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Peter finds out that his ex has moved on and tries speed dating to help himself move on. 
Chapter One
It was a beautiful morning, the first rainless day in February, a nice cool breeze and just enough mud to keep away the undesirables. The people who came to the park to walk around or play with their kids. Peter Painsman didn’t have a problem with kids per se, but he didn’t want them running around and making noise while he worked out. Perfectly reasonable if you asked him. Kids just kind of got in the way. Thinking about kids always made him think of Samantha, his ex. She had a daughter, who never much cared for Peter. She often got in the way of their relationship. It was one of the many reasons they weren’t together right now. Although, that was going to change soon. He was starting to miss her, which always resulted in their reconciliation. It was their dance. They would be together, until Peter started to feel trapped, or the relationship was starting to get too serious, then Peter would dump Sam, over some trivial matter. It wasn’t hard, they fought like cats and dogs. He loved it. She would beg him to take her back, he would ignore her for a few weeks, maybe a month or so and then give in and everything would go back to normal. It was the dream. This pause had gone on a bit longer than the rest. It had been almost six months at this point. She hadn’t called him in a while. Something that bugged him more than he cared to admit, but he shrugged it off. She loved him, she would be over the moon to have him back. He knew the length of the breakup would mean he would have to kiss a little more ass than normal, but he was fine with it. He would suck up to her for a week or two and then flip it around and make her feel guilty for not trying harder. After all, she knew his father had come back into the picture after years. His father who he had always idolized and looked up to, which was easy when he wasn’t around. But when he was in the house, making rules, telling Peter what he could and couldn’t do, it was just too much. Peter was a grown ass man, well into his twenties. He wasn’t about to answer to someone else. Those days had long since passed. It was the main reason he moved in with Dwayne. A few tears, a screaming match about how Sam abandoned him, and she would be all over herself to make up for it. He would be sitting pretty when he took her back. The rest of his workout flew by. Carried by the happy thoughts of domesticated bliss that awaited him, aided by the empty park. Today was a good day. As he walked home, he thought about calling Sam right then and there. Getting the ass kissing over and done with, so he could be treated like a king already. He also couldn’t help but feel excited at the fact that getting back with her meant that he would be spending all his time at her house and not at his own. He loved Dwayne like a brother, well liked, well tolerated, well sometimes tolerated him, but he couldn’t spend too much time with him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful that D took him in and let him stay there rent free, or that he paid all the bills and bought almost all the groceries, it was just that he wanted to talk to Peter, and hang out with him, and that wasn’t okay. D was a really weird guy. He would say things and do things that just weren’t done. Peter often felt embarrassed being seen with him. They were only friends because Sam convinced her best friend Chuck to invite him out with them after he helped them with a class project back in college. Chuck took a liking to him and invited him everywhere. Peter didn’t understand it. Chuck was a cool enough guy, why did he like D? Why did Sam? Why did anybody? If Peter wasn’t struggling, he wouldn’t be caught dead in the same room with him. Something that no one could fault him for. The walk home was always so much longer than the walk to the park. Peter assumed it had to do with the fact that he was sore from his work out, so most days, today included, he would stop off at the local Kroger to get some water and maybe a snack for the rest of the walk home. After all, he had burned a lot of calories and needed to refuel. He would get something light, that he could eat as he walked and get home in time to get on Facebook and spar with some random people. It was a good way to keep himself sharp. Social media had really revolutionized the way people communicated with one another; Peter loved it. Normally at this time-of-day Kroger was a ghost town, just the way Peter wanted it. He could get in and out, no lines, no slow people taking forever to move pass what he wanted to reach for. He could just get his shit and get out. Convenient, which was why they were called convenience stores, what did people not understand about that? Peter often wondered why people didn’t understand basic, simple human interactions. It was one of the many things that annoyed him. Today was anything but normal. Maybe it was because the skies were clear for once, or because it was about a week out from Valentines Day, but the store was packed. Peter had half a mind to just turn around and leave immediately; he couldn’t be expected to wait in these lines for a water and snack. Maybe he could find a corner store or something. But that would mean leaving and looking for one and that would disrupt his routine, which he very much liked to keep. He let out a sigh and started to look for the chip aisle. A nice bag of popcorn would make the waiting worth it. Maybe some ice cream for when he got home? No, no ice cream. Well, maybe ice cream. But he shouldn’t buy it now. He still had to walk home, besides, if he mentioned he wanted ice cream at the house, Dwayne would pick some up at the store and Peter wouldn’t have to spend any money on it. The store was packed full of Valentines gifts, little stuffed animals, candy, flowers, it was so in your face that it made Peter gag a little. On top of that, there was an abnormal amount of couples, being all coupily. Was this why he was thinking about Sam so much the last couple of days? Because it was the season of love? It was such a bullshit holiday, made for one reason and one reason only, to oppress men. It was designed to put so much pressure on guys who were just trying to survive. It came with an expectation of perfection, of romantism, spurred on by the Halmark channel and their anti-men propaganda. Peter wouldn’t stand for it. He decided that he would wait until this season of male oppression was over and then call Sam and take her back. It was the right thing to do; he shouldn’t be expected to buy her a gift or spend money on a romantic dinner for some girl he hadn’t even seen in half a year. That was preposterous. He would wait until this madness passed and then take her back. She would be so happy that it wouldn’t even matter. He couldn’t help but grin at the