The Meet Up

As usual, he was running late and he didn't want to be, not this time. This meet up was too important. Fast walking to the bar, the town hall clock reads 5:55pm, "shit!" walking faster he texts her.

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"I'm gonna be closer to 6.30, soz." She was relieved seeing that message because now she didn't have to tell him that she was running behind trying to find the place, "let's just make it 6.30, so you don't feel bad."

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Walking in, it's virtually empty with only a couple of bar flies sitting on their drinks and gas bagging to the bartender. He walks over, the bartender joining him, "bourbon and coke," he looks around the empty room, surprised to see that she's not already there. He takes his drink and heads to a corner spot by the window.

He takes out his phone, no messages from her yet, so he sends her one, "just walked in, you can't miss me."

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"Huh?!" she said, looking at her phone. Looking around the bar, it was virtually empty, "already here??" she texts.

He calls her, "you're definitely not here. There's only Beavis and Butt-head sitting by the bar, rambling on. Where are you?"

"I'm on the corner of fourth avenue, where are you?"

"Fourth street," he chuckles.

"On the other side of,"

"Yep."

"What do you want to do? Do you want me to come to you, or you to me?"

"It's peak hour, it'll take ages to get anywhere now."

"But I wanted to see you, see you before,"

"I know, me too."

A drink arrives at her table, "I can finish my drink and,"

"It'll be too late, Lily."

"So, what?"

He takes a sip of his bourbon, "well, we've already got a drink, we're still meeting up - we can Face Time it."

"But our phones will run out of charge before,"

"I'm sure the staff won't mind if you ask to use an outlet every once in a while."

Staring at her glass, "let's just talk, no Face Time. At least not the whole time."

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The first few hours flew by, starting off with the usual small talk stuff, talking about how their week was, their families and how they were, the latest politics, and Netfilx series. Drinking, laughing, enjoying each other's company; both wishing they were together in person so that they could at least get a hug in.

He gets distracted by the two guys at the bar. They've cracked up over something and they're loud. He thinks to himself, "they sound like Beavis and Butt-head, too."

The Butt-head looking one notices him looking at them. He walks over and sits opposite him.

"Lily, give me a minute. I'll call back." he hangs up and says, "can I help you?"

"Sorry, mate. Just comin' over to say hi. Name's Letum"

"Lay-turn?"

"No, LAY-tum, Letum, pfft, anyway. Just checkin' in to see how you're goin'. Did ya get stood up or somethin'?"

"Not exactly, we're still on our date," gesturing to his phone, "thought we might talk the night away - as it were."

Letum nods, "well, if you're looking for company, we're right over there."

He coyishly smiles. As he walks back to his friend, Letum turns back to him and says, "uhh, do people ever tell you that you sound boring over the phone?" he and his friend start laughing. He awkwardly laughs and calls Lily back.

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He asks her a series of questions, "last trip we took?"

"Greece."

"You wanted Italy, remember? I wanted Greece, we compromised, so we went to Greece?"

She chuckles, "yeah."

"Last concert?"

"That was the Pixies, wasn't it?"

"Nah, it might've been Mikelangelo, I think. That New Year show."

"Right."

He sips his drink, "when was the last time we saw each other? In person?"

Swirling her drink, "ah, I think it was when I came to visit you at yours. To talk about your news."

His tone lowers, "I was happy to see you again."

"I wasn't sure that you were."

"I was."

"But then, I never could tell what you were thinking."

"I'm sorry for that, Lily."

"No, don't apologise. I shouldn't have said that." She looks at her watch - it reads 5:55am, "Holy crap, how did that happen? It's so late...I mean early, you know what I mean."

"Time flies and all that."

"But we've only just started, we were just getting started. Our connection, it was,"

"I know."

"We wasted too much time, we could've started this earlier, we could've,"

"We weren't ready to, Lily. It's okay. It's how it was meant to go."

Bluntly she says, "but this. It's not how it was supposed to be. This whole night, this...." she takes a moment to calm herself, "you deserved better than this. Better than this night, better than,"

"Lily."

"I was hoping to see you again, that's all."

"I know."

Letum walks over again.

"Hang on, one sec, Lil'," he puts his phone to his chest. While she waits, she can make out a faint beat. A rhythmic beat, that's gradually getting fainter.

He looks Letum in the eye, "dude, I'm trying to talk to her. The night ain't over yet."

Letum gently replies, "C'mon mate, come hang with me. It's time, and you know she can't come with."

He puts the phone to his ear, "Lily....angel. I've got to go."

Lily screams, "NO!"

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In her living room on the couch, a half drunk bottle of bourbon spilled over, half eaten takeaway, and candles burned all the way down. Lily's head is throbbing. Her face, flushed and sticky from tears melting her mascara into her skin. She checks her watch, it reads 6.30am. She looks at the text message that she'd received:

"Hi Lily, I'm sorry to inform you and your family that he passed last night..." she dropped the phone.