Ashley sat stiffly at the long mahogany dining table, a white teacup poised delicately between her fingers. She wasn't listening not to her mother's carefully phrased flattery or to Mr. Granville's son talking about his latest "startup venture" that probably existed only on paper.
Her mind was a loop: the bar, Darren's laugh, his hands, her leaving. The note.
God, the note.
She hadn't even given him a chance to ask her name.
"Ashley, dear," her mother said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Alexander was just saying how interested he is in philanthropy. You two have so much in common."
Ashley blinked and forced a polite smile. "Oh, yes. How noble."
Alexander leaned in slightly, voice low and patronizing. "I'd love to pick your brain sometime. Maybe over dinner?"
She wanted to throw her tea in his lap. Instead, she nodded. "Maybe."
Her mother beamed like she'd just brokered a royal engagement.
Inside, Ashley was screaming.
Later that evening, Ashley stood on the balcony of her room, arms wrapped tightly around herself. The estate garden below was symmetrical, perfect, sterile. Like everything in her life. Sculpted, structured, suffocating.
Her phone vibrated. A message from her best friend, Clara.
[Clara]
You vanished last night. Spill. I want details.
Ashley hesitated, then replied:
[Me]
Met someone. One-night stand. Mistake.
[Clara]
Mistake or best night of your life? 👀
Ashley stared at the message, thumb hovering. Then typed:
[Me]
Both, maybe.
There was a pause before Clara sent a voice note:
"You never do that. Are you okay?"
Ashley didn't reply.
She wasn't okay. But saying it aloud would make it real.
And besides, it was over. He was a stranger. No number, no last name. That night was gone.
At least, that's what she told herself.
Meanwhile, across the city, Darren sat on the worn couch of his one-bedroom apartment, flicking through TV channels without seeing any of them. A cold pizza box sat beside him, untouched.
Ryan, his roommate and friend since high school, entered with a beer and a smirk. "So? You disappeared last night. What happened?"
Darren shook his head. "Just met someone."
Ryan grinned. "Someone someone, or bar mistake?"
Darren hesitated. "Both, maybe."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You gonna see her again?"
"She left before I woke up."
Ryan frowned. "Damn. No number?"
"Nope. Just a note."
"Wow. You got ghosted like a Tinder rookie."
Darren chuckled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah. Guess I deserved that."
Ryan clapped him on the back. "Forget it. Come out with us Friday. New bar. New faces. New everything and maybe you will find a new woman who is gonna replace her in your mind."
Darren just replied. "That's a maybe."
Ryan nodded. " lets's go though."
Darren just nodded, though a part of him didn't want new faces.
He wanted the one that left.