"I'm such an idiot!"
"Because you forgot to get his number?" I sighed. It'd been three days since Hiccup took me in for the night and I hadn't seen him since. I'd been so worried about losing my job that all I really knew about him was his name.
I also knew what apartment building he was staying in, but that was pretty much useless since someone had to buzz you into the front door and I had no idea what room he was in. I could weight by the front door for hours and hours, but that was just pathetic.
Ruffnut had sent a half-assed apology the next day. I could tell she didn't really mean it because she didn't even wait for me to reply before she started texting me all the details from her night. Her way of making things up to me was inviting me to a coffee shop a few days later. I was still upset with her, but coffee was coffee.
"Why do you even want to see him again? Is it because you want something a little more… physical out of him?" I blanched at her suggestive wink. But she had a point, why was I so eager to see him again?
Did I want to say thank you again? I'd tried to hand him a twenty as I left but he'd refused it.
Damn him for being so… so generous! It was infuriating.
"I don't know, I just want to make it up to him – and NOT in the way you're insinuating!" Ruffnut held her hands up in mock surrender. "And don't think you're off the hook for abandoning me either! I can't believe you just left me like that."
I wanted to act like I wasn't hurt by her actions. That I was able to shrug off what happened, but I couldn't. Ruff, the person I consider to be my best friend, valued a piece of meat over me. Was I not worth anything in her eyes? I always knew she was a little self-absorbed, but this was a completely different level.
"I already said I was sorry, geez." And she wasn't even taking me seriously! Maybe I'm overacting, but a real friend wouldn't blow me off entirely like that. I couldn't be here anymore.
"I – I need to go; I start work soon." It was a total lie, but Ruff was seriously getting on my nerves.
"I thought you weren't on the clock for another hour?" Ruffnut's eyes narrowed. I was more than a little surprised, and a little touched, that she knew my schedule. I must be desperate for attention or something, because suddenly Ruff wasn't on my nerves anymore.
"Usually, but they're short staffed today." I actually felt a little bad for lying now, but I was committed now. I grabbed my coat, paid for my coffee and walked out.
"Hey! Wait up. Let me walk you to your job." Ruff materialized next to me, slipping her winter gloves on. Don't get me wrong, it was super nice that she wanted to spend more time with me, but now wasn't exactly the best time since she could find out that I had lied to her.
"Don't want any spooky men to kidnap you." My face flushed with embarrassment. Not only was she unknowingly calling my bluff but now she was mocking my insecurities! Of course Ruff had to say that right after being a decent human being. I'd mistakenly assumed that she still had something more substantial beneath the surface.
I wiped the start of a tear before it could form, there was no way I was giving her anything else to make fun of. That was it. That comment was the straw that broke the camels back. I was just about to tell her to get lost before I had a heartbreaking revelation. Without Ruffnut, I had no one.
I hadn't bothered to keep up with any of the friends I'd made in college. I was too focused on making sure that I got every single dollars' worth from that place to make any serious connections anyways. My mom would always say that college were some of the best years of her life. My godmother was her roommate for all four years. My roommates were all party animals who always smelt of booze and weed. I couldn't relate to them and so college was never anything more than a means to an end. Ruffnut was the only person who I talked to. Would it be worse to have someone that makes you feel like a joke, or to have no one at all?
Most people would say the first option, but they probably have more friends than I have fingers and toes. They didn't fully comprehend how isolating being alone truly was. Not having anyone to confide in besides your mom. Not having anyone to celebrate with. I couldn't do it. I wasn't strong enough to live that lifestyle.
"Thanks." I mumbled. Now more than ever I wished Hiccup was here.
"So, you never told me what your savior looked like. I mean, with a name like Hiccup, I assume he was as thin as a toothpick."
"He's skinny, but I wouldn't say he's underweight. He was able to carry me to his apartment after I passed out, though, so he must have a little muscle."
"Oh well." Ruff sighed, "I like my men with a lot of meat on them. I guess you can have him. What else?"
"First off, He's not mine." Back in high school, we used to make fun of the cheerleaders. Most of them were the stereotypical dumber than a rock blonde (be it natural blonde or dyed). Did Ruff not realize that she was slowly becoming that shallow? All she seemed to care about were desperate men. Big desperate sweaty man to be precise.
"Second off, he's tall, around the six-foot mark. He has auburn hair that's on the verge of being too long, but it suites him. He has a warm face, too." That last part wasn't supposed to come out. It was so left field. I didn't realize I'd stopped moving until I heard Ruffnuts rambunctious laughter.
"A warm face? Oh man, that is rich! You totally fell for him"
"I did not fall for him." I huffed indignantly.