thought. He was always so good at solving problems. It was one of his best qualities, of which he had many. He pushed past a nerdy looking guy looking at different candies, trying to find the perfect one for some girl who would no doubt dump him in a few days, after she gets what she wanted from him. That’s how women are, you can’t trust them. He knew that from experience. Sam would always get so heated when he pointed out her nature to her, but she just didn’t understand. Not like he did. It wasn’t her fault, she was just too close to it. After all, she was a woman, how could she be expected to see how evil her very nature was? In her defense, she was one of the better ones. She was almost human. “Baby, you don’t have to spend so much time with this. Whatever you get her she will love, or not, I mean she is a teenager, teenagers hate everything, but it’s still sweet, so just pick something and let’s go.” A voice from the next aisle said. Peter knew that voice. It sounded like a beautiful symphony and gut punch at the same time. It was clearly Sam’s voice. His Sam, calling someone else baby. That wasn’t okay. That was not acceptable. “I know babe, but it’s my first valentines with you, and she’s your daughter, I want her to feel included. I want her to like me.” A man replied. A no good, lousy snake of a man, moving in on his woman. How could anybody sink so low. “She’s a teenager, she doesn’t even like me, but it’s so sweet that you are trying.” Peter slowly moved towards the end of the aisle, he had to see for himself. He had to catch her in the act of cheating on him. He was in such shock. How could Sam do this to him? She loved him, she always loved him. They were forever. A few months apart, didn’t change that. Or at least it shouldn’t, not if she truly loved him. She was going to have to kiss his ass now. The whole dynamic had just shifted. “I love you Sam, I’m going to do everything I can to make this work.” The backstabbing two-timing no good sleazebag of a man said to the love of Peter’s life. Peter made it to the end of the aisle just in time to see them kiss. For a moment Peter wanted to yell and rage at this monster, but the size of the man made him think twice. Peter spent all his free time working out, but still this guy was bigger. Not just muscle mass, but height as well. So that’s what this was, she left him because of his height. All of her bullshit promises that his height didn’t matter, at the end of the day, it did. It was the reason she left him. The reason she cheated on him and broke his heart. Just farther proof that you can never trust a woman. Not really, not with your heart. He turned and stormed away, all thoughts of his popcorn and water forgotten. He needed to get home and quickly. He couldn’t stand the thought of spending another moment in the same store with that harlot. Not after what she had done to him. And she knew, she knew he was going to be there. He always went there after working out. She came to his Kroger, to throw her relationship in his face and to make him feel bad. To tear him down and ruin his day, ruin his life with her adultery. That bitch! Chapter Two Peter could hardly remember the walk home. His heart was shattered. How could Sam do this to him? Why would she do this to him? Weren’t they happy? Weren’t they good together? Wasn’t their love true? None of this made any sense. There was no reason for this betrayal. Just three months ago she was begging for him to take her back. Telling him that she would change and do whatever he wanted. How could she just throw away that kind of devotion. He could just hear her bullshit excuse already. “You told me we were done, and you want nothing to do with me. You said I ruined your life.” As if he meant that. As if she thought he meant that. He just wanted a few weeks alone, which turned to months because of the drama with his father. He thought about calling Sam when that happened, but she has a good relationship with her father, and that wasn’t fair. It was kind of fucked up of her to be on good terms with her dad, when Peter wasn’t with his. It was one of the more selfish parts of her personality that he tried really hard to overlook. It was hard. And now add to that her out and out bigotry, he was starting to wonder if she was even worth it. How could she be so hateful of him, just because he was height impaired. This new situationship of hers, because it couldn’t be a relationship, she was Peter’s, she still loved Peter, she had to. She was using this guy to make him jealous, that was all, but why did he have to be tall. That part, that part was what hurt. That part was what made it almost unforgivable. After all, this was a hate crime. Pure and simple. Peter really hoped that Dwayne wasn’t home or was in his room. He didn’t think he could deal with him right now, not with everything going on. It was just too much. His cheerfulness, his warm greeting. Why was he so nice? What did he want? What was he after? Peter didn’t trust it, not really. No one is that nice. Peter pulled the front door open slowly, bracing himself for the onslaught of false kindness from Dwayne, but it didn’t come. He peeked into the room and found it empty. Dwayne was nowhere to be seen. What a relief. Peter made his way towards his bedroom; he needed a nice cold shower and a nap. The weight of the world was just too much for him at the moment. The pain he was going through, it was a burden that would crush lesser men. Crush most men. Most people weren’t as strong as Peter, didn’t have the emotional fortitude that he had. He was truly an inspiration, if only people noticed that fact more often. Instead of always trying to dim his light with their hate and insecurities. A low creek from the other side of the apartment meant that Dwayne was home and in his room. He was coming out, Peter cursed his luck under his breath and slipped into the bathroom, to avoid the happy banter. “That was. . .incredible.” a woman’s voice said. She sounded a bit older, more mature, but Peter couldn’t be sure. He had never heard this woman’s voice before. “I enjoyed it.” Dwayne said, simply. Peter hated how he spoke, as if everything was good. He never complained, never bitched about his problems, of which he had many. After all, he was a really weird guy. Everybody thought so. Peter was sure of it. How could they not? “When. . .when can I see you again?” the woman asked, a mixture of worry and hope. “You got my number, hit me up. If I’m free I don’t mind seeing you.” Dwayne said, as if the answer was obvious. “And you won’t tell my Carla, I mean, she’s my niece, I. . .I can’t bear the thought of her knowing I . . well. . .you know what we did.” “I would never tell her. No worries.” Dwayne assured her. Peter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Dwayne hooked up with his ex-girlfriend’s aunt? How does that even happen? It was a cruel joke. Dwayne shouldn’t be hooking up with any women, let another a relative of his ex. That was something that only a man of Peter’s status could pull off. Not that he ever had. In fact, besides Sam, he had only been with three other women. Not that that was something he would confess to people. No one needed to know that. “I’ll call you.” The woman said before kissing Dwayne. “Cool.” Dwayne replied before Peter heard the front door close. He waited a few more minutes before he heard Dwayne’s bedroom door close as well. Peter slowly exited the bathroom and made his way to his bedroom. