
“That’ll just make it clog up, here.” He guides my hand to hold the tissue below my nose and instructs me to pinch the bridge before dragging me over to a bench. A shiver runs up my spine as I sit on the icey seat and the man sits next to me, eyeing me over.
“What’s ya name then? Seein’ as we’ll be here for a while.” He chuckles, tipping his head back as his beanie falls off, revealing scruffy blond hair. He fumbles behind him for a moment before grabbing his hat and firmly shoving it back on his head. I have to laugh before my nose practically screams in pain, my eyes tearing up both from his fumble and my stupid nose,
“Lucio, you?”
“Jamieson, but ya can call me Jamie.” He responds, trying to hide the blush forming from embarrassment.
“Nice to meet you I guess.” I chuckle lightly before wincing at the pain in my nose,
“Shit, you ok?” His tone shifts immediately, and I feel him move closer, his breath clouding in the air above my eyes.
“Yeah I think so.” I laugh again, wince again and my point is immediately nullified. Jamie grabs the beanie off of his head and plops it on top of my dreads, the hat barely able to stretch around the ponytail I have them tied in.
“Dude no! Your ears are gonna freeze!” I grab the woolen hat off with my free hand and shove it in his face, his laughter echoing through the abandoned street.
After a while and some very mediocre nose-related jokes, Jamie pulls his scarf up further over his nose and stands up,
“Hey didja wanna come over to my place for a bit? Until this shitty weather passes at least.” He reaches out a hand that I gratefully take and carefully stand up, still holding the tissue to my nose. “Oh you could probably check your nose, it might be ok now.”
He gestures to the tissue that I then gingerly pull away, the bright blood seeping into the material. I take my hand away from his and touch my nose, and feeling no blood I find a bin to throw out the tissue.
“Thanks for helping me out, you really didn’t have to. My place isn’t far from here but uh,” I trail off, blood rushing to my cheeks, warming them despite the chilled air.
“If ya want my number you can just ask ya know.” He pulls out his phone, and after a moment he holds it towards me. My name is awfully misspelled in the contact.
“Dude you can’t even spell my name right, you think you’re gonna get my number?” I laugh before quickly tapping at the screen,
“Here, and I texted myself so I can get yours.” I pass his phone back, the screen flickering off before he shoves it back in his pocket.
“Look, the offer’s still up for my place, I have hot chocolates if that’ll help.” He looks up to the sky, the moon just barely poking through the city-lit clouds.
“I’d love to but I have a thing due in the morning, gotta sleep ya know.” My phone displays a time far too late to be considered a “healthy” sleep if I wake up at 7:30, but such is life.
“You in university? No offense but you don’t really look the type.” His voices treads carefully around his words,
“That’s cause I’m not, I’m a musician, got a song in the works and my asshole producer wants a first pass tomorrow afternoon. Don’t tell her I said that by the way, she’ll never let me live it down.” I chuckle awkwardly and we fall silent for a minute or two.
“Well, I’d better be off, got my own things to do and stuff…” Jamie turns to walk away, takes a few steps and then turns back,
“I live in the other direction.” He quickly walks off and I continue my trudge back to my less-than-well-heated apartment for some well-earned sleep.