"Don't kid yourself, this is a classic case of Stockholm syndrome!"
"He didn't kidnap me!" I exploded. It was so sudden the girl in front of us dropped her bright yellow hydro flask.
"Hey! There's a dent in my water bottle now." I tried to apologize, but she just huffed and stormed away.
"He didn't kidnap me," I repeated, without the intensity that had overcome me a few seconds ago. "He took me in instead of leaving me passed out on the streets. He was there for me when you weren't."
We walked in silence the rest of the way to Glorious Burgers. Being a cashier here didn't pay as well as my waitressing job, but every dollar counted.
"Alright, I just gotta go in and pee and then I'll head out." I shook my head. Protests and excuses lined my throat ready to dissuade her, but I knew anything I said would make me look suspicious. Whatever happened now was out of my control, so I held the door for her as we walked in.
Booker, the chef, was behind the counter taking orders. Anyone who knew him called him Books because he'd always boast that he'd never read one from start to finish. He was a big, broad man with skin as dark as licorice. He had a thick southern drawl that occasionally made it hard to understand his nonstop barrage of lighthearted jokes and wisecracks. His burgers were also some of the best she'd ever tasted (and with my employee discount, I'd had plenty of them).
"Astrid? Wha-"
"Just checking in!" I quickly interrupted. "I'd heard that you guys were understaffed." I gave him a little wink in the hopes that he would play along.
He nodded slowly as Ruff gave me a suspicious glance. She walked off to the bathroom without saying anything, though.
"Must be my lucky day Astrid, because Heather didn't show up for her shift and we actually are Understaffed." Booker said with a light laugh. "I thought to myself, sure wish someone would help me out and there you go walking through the door!
"And don't you worry, I'll make sure you get your money's worth for this."
"Thank you so much, Books, you totally saved my bacon."
"Speaking of bacon…" Booker retreated back into his oasis, presumably to start cooking the order he'd just taken. I quickly changed into my uniform, simple black shirt and baseball cap with the company's logo on them and took control of the cash register.
Ruffnut left after a quick goodbye and after the lunch rush died down it was just me and my thoughts. Was Ruffnut a bad friend? I decided to write a pros and cons list on one of the little order sheets.
Pro's: I'd known me for years. She'd been there for me when the few people I tried to date broke up with me. She was always encouraging me to go out to places and be social.
Con's: she was only available on her time. She almost never went out of her way to cheer me up. Whenever we did go out, it was so that I could be her wingman.
I knew the best thing for me would be to put a little distance in between us, but I didn't want to push her so far away that we stopped talking entirely.
"So, why'd you show up here so early?" Booker strolled out of the kitchen after the he'd finished the last order. "I know it wasn't just so you could see me." I couldn't hold back my laughter as he rolled his shoulders and gave a little wink.
"It was nothing. My friend just hurt my feelings a little so I used work as an excuse to get some space."
"Yeah, I been there, although usually I was trying to get away because they couldn't keep their hands off me!" Books laugh was contagious. It was deep and resonant when he let loose. Tears formed in my eyes from laughing as he lightly elbowed me.
"Uh huh. I'm sure you were beating them away with a spatula." He gave a little pout, but the smile was still in his eyes.
Those eyes wondered to the paper I'd written my thoughts down on. I didn't mind if he looked; he was older than me and maybe he could help me out. I "Anyways, so the friend that came in with me has just been on my nerves for a while and sometimes I wonder if she still cares about me."
"Look, I don't mean to get all up in your business, but it seems like you have a lot of 'What ifs?' in your friendship. In my experience, confrontations are always better than what ifs. No matter how it ends, the healing process can start sooner instead of being stuck in limbo until your torn apart."
"Wow, that was beautiful – can I get a water?" I spun around so fast that I nearly gave myself whiplash.
"Hiccup?!" There he was, asking for a water. He was wearing a wrinkled gray pullover and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in a while, but it was definitely Hiccup.
"Astrid? What are you doing here? I thought you were a waitress?"
"I have two jobs. Wha- what are you doing here?" I still couldn't believe he was here. Of any store, he chose to come here.
And I wasn't even supposed to be here! My shift didn't officially start for another half hour. I could've missed him!
"I, umm, just came in for a glass of water, if that's alright with you."
"Yeah of course! What else can I get for you?"
"Just the water is fine."
"What? No way. I won't allow that." I turned to Booker, who was watching us with a critical eye. "He'll have a classic." I told him before turning back to Hiccup.
"Do you like pickles or onions?"
"You don't have to do th-"
"I said do you like pickles or onions."
"I can't take your mon-"
"Listen man," Booker cut in. "This is Astrid you're talking to. If she says you're getting a burger then you're getting a burger. This'll go much faster if you just answer her question."