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. It didn’t make any sense. Dwayne was a loser, everyone saw it, right? “You home Peter?” Dwayne called from the living room. Peter stayed silent; he really didn’t want to deal with him. What could he possibly want? “I’m getting pizza, you want some?” Dwayne said. “Sure.” Peter answered, he wasn’t going to turn down free food, even if it meant making small talk with Dwayne. He went into the living room; Dwayne was sitting on the sofa watching anime and drinking some weird drink that Peter had never seen. “I thought I heard you come in, but I wasn’t sure.” Dwayne said as he played around on his phone, ordering the food. “I didn’t want to bother you and your lady friend.” Peter said, sitting down in a nearby chair. “Did I hear her correctly, was that Carla’s aunt?” “Yeah, I ran into her at the gas station while I was filling up your car for you. We got to talking and well, yeah.” “Did you get my oil changed? You know, it was getting kind of low, I think. I don’t know how you are supposed to tell.” Peter said, annoyed that he even had to ask. Dwayne knows what needs to be done with his car. But he wasn’t always the most responsible person, sometimes you had to remind him of what needed doing, especially if it was something that didn’t concern him. If it was Dwayne’s car, he would never forget to get the oil changed. “uh. . .I did not. I figured you would take it somewhere.” Dwayne said. “I just got you some gas because you said you were running low and were short on funds till you got paid.” It was just like D to make excuses. To try and paint his irresponsibility as someone else fault, or try and gaslight you into thinking his half ass attempt to take care of his responsibilities was somehow him going above and beyond. Peter really didn’t need this today, not with Sam’s betrayal still hanging over his head. What Peter really needed was a friend, was someone who would be there for him and help him out, without having to be asked, without having to be reminded. Dwayne just couldn’t be counted on. “It’s fine, I’ll figure something out.” Peter said, getting up. “Cool, the food should be here in like 20 minutes.” Dwayne said, turning his attention back to the television. He wasn’t even going to offer to fix his mistake. Now what was Peter going to do? He had no idea where to go to get his oil changed, who to take it to, what to say when he got there. He had no real desire to spend the money, or waste the hours of his day there. This was unacceptable. He needed to get out of this house and get back on his own two feet. If only Sam wasn’t off being a harlot with some two-time loser. He just looked like prison. Like he never worked a day in his life. He was just with her because she had an apartment and he could stay there for free. What a creep. Sleeping in Peter’s bed, eating Peter’s food. Screwing Peter’s woman. It was enough to make him want to scream. Chapter Three “I just. . .just can’t believe he cheated on me.” Nat said over the phone, through her sobs. Dwayne didn’t know what to say, his heart broke for her. She really liked this guy, and he wasn’t the first to lead her on. “I’m so sorry, Nat, you don’t deserve this. I know it’s not going to be. . .” Dwayne was starting to say when she suddenly cut him off. “Oh my god, he’s calling! I’m going to let you go. I can’t believe he called back!” With that the line went dead. Dwayne just sat there for a moment processing what just happened. He hoped she wouldn’t go running back to the guy after he hurt her like that, but he had a feeling she was going to. He opened the pizza app to check on the status, his stomach was growling with hunger. He couldn’t wait to tear into the pizza. He hadn’t eaten all day, and he had really worked up an appetite. The driver seemed to be down the street. Dwayne got to his feet and started towards the door when his phone went off. He braced himself to hear what Nat had to say, only it wasn’t her name on the phone. It was Jake, an old friend from high school. Dwayne hadn’t talked to him in years. “Jake?” Dwayne said, wanting to make sure. “D-man! How you doing? You doing good? Long time, you doing alright?” Jake asked in a hurry. “I’m doing great. It’s been a while. How are you doing?” Dwayne asked, trying to recall the last time they had spoken. “Not great man, really not great, so here I was, just driving along, you know, headed places and uh yeah, my car died on me. I didn’t know who to call, and I figure, D-man is a great dude, you could help me out. You can help me out right?” “Um. . .” D started before Jake cut him off. “Perfect, you the best man, I don’t know what I’d do without you D-man, I’mma shoot you my location. Try not to take too long, I don’t feel like waiting.” The line cuts off. Dwayne just stands there a moment, unsure of what to do. Jake needed help, they haven’t spoken in a long time, so it must have been really hard for him to call and ask. Dwayne couldn’t ignore that kind of courage. Part of the problem with the world, at least as far as Dwayne saw it, was that people never wanted to help one another. So many people were just out for themselves. Dwayne couldn’t understand it, if you can help, you have to help. It was as simple as that. Maybe he could take a couple of slices of pizza to eat on the way, and of course bring a slice for Jake, he might be hungry stranded on the side of the road. The app showed the delivery driver pulling up, it was perfect timing. Dwayne made his way outside, eager to get his hands on the nice hot box of pizza, only to find the driver pulling away. For a moment Dwayne was confused as to why he would just leave without dropping off the food, but then he noticed Peter getting in his car with the box of pizza. “Pete! Hey, wait!” Dwayne started to jog over to the car to get some of the pizza before Peter drove off, but Peter must not have heard him. He pulled away from the curb and down the street. Dwayne couldn’t help but feel disappointed, he knew that Peter didn’t intend to steal the pizza. He most likely thought that Dwayne just got him his own pie and his was still coming. It was an honest mistake. Of that Dwayne was sure. Peter wouldn’t do that to him. They were buds, best buds. Almost like brothers. -Peter- The nerve of Dwayne, putting Peter’s life in danger. Who knew