‘Hey Josh, see the girl next to me? She’s kinda cute. Think you can talk to her?’ I said, giving him a nudge.
We’re at our regular bar in the night, right after we finish work, watching the Texas Rangers take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the season's final game. It’s a nail-biter, and the winner takes the Major League title.
We’ve been Rangers fans for years, so we’re hoping they pull through. But we have to admit, Arizona’s a tough team to beat.
‘Oh come on, Amie. Why do I have to?’ said Josh, groaning.
‘Well, I can’t help but notice you haven’t been hanging out with any girls lately.’
‘Actually, there are some, but nothing’s worked out. Sorry, I just haven’t told you yet.’
HOME RUUNN!!
Suddenly, the mood in the bar shifted. Arizona just scored 2 runs at once, closing the gap. The score is now 3–2, with Arizona in the lead.
‘This game is getting intense,’ Josh said, shaking his head.
‘There’s still time. Our guys can pull through,’ I replied, my eyes glued to the screen. ‘But seriously, what happened?’
‘I just don’t feel it, the spark, it never happened again and it never feels the same ever since I'm no longer with her,’ Josh sighed, taking a long sip of his beer.
‘Oh no, is this about Ashley from the college? Didn’t she end up with that guy who was cooler than you?’
‘Yeah, but…’
‘But what? I remember he was the captain of the college football team, super famous.’
‘Oh, so you think I’m not a cool guy?’ Josh shot back.
‘Obviously, compared to you who joined the cosplay club kinda thing.’
‘Hey! I was Anakin back then and it wasn’t easy.’
The bartender handed us extra beers in the middle of our banter, noticing our empty bottles.
‘Whoa, that’s cool man. I used to be Yoda and always had trouble staying in character,’ the bartender said, impressed.
‘Can you just shut up and get your Infinity Stones?’ I said annoyed.
‘Hey! That’s from Marvel,’ Josh corrected.
‘Yeah, that’s two different franchises,’ the bartender added.
‘Sorry, dude. She doesn’t know,’ Josh apologized to the bartender.
‘Nah, it’s okay. I’m sorry you have to deal with that,’ said the bartender with a grin.
Then the bartender gave us a nod and moved on to serve other patrons, leaving us to our conversation.
‘But seriously, Ashley was a long time ago. I just haven’t found anyone who gets me like she did,’ Josh admitted.
‘And she hurt you afterward. You should hate her instead.’
‘I don’t know. Even though I have a thousand reasons to hate her, I just can’t. I can’t unlove my first love.’
‘Okay, you’re making this weird. You look just fine, at least you feel sad about it.’
‘Here’s the thing, Amie. I was the happiest I’ve ever been with someone when I was with her. So if I was that happy with someone who treated me wrong, I can’t wait to experience the version of happiness I’m going to feel with someone who treats me right.’
I was stunned and didn’t know what to say.
It didn’t feel real that the game was over. The score stayed the same, and Arizona had won the Major League this season.
The girl next to me had also left with her friend.
‘Well, that sucks. Both the game and Ashley,’ Josh slumped back in his seat, letting out a heavy sigh.
‘Yeah,’ I agreed, feeling a mix of disappointment and empathy.
The bar was starting to empty, with only a few die-hard fans sticking around to drown their sorrows or celebrate their win.
By the time we left the bar, the sky was starting to lighten with the first hints of dawn.
Then I realized that putting my happiness to the wrong person would be so annoying and a total waste of time.
‘Now it’s better to put my heart and mind on do not disturb,’ I whispered to myself.
