March 2013

Ted was hanging out at MacLaren's on a Thursday night. Alone, which was the norm for him as of late. Lily and Marshall were upstairs with Marvin, and Barney and Robin were busy with wedding plans. While he was always more than welcome to join them, he knew, he often didn't want to disturb them, to be the third wheel.

So he would just spend those lonely evenings at his office on-campus, grading papers and tests or just meeting with students, or at his apartment, on the couch, mindlessly jumping from one channel on television to the next.

And sometimes when the cabin fever had set in, like now, he'd go over to MacLaren's. He'd chat with Carl or some of the other staff, or meander from one table to the next, chatting amicably with some of the other regulars.

On that particular evening, however, Ted was feeling especially lonely. Physically. It had been about a month since he and Jeanette parted ways, and after that disastrous night, Ted knew he had to make some changes in his life, to make big decisions for himself to help him move forward.

He would look at Barney and Robin, planning their future together. And at Lily and Marshall, who were readying themselves to spend a year in Rome. They were all moving forward with their lives. And what was Ted doing? He was in the exact same place he was eight years earlier. Sure, he had had his ups and downs, and he had definitely learned things about himself and about life along the way. But he was still in the same spot as he always was, and nowhere near the life he wanted so badly that it made his chest ache. Hell, Barney—Barney!—was going to become a husband before Ted. He was very much happy for his friend and Robin, of course. But ask anyone who knew them, and Barney would've been the last man on earth they'd expect to be exchanging marital vows with another human being.

Which is why Ted decided to take a big leap: he was moving to Chicago in two months. His old boss, Hammond Druthers, had called him back in the fall about joining his architecture firm in Chicago. Ted had said no at the time, but now, he thought, "Why not?" He had nothing to lose, and maybe that's what Ted needed: a new job in a new city. A fresh start. Maybe the girl of his dreams was living in Chicago, and that's where he was meant to meet her.

The gang was understandably upset about his news, but the four of them were very supportive. They all sensed that Ted was feeling like the odd-man-out at times, and they wished him well, and hoped he would be able to find what—and whom—he was looking for in Chicago.

His first day at work was supposed to be the Monday after Robin and Barney's wedding in Farhampton, but he managed to push that day to Tuesday. He wanted the extra day to hang out with his friends one last time before he left.

He was going to miss New York; after all, it was the greatest city in the world, and was the place he called home for so long. But he still had two months left. So he was going to enjoy himself: hang out with his friends, visit his favourite haunts, and just revel in the city's unique vibe until he had to leave.

And tonight, well, Ted wanted (and needed) a little human contact. He was ready to give up the bachelor life once and for all, but until Chicago, he decided to have a little fun and tend to that itch that needed scratching. After all, with two months to go, he may as well find some no-strings-attached companionship. After all, sometimes a warm body—any body—was enough to help stave off loneliness for awhile.

His eyes wandered across the bar. Some girls were already coupled-up, or others in groups with their girlfriends. For a brief moment, he wished Barney was still single, to help him out a bit. Ted wasn't always good at picking up one-night-stands on his own, and he sure could use a wingman right about now...

Ted wasn't sure what he was looking for as his eyes continued to roam, until his eyes landed on a beautiful woman sitting alone at the bar, nursing a glass of red wine. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a soft pink sweater, and knee-high boots, her legs dangling as she sat on the high barstool. She had wavy chestnut hair that fell past her shoulders, and big brown eyes that were taking in her surroundings.

Ted was mesmerized. He couldn't recall ever being so taken by someone like this, at first glance. He felt this weird rush coursing through his entire body, a feeling he'd never quite felt before, and one he couldn't necessarily describe. He just stood there, beer in hand, probably looking like an idiot; that's when the girl looked up from her glass, and right into Ted's eyes.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Ted, and he noticed a surprised look on her face. She just sat there, and the two of them stared at each other for what felt like forever, until her lips curled into a light smile.

Ted smiled back, wider and more eager than he had hoped, and walked over to her.

"Hi," he said gently. "May I sit here?"

She nodded her head, and Ted sat on the stool beside her.

"I'm Ted," he said, reaching out his hand. A handshake?! Smooth, Teddy...

"I'm Tracy," she said. She seemed a bit shy and nervous, but had a friendliness about her. She reached out her hand to shake his, and they both felt a spark as their palms touched.

"Um, nice to meet you, Tracy," Ted said, faltering a bit at the contact. "I've never seen you here before."

"I've only been here once before," she told him. "Funnily enough, I used to hang out at another MacLaren's pub on the East Side during my college days."

Ted was shocked. "There's another MacLaren's?" he asked in amazement. "Wow, knowing there's another pub with the same name, makes it feel like the East Side's a parallel universe somehow."

Tracy laughed. "Like a mirror universe out of Star Trek, where everything's the same as the West Side but different, with evil versions of you and the people you know?"

Ted chuckled happily. She was funny and a geek! "Exactly! I'd have a goatee and be a chain smoker, since that's what Evil Ted would do, and you... hmm. Given you're an East Side girl, I take it you're already the evil version of yourself?"

She giggled appreciatively. "No, no. I'm a West Side girl through and through. I went to Juilliard, but my boyfriend at the time went to NYU, so we hung out there a lot," she explained. "So my evil self is still wandering the streets of the East Side."

Ted noticed a group vacating the booth. He looked at Tracy and nodded his head towards it. "Wanna grab a booth? I'll buy you another drink, and you can tell me a bit about what Nice Tracy is like."

So they settled into the booth, Ted making the bold move to sit beside her rather than across from her. They ordered a second round of drinks, and Ted turned his body towards her as she spoke, his arm stretched out alongside the back of the headboard, his fingers itching to run through the curls of her hair.

They didn't talk much about work or their childhoods or their hobbies; this wasn't a first date, after all. But they chatted about their love of New York, they talked about their favorite bands and movies, and went on and on about books. It may have seemed like superficial talk, but as she spoke about how she adored T.C. Boyle's prose in World's End, and as he quoted Pablo Neruda to her, he felt like they were talking deep into one another's souls.

Tracy was amazing, Ted thought. He felt a connection with her he had never felt before. He felt he could be himself—his dorky, sometimes pretentious self—around her, and he was getting a glimpse into her beautiful and geeky personality, too. And he liked it. A lot. Tracy was definitely the type of girl he would like to take out to dinner, go on a stroll with, learn more about her past, and her dreams for the future. He wanted to know everything about her.

But then there was the reality of it: Ted was leaving for Chicago in two months. He should've met her in another life, in another time. But you just can't change the past; what's done is done. Right now, he couldn't date this girl as there was no future for them, no tomorrow. So all he could do, instead, was ask:

"Do you maybe want to come back to my place?"

Tracy paused briefly, nervously looking down into her empty glass. Ted gazed at her hopefully, wanting desperately to continue their evening together for a few more hours, to spend some extra time with her, even though it was only for that night. It wasn't enough, but it'd have to do.

She finally looked up and into his eyes, stating one word with assuredness and confidence in her voice.

"Yes."

To be continued...