what could happen if you don’t change the oil in time on a car. Was it going to break down? Catch fire? Explode? Peter had no idea, he knew more about cars than most people, but he wasn’t sure about how this would play out. Dwayne should have taken care of it, like he always did. It was his responsibility. “Fuck!” Peter hit the steering wheel in frustration. He always had to take care of everything himself. The people around him were so useless. It’s so hard to find good friends, thank God for Mark, the only real friend that Peter had. He was always there for him, going out of his way to be there and help Peter. Listen to him and he gave the best advice. The world needed more Marks and less Dwaynes. Peter opened the pizza box and pulled out a slice of pepperoni pizza, the smell washed over him, Peter loved the smell of fresh pizza, there was nothing else like it. The only thing that disappointed him was that Dwayne didn’t bother to order some wings with the pizza. He was always so cheap. Never really thought about how his actions impacted other people. Hopefully Mark wouldn’t be angry at the lackluster meal. Peter was almost embarrassed to present it. Mark was sitting on the ledge overlooking the train tracks when Peter pulled up. A joint in hand. Which was a good thing, because Peter could use a smoke. Today had been hell. “Thank god for weed.” Peter said as he sat down next to Mark, putting the pizza box between them. Mark looked at the half smoked joint in his hand, then over at Peter. “Took you long enough.” Mark said before taking another hit and flicking the joint onto the train tracks. Peter watched it fly off, wishing he could have had a hit before it was gone. Mark must not have known he wanted a hit. He never would have done that if he had known. He was the one true friend Peter had. “The pizza took forever to come. D ordered it all late.” Peter said, once again annoyed at how irresponsible D was, and how it really made Peter look bad. Mark took a slice and started eating. “He really don’t give a fuck about anyone but himself, do he?” “Not one bit.” Peter said, with more than a little frustration. “But D isn’t my main problem. You’ll never believe who I ran into at the store. Flaunting her new tall ass fuck buddy.” Mark looked over at him, surprise on his face. Not that Peter could blame him. No rational person would find her actions acceptable. “Sam? She got a man?” Mark asked, before taking another bite. “Damn.” “She was basically having sex with him right in the aisle. It was obscene.” Peter said, shaking with rage. “What?” “The dude was a giant, had to be at least 8, 9 feet tall. He just picked her and they were making out, I honestly thought she was trying to bite his face off. And the moaning, in the middle of the store. There were kids everywhere. The aisle was full of them, just watching this obscene, abomination taking place. I felt so bad for them. Those kids are going to be scarred for life.” Peter retold the story, exactly how it had happened. He might have even toned it down a little bit. He didn’t want Mark to think too harshly of Sam, after all, that was Peter’s woman. “Where were the kid’s parents?” Mark asked, while digging into another slice. “I don’t know. I mean some lady fainted when it started, from shock. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a heart attack, I damn near did.” Peter said, shuddering at the memory. “If I didn’t know better, I would have bet money they were shooting an onlyfans. I mean. . .it was only a matter of time until they fucked in that aisle.” “Sam, with an onlyfans?” Mark said, snatching up the last slice as Peter reached for it. “Now that I would pay for.” He took a bite and looked at Peter. “She looked fuckable man, you goofed letting her get away.” “I didn’t let her get away!” Peter snapped, looking down at the train tracks, so as to avoid looking at Mark. “She cheated on me.” “You never told me that.” Mark said. “I told you, I just found out! We were on a break, a break doesn’t mean we are done. It doesn’t mean run off and fuck the fucking mountain from Game of Thornes. It means wait for me, till I’m ready to resume. And I was, just in two weeks, I was going to call her and accept her apology. But not now, not after she cheated, and in public no less.” “You said you broke up with her, that she used you and ruined your life. That she held you back and kept you from your dreams.” Mark said, Peter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I never said that, our love was real, it was forever. It is forever, when she stops. . .” he shakes off the thought of her having sex with this freakishly tall man in the middle of the store. “Stops putting her gigolo on display to make me jealous and comes to her senses, she’ll come crawling on her hands and knees begging me to take her back. And maybe I won’t, not this time. I mean, she was fucking him, right there in the store. She should be arrested!” “You said they were making out, now they were fucking?” Mark asked, trying to follow along. “You know what I mean, it was too much. That stuff should be private.” Peter said, while doing everything he could to get the image out of his mind. “You need to get laid my friend.” Mark said, as he picked up the box and threw it, just as the train started to pass by. The box flew and landed right on the top of the train. Mark let out a laugh. “Bullseye!” “But Sam is seeing someone.” Peter said, he could feel the tears welling up. “Yeah, no shit, I didn’t say fuck her. Just find anyone. It’s not like she is the only bitch in the world. Just find yourself a wet hole and you’ll be good.” “Where?” Peter asked, it wasn’t a bad idea. He needed to do something to keep his mind from wandering back to that dreaded aisle where his life had ended. “A bar, Facebook, I don’t know. Girls just kind of find me. Where do you normally pick up chicks?” Mark asked. “I don’t.” Peter said, thinking back to the last time he got a girl’s attention. It was Sam. He had bugged Chuck over and over again to set them up. And then he had pestered Sam until she gave him a chance. What was Chuck doing? Did he have any other female friends he could hook Peter up with? Peter hadn’t talked to him in six months, but surely Chuck would help Peter out. It was only right. “There’s a speed dating thing at the Old Monk.” Mark told Peter. The Old Monk was a hole in the wall bar that Mark liked to hang out at after work. Peter had gone there once or twice. It wasn’t bad. Not somewhere that Peter would go out of his way to hang out, but it was fine enough. “Speed dating?” Peter asked. “I never thought of that before. I wonder what it would be like.” “Like dating, but fast. Speeding through them. It’s in the name man.” Mark said, getting to his feet. “You should give it a try. Find you that warm wet hole you need to solve your problems.” With that he started off towards his car, pulling out another joint and lighting it. Peter watched him go, his mind racing. Could speed dating actually work? Could he find himself someone to replace his sweet, beautiful Sam? That evil bloodthirsty cheating harlot. How much would it cost? Was D free? He better be. God, he better not try and find someway to get out of helping Peter. That would be just like him, to cheap out when he was needed the most. Chapter Four “And swing through Jack, I’m starved.” Jake said, not looking up from his phone, while Dwayne drove. Dwayne had managed to find Jake, who had left his car on the side of the road and walked to a nearby pub. He insisted on Dwayne coming inside while he finished his drink. Not wanting to be rude, Dwayne made his way inside. It was a small hole in the wall place, which had clearly seen better days. Or at least Dwayne had hoped so. If this was the pubs heyday, that would be even sadder. “Bout time you got here.” Jake said before downing his drink. “Pay the man, I’mma hit the head and we can roll out.” With that he got up and headed towards the back. The bartender looked at Dwayne and held out his hand. Not knowing what to do, Dwayne got out his wallet. Jake would pay him back. There was no way he expected Dwayne to pay for his drink, or well drinks. The receipt the barkeep gave him had three drinks and five shots on it. After adding in the tip, it was not an unexpensive bill. “Let’s go.” Jake yelled out as Dwayne signed the receipt. “Which one is yours?” Jake asked, Dwayne pointed at the older mustang. “Cool.” Jake started towards the car, Dwayne right behind him. “Thanks for getting that, man, I mean it was the least you could do for making me wait so damn long, but still. It was cool that you accepted responsibility.” “My pleasure.” Dwayne said as he got in the car. He didn’t know what else to say. He knew Jake was in trouble and needed help, he didn’t mind helping him, he just didn’t expect to pay his bar bill on top of it. “So, the car is toast, just take me home man.” “Okay, just tell me the way.” Dwayne answered as he pulled out of the parking spot. “But first I need you to take me to run some errands, now that I’m sans car.” Jake said pulling out his phone. That was two and a half hours ago. Since then, Dwayne had driven Jake around town, from the grocery store, Dwayne paid, to CVS to pick up his mother’s meds, Dwayne paid, to the corner store to pick up some questionable magazine, Jake told Dwayne he wasn’t a fan of using the internet for that, it was too weird thinking about some fed watching him take care of himself. Dwayne neither asked nor wanted that explanation, but he did end up paying for the magazine. Now they were finally headed to Jake’s apartment. Dwayne felt bad, but he was actually excited to be rid of his old friend. “Not a problem.” Dwayne said as he pulled into the drive-through. It wasn’t a problem, not really, seeing as Dwayne had still not eaten anything. He quickly ordered both of them their food and off they were, once more on the way to Jake’s apartment. Dwayne of course, paid. “Oh shit!” Jake said, while eating his food. “What?” “My homeboy fixed my car. It’s waiting for me back at the bar. Just drop me off there man, that’s wild. What luck.” “That’s great news!” Dwayne said, genuinely happy for him. He knew from experience that there was nothing worse than car troubles. In no time at all they were back at the bar, Jake crumbled up the bag of food and tossed it onto the floor of Dwayne’s car, before gathering his grocery bags. “Oh, my food was in there.” “Was it?” Jake said as he got out. “My bad man, I ate everything in there. You should have said something.” Dwayne just gave him a smile, not wanting to make Jake feel bad. “Oh, I’ll take this for the road, thanks again man.” He snatched up Dwayne’s drink and slammed the door shut, heading back towards the bar. Jake had thanked Dwayne, but he didn’t really seem thankful. If Dwayne didn’t know better, he would think his old high school buddy had just taken advantage of him. He knew that couldn’t be the case, no one is that cruel, to just call up someone and use them. Dwayne felt bad for even thinking it. It was surely the hunger. It was messing with his mind, making him think negative thoughts about people who cared for him. He would have to reach out to Jake later and make sure he didn’t find Dwayne rude. Mentioning that he accidently ate Dwayne’s food might have made Jake feel guilty, and that was the last thing he wanted. All of that driving had taken a toll on Dwayne; all he wanted to do was go home and go to sleep. He knew it was early, but he was wiped out. A nice hot shower and then bed. Maybe he would listen to an audiobook as he passed out, or do some mediation beforehand, just to clear his head, but even that seemed like too much work. “Where the hell have you been?” Peter demanded the second Dwayne opened the door. “What?” “Don’t what me, man, I need your help. The one time I try and come to you, dude, you always tell me ‘I’m always here if you need me’ well where the fuck have you been? I knew that was all bullshit, you don’t give a fuck about me. You only care about yourself.” “I’m so sorry, Peter. I didn’t know you needed me. I was. . .my friend from high school, his car broke down, so. . .” Dwayne tries to explain. “Always an excuse. You always have some excuse. You know I would be there for you, but I guess that’s the difference between us. I care about you. You just take advantage of that fact.” Peter said, turning and heading towards his room. “I don’t, I would never. Peter, I’m. . .why didn’t you call me? I would have come back if I knew you needed me.” Dwayne had never felt so guilty before. He loved Peter like a brother, he didn’t want to hurt him. To have him feel taken advantage of. That was never his intention. He would have to make this up to him somehow. “So, it’s my fault?” Peter said, turning back to face Dwayne. “I. . .I. . .wow. You’re just like Sam, and Chuck. Always using people. Trying to ruin people, just to have a laugh. Did you know?” “Know what? What are you talking about?” Dwayne asked, not following Peter’s non sequitur. “About Sam?” Peter all but screamed. “I know you still talk to her and Chuck. You had a good laugh, huh, at my expense? Did you send her to that Kroger? Was this planned?” “Kroger? Sam? What plan? Peter, what happened?” Dwayne’s head was spinning. He wasn’t sure if was from the heat outside, the lack of food, or attempting to follow Peter’s logic. Maybe it was all 3. Dwayne really just wanted to go collapse in bed, but he didn’t want to upset Peter even more. When he was like this, it was better to just let him get it all out. “Sam went to Kroger, to MY Kroger with her new sex toy. Waited till I went to grab my popcorn and then jumped out and introduced me to him, before pointing out how tall he was and making out with him in front of me.” Peter said, falling onto the couch, tears flowing down his face. “Sam did that?” Dwayne asked, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. That didn’t sound like Sam at all. She was always so sweet. And more or less modest. She would never go out of her way to make out with some guy in the middle of the store. What’s more, she had a boyfriend. They had been together for a few months now. From what Dwayne gathered they were serious. Why would she use him to make Peter jealous? None of it made any sense. “People laughed at me. I had to flee the store. It was. . .it was the most humiliating moment of my life.” Dwayne sat down next to Peter and put his arm around him. He wanted to try and comfort his friend. He would have to have a talk with Sam later. That wasn’t okay. Peter didn’t deserve that. Nor did Wesley. He was such a nice man. To think Sam would use him to hurt Peter. She should be ashamed of herself. Although, it was so out of character, maybe it was a misunderstanding. Surely there was more to the story. “That’s why I needed you.” Peter said, shrugging Dwayne’s arm off of him. “I need to get back out there.” “Dating?” Dwayne asked. “You seem so shaken up about Sam, don’t you think you should deal with that pain before trying to find someone else?” “I need a distraction. Find me a new woman to help me get over her. To move on.” Peter insisted. Dwayne felt uneasy. It sounded a lot like Peter was trying to use some poor girl to avoid dealing with his own pain. That wasn’t acceptable. “You can’t do that, Peter. You would just be using this girl. Passing your pain onto her. That’s not right.” Dwayne said, hoping Peter would see the truth in what he said. “I’m not looking to date someone new. I just want to talk to women, feel wanted. Mark told me about this speed dating event at the Old Monk. I want us to hit up. I can talk to some women, build up my confidence. I just need you there with me. I can’t do this alone.” Peter looked so broken, it shattered Dwayne’s heart seeing his best friend like that. He might not agree with what Peter was doing, but he couldn’t stand by and not help him. Not support him in his time of need. After all, that is what friends do. “We are just going there to talk to these girls? You aren’t going to lead them on, or use them to get over Sam. Right?” Dwayne asked. “Just talk, I swear it.” Peter said, holding up the Cub Scout salute. Dwayne nodded his consent. It was starting to look like he wasn’t going to be getting any sleep tonight. Chapter Five The Old Monk was packed, far more packed than Peter had ever seen it. All decked out for valentines. Flowers and hearts lined the walls. Nervous looking men and women stood around waiting for instructions. For half a second Peter felt nervous himself. There was a lot of competition around, but he just reminded himself of how charming he was. After all, he won the heart of Sam. It should be a walk in the park to attract these ladies as well. Next to him Dwayne was playing on his phone, he looked more bored than anything else. He clearly didn’t want to be there. It was just like him to try and ruin this for Peter. For a moment Peter thought about just telling him to leave. If he couldn’t be supportive and help his friend out when he needed him the most, then what good was he? But he thought better of it. The fee to enter was $20 and Peter didn’t want to spend that kind of money just to get laid. It was better for Dwayne to drop the cash. It was the least he could do. “I think you pay up there.” Peter told Dwayne, who had made no move to sign them in. Dwayne looked at him for a moment, before shrugging and walking over to the sign in sheet. Peter was fuming. The audacity of his ‘so-called’ friend to look put out. As if he had anything better to do than be here. With a lot of effort and mental fortitude, of which Peter had a lot, he managed to stop being angry at Dwayne long enough to take his nametag. Dwayne had already filled it out for him. “Thanks.” Peter said as he put it on. “A lot of people showed up for this.” Dwayne said, looking around. “A lot of women.” Peter said, his eyes locked onto a smoking hot redhead in a dress that filled his imagination with all kinds of perverse thoughts. He couldn’t wait to talk to her. He could already tell she was going to be the highlight of the night. He just had to get her to go home with him. That was going to be the trick. “Remember, we are just here to talk. No leading any of them on.” Dwayne said, almost as if he was reading Peter’s thoughts. Peter ignored him and turned to listen to the host. “Attention Love bugs.” The host said. He was a middle-aged man who looked as if he would faint as soon as look at some of these women. It was no wonder he was hosting this event; he clearly needed a quick and easy way to talk to women. Peter felt sorry for him. “This even is near and dear to my heart. At something just like this a few years ago, I met my lovely wife. True love is in the room tonight, for some of you. I can feel it in my bones.” The host shivered, behaving just as corny as Peter would have predicted. “When you hear this bell.” He rang a bell that was surprisingly loud for all to hear. “We will start! And each time you hear it again.” Once more he rang it. “You move to the next table. That is of course for the gents, ladies, these fine young men will be coming to you.” His speech went on and on, but Peter stopped listening. He started scanning the room, looking for his beloved redhead. He finally found her by the bar, talking to a few other women, who matched her beauty. In fact, the more Peter looked around, the more he realized that there was an embarrassment of riches in the room. “This is going to be a good night!” Peter said as the bell rang. Dwayne gave him a sharp look. “A good night to befriend these women. Not pick them up. You gave me your word, Peter.” Dwayne said, looking far more stern than Peter had ever seen him before. For a moment Peter felt a pang of guilt for his deceit, but then he heard Mark’s words in his head. “You need to get laid.” And he was right. It was the cure to all of Peter’s problems. The only way to get Sam and her boytoy out of his head was to distract himself with someone new. Find himself a toy to play with, at least until Sam came to her senses and ran back into his arms. Which would be any day now, of that, he was sure. She loved him. He was positive of that. Peter watched his redhead take a seat near the back and he made straight for her as the bell went off. Dwayne right behind him, sitting next to a beautiful girl with a bob cut sitting next to the redhead. She was cute as well, Peter wouldn’t mind getting to know her a little better, after he sealed the deal with the redhead. Tonight was going to be a great night; he could feel it in his bones. Chapter Six This was not a good night. “The name’s Peter.” Peter said, doing his best to sound as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Rebecca.” The redhead said, with a smile that could light up the room. “I have to admit this feels a little weird, right?” “Not at all, I’m used to talking to dozens of girls a night. Sometimes hundreds.” Peter said, hoping that he came off as confident. “Hundreds? A night. For work, or. . .you just pick up that many girls a night?” She asked, with a bit of a chuckle. “Girls flock to me, must be my animal magnetism.” Peter said with a wink. “Animal magnetism?” she asked. “When exactly does that kick in?” her tone dripping with sarcasm and spite. “Um, now?” Peter said, unsure of how he had so badly lost control of the conversation or how to get it back. “I’m really enjoying getting to know you.” The bob cut girl told Dwayne at the next table over, who just nodded his agreement and replied with a simple same. “Let me give you my number.” She wrote it down on a paper that all the women seemed to have in front of them. Dwayne just said “Cool.” The unjustness of it all. This whole event was for Peter, to help him get over the cruelty of Sam’s betrayal, and he was stuck with a heartless witch, while Dwayne got a woman who was clearly insanely desperate. “When does that bell ring?” Rebecca the redhead said, no sooner were the words out of her mouth than the bell rang. “Thank god.” She said, no trace of kindness in her voice. Awkwardly Peter got to his feet, ready to head over the bob cut girl, but he couldn’t leave the redhead without trying one last time. After all, this was his night, and she was his for taking. He just knew it. “Your number?” He said, with as much gusto as he could muster. She looked at him, with a mixture of shock and revolution, before she started laughing. She didn’t stop even as Peter walked away and sat at the next table. He even over heard her tell the new guy in front of her all about how much of a loser Peter was. He did his best to shake it off, clearly she was a cold-hearted bitch, who came here for the soul purpose of breaking men’s spirits. Peter needed to just put her out of his head and deal with the bob cut girl. She was desperate after all, judging by her conversation with Dwayne. Peter would get lucky tonight, just not with Rebecca. “Hi.” Peter said, not sure how to start. “Isn’t this fun?” Bob cut said. “I’m Sue by the way, and you are?” “Peter.” Peter said. “You are very pretty.” “Aw, thank you. That’s so sweet. You’re a charmer, aren’t you?” She asked, lightly touching his hand with her own. “Try telling that to her.” He said, looking over at Rebecca giggling with her new date. “She was bloodthirsty.” “Really?” Sue asked, she looked concerned. “She was rude to you? I’m so sorry, some people can just be so cruel, you know?” “I know. If anyone knows it’s me.” Peter sat back in his chair, his head leaning back so he could look at the ceiling. “Are you okay?” She asked. Peter barked out a laugh. “Okay? Okay? How can I be okay. Just this morning, I walked in on the love of my life. . .the things she was doing. . .and in public. . .” Peter was shaking with rage. “In public?” Sue asked, scandalized. “What was she doing?” Peter shook his head. “It’s too. . .unseemly to put to words.” “I’m so sorry, she sounds. . .horrible.” Sue said, taking Peter’s hand in her own. “She is soulless.” Peter said, for the first time he locked eyes with Sue. “Which is why I’m glad I came here tonight.” He squeezed her hand. “My friend told me, to just get out there and well. . .you know.” Peter said, with a weak smile. “I know.” She said, giving him a reassuring smile. Peter felt a sense of relief. He was going to get some and put Sam out of his mind, at least for a little while. “It is so hard to get back out there and talk to people again. To try and find someone.” “It’s easy for women. You just snap your fingers and guys line up to have sex with you.” He motions around the room. “Men, we have to break our backs to get girls to even look at us. It’s so unfair.” “Sex?’ Sue asked, slowly pulling her hand back. “Yeah, sex. I just need to. . .with you, and I’ll get over her.” Peter said, he smiled at her. “I’m so glad we are on the same page.” “We are not.” Sue said, her smile gone. “I thought you were trying to get back out there and talk to women, meet someone. Find someone. Not just. . .no, I’m not here for. . .what kind of woman do you think I am?” “Easy.” Peter answered, it was a stupid question. She gave her number to Dwayne, she had no standards. In an instant she slapped him, harder than he had ever been slapped before. Luckily, no one else heard it, for it happened in the same moment as the bell. Peter was glad to be rid of her, she was a tease. She toyed with him, promising him a night of fun and then pretended to be offended by what she offered to him. Just another example of the duplicity of women. He sat down at the next table with a blonde in a tight black dress. Peter dropped into the chair, bracing himself for the horror that was sure to come. “You going to toy with me too?” “Huh?” She asked, a look of confusion on her face. “Don’t huh me. I asked you a question. You going to lead me on and then break my heart? What am I? Some kind of a joke to you? Is this how you get your rocks off? Is this your kink?” Peter demanded, all but shaking with rage. “What the fuck are you talking about?” She asked, her voice losing any sign of confusion, replace with a light fury. “You know damn well what I’m talking about!” Peter spat. He was tired of the games, tired of being used and taken advantage of. “Motherfucker, I don’t know who you are, or who you think you are to talk to me like that, but it better stop.” She said, her voice rising. “Or what? You’ll reject me? As if that wasn’t already the plan.” Peter said, his anger giving way to despair. “You think I didn’t know that that was where this was headed.” “Reject you? No shit, you sat down talking shit. What, you thought I would jump into your arms after that?” She asked. “How much?” Peter asked, the realization finally hitting him. It was all so painfully obvious. “Excuse me?” She said, her tone ice cold. “How much did Sam pay you to toy with me?” Peter asked, his voice matching hers. “Who the fuck is Sam?” She demanded. “Don’t play dumb.” Peter said. “She couldn’t stand the thought of me moving on. The thought of me finding someone new, so she sent you. Had you and your little friends ruin my night. She gets to be happy, but me? I have to suffer. She loves to make me suffer. It’s all she ever did the whole time we were together. Just punish me for loving her.” Tears started to flow down Peter’s face. The blonde’s anger was replaced once more with confusion. “I didn’t come here to ruin your night.” She said, not unkindly. “I think. . .I think maybe you have me confused with someone else.” Before Peter could respond the bell rang. Without another word he got to his feet and walked to the next table, leaving the blonde behind with her lies and mind games. “Are you okay?” The pretty girl in the tight green dress asked as Peter sat down. He just shook his head no. “What happened? It looked pretty intense over there.” “My gir. . .ex. . . my ex, she sent her,” He nods at the blonde. “To make sure I end up alone. I guess it’s okay for her to cheat on me and for her to move on, but I’m not allowed to.” Peter said, his eyes glued onto the table. “It was a pretty abusive relationship, huh?” she asked. Peter just nodded. “I was in one of those myself. Not allowed to go out with his blessing. He picked out what I wore, what I watched. Who I could talk to. I was his property.” “That sounds horrible.” Peter said looking up at her. “You have no. . . well, I guess you do know.” She said with a sad smile. “We didn’t deserve to be treated that way. We didn’t do anything to warrant it, not that anything ever would warrant that. They. . .the people we were with, they were seriously damaged people. Hurt people hurt people, and we paid the price for their pain.” “I never thought of it like that.” Peter said, thinking back to all the stories Sam had told him about past relationships. It was all starting to make sense. She hurt him because others had hurt her. She was acting out. She wasn’t trying to chase Peter away; she was begging for his help. Part of him wanted to run to her, right then and there, but he didn’t know if he was fully ready to forgive her yet. After all, her little game had hurt him. “I’ve had a lot of therapy. This understanding took a long time and a lot of work to come to. But you’ll get there.” She said, a kind smile upon her face. “But this right here, getting out and opening yourself up to the chance at something new, this is a good first step. I’m proud of you.” “Thank you.” Peter said, smiling for the first time since he witnessed Sam’s betrayal. The bell rang and their time was at an end. Peter thanked her, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. “I’m Carla.” The next girl said as Peter sat down. She was a short Mexican girl, with long dark hair and pretty eyes. She reminded Peter of Sam. “I’m Peter. It’s really nice to meet you.” He said. “Same. This is kind of exciting right? Getting to meet all these new people, just on the off chance that you can find a connection.” “Nerve-wracking might be the closer.” Peter said with a laugh. “That too!” Carla said with a light chuckle. Peter liked the way she laughed. Her nose crinkled up. It was cute. “I haven’t. . . I haven’t been on a date in a long time.” He said. Feeling a bit foolish for admitting it. “Two years.” Carla said. “Since my ex. . .there was an. . .an accident.” Her eyes started to water as she spoke. “I’m so sorry.” Peter said, suddenly feeling like maybe his problems with Sam weren’t as bad as he thought. “Thank you, it’s okay. I’m. . .I’m moving on. Not forgetting, but moving forward. He would have wanted that. He was that kind of guy. He wouldn’t have wanted me wasting away missing him. He would want me to find love, be happy. So that’s what I’m doing here, moving on. Finding my joy and maybe someone to share an adventure or two with.” “I like that.” Peter said. “Life can be so lonely, it’s nice to have someone to share things with. Go on adventures with. I’ve never heard it put like that before.” “Life is a journey, and what is a journey if not an adventure?” She asked. “You’re so positive.” Peter said. “I try.” She said with a laugh. “I guess I just realized that life can be hard and cruel, but it can also be incredible. Full of joy and wonder. It just depends on which part we focus on.” “I really like the way you think.” Peter said, his mind racing. Was he too negative? Did he focus on the bad more than the good? Was this something he needed to work on? “Thank you.” She said again, her face turning a shade of pink. “Hold on.” She pulled out one of the papers and started to write just as the bell rang. Peter was disappointed that their time was at an end, but also kind of annoyed that she was more focused on whatever she was writing than on saying goodbye. He got up and walked to the next table not saying a word. His mood turning sour, once again he was being toyed with. She pretended to connect with him and then just randomly ignored him. -Carla- She finished writing her number and a cute little note as the bell rang. She could feel herself blushing, it was a nice feeling. She hadn’t felt a connection with someone like that in a long time. She looked up from the note to find Peter gone and some other guy sitting at the table. She looked around and found Peter at the next table over, intentionally keeping his back to her. Did he not feel the same spark she had felt? Was it all in her head? She couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment, but there was nothing she could do about it. She smiled and introduced herself to the new guy, as she crumbled up the note and stuffed into her purse. -Peter- After Carla the next few girls flew by. None of them captured his imagination like she did. None of them made him think, or feel. He made simple small talk, none of it went anywhere. He could tell they weren’t interested in him. Truth be told, he was starting to wonder if any woman could be interested in him. Did Sam’s betrayal ruin his game? He knew he used to have game. He was smooth, charming. He was a catch. Far more so than Dwayne, who seemed to be getting almost every woman’s number. Once more the bell rang, but instead of going to the next table, Peter just headed for the bar. He got himself a double and knocked it back, before ordering a glass of whisky. Mark’s plan might have worked for some people, but Peter just wasn’t that guy. He couldn’t have a one-night stand. It wasn’t who he was. He also didn’t know how to go about it. He needed a girlfriend. He needed someone to build a bond with, a connection. Someone who accepted him, warts and all. He needed Sam. He ordered another drink. This whole night had not gone at all how he had wanted it to be. Mark made it seem so easy, Dwayne made it look just as easy. And he was a freak. How could a loser like Dwayne have no problem connecting with women, when a stud like Peter couldn’t crack the code? It didn’t make any sense. He had to be sabotaging himself, it was the only answer. He still loved Sam, and the thought of being with anyone else was repulsive to him. That was why all of his dates went wrong. He was going to win Sam back, no matter what it took. It was what she wanted after all, otherwise she wouldn’t have gone to his Kroger, right when he was going to be there. She planned that. He was positive of that. Before the year was over, Sam would be his once more. Peter smiled to himself, life was good. “You fucking pig!” Sue screamed at him as she walked by, snatching his drink out of his hand and throwing it in his face. The End
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