"No – I mean no I don't like pickles. Onions are fine." I paid for his meal with my employee discount, which was against the store policy, but this was for Hiccup. Besides, Book saw me do it and didn't say anything. I grabbed two water cups and filled them up before sitting at one of the booths. Hiccup was still standing by the cashier in shock.
"Are you going to join me or are you just gonna stand there until we close?" He walked over numbly and gingerly took a seat next to me.
"This is too weird." He said. "I never thought I'd see you again and here you are, buying me lunch."
"You made me breakfast, It's the least I can do." He nodded, but his eyes were far away. Something was troubling him. I wanted to ask but we weren't good enough friends.
Hell, we weren't even friends to begin with; just strangers that happened to bump into each other twice.
An awkward silence settled on the table until Booker came out with Hiccups burger. He took a tentative bite before shoving half the thing down at once.
"Woah there! Slow down, partner. Can't have you choke and die by my food – that's bad for business!" Books gave Hiccup a strong pat on the back, as if to unlodge a piece of food stuck in his throat.
It was all in good fun, but Hiccup took noticeably smaller bites and his face looked like he'd been at the beach all day without any sunscreen.
I stole one of his fries. They were my favorite kind; super thin with just a little crunch. I'd tried to do it when he wasn't looking; Ruff was always super protective of her fries. It'd become a game between us, seeing who could steel more of each other's fries without being noticed. I must've succeeded because he didn't say anything.
"So, umm…" I tried to make some sort of conversation to fill the silence, but I knew next to nothing about him. I didn't know any of his hobbies, his interests – his passions. "What do you do for fun?"
"Besides taking in random strangers I find on the street?" I let out a little chuckle. It seemed Hiccup was the master of dry humor. "It's a little lame, but I enjoy reading about history."
"Really? That's not that lame. Did you go to college or anything?"
"Yep. I majored in anthropology with a minor in History. I've always loved seeing where ideas came from and how they evolved as society progressed." His eyes twinkled as he spoke. He moved his hands all over the place in a semi-subconscious to help express the way he felt about his career. It seemed once he started, he couldn't stop himself. It was a never-ending stream of knowledge on the origins of man.
"I tried to specialize in the history of the Vikings with my minor, but my college wouldn't allow me to. General history is probably better in the long run, anyways. It could help me land a bigger range of jobs." It was inspiring just to watch him. It was like he wasn't even talking to me anymore. He was transported to his own little world. "So, what about you? Do you have any hobbies as captivating as history?"
"I majored in English so that I could become a lawyer." Hiccup seemed a little confused, so I explained a little further. "English is regarded as one of the best degrees to get into law school because of how rigorous it can be and the amount of reading and writing you have to do. It also helps learn better ways to interpret and comprehend documents."
"I had no idea that that combo would work, although I shouldn't be surprised. It makes a lot of sense." He dipped a few fries into some ketchup before continuing. "But why a lawyer? Was your dad innocently accused of a wrongdoing?"
"No, my dad is doing just fine. I just wanted to help the people around me, and for me the way to do that is to become a lawyer. Why do people always assume that I have some tragic backstory?"
"Because of all the movies. I mean, I always imagine lawyers as Matt Murdock instead of Foggy Nelson."
"What?" I gave him a blank stare.
"Nothing. Law school sounds soo fun, why aren't you there right now?"
"Money. The bank won't give me another set of loans until I pay off my previous ones because my credit score isn't too good." My dad had offered to help pay for it, but I wanted law school to be solely my achievement. Besides, my parents didn't exactly have money trees growing in the backyard either.
We sat and talked for a good half hour, although every few minutes someone would walk in and I'd have to go man the cash register. I also insisted on getting Hiccup a slice of cheesecake to help repay him for letting me stay the night at his apartment.
All good things must come to an end, though. Before I knew it, Hiccup was walking out the door, although this time I'd snagged his number. I'd told him it was in case I ever needed somewhere to crash. His face fell at the comment and I quickly assured him that I was just joking and that maybe sometime we could get coffee together.
Snow started to fall gently near the end of my shift. I found myself passing the minutes until my shift was over by staring out the window. It wasn't cold enough for the snow to stay on the ground and soon tiny puddles filled the potholes in the street.
"Alright, you're done for the night, Astrid." I'd just finished wiping the tables down when Booker came out from the kitchen.
"But I haven't cleaned the bathrooms yet." I also had to sweep the floor.
"I'll get all that tonight, don't you worry. You got me out of a pickle today and I appreciate it." Books grabbed the broom from me with one hand and gave a shooing motion with the other. "Now get out of here before I fire you."
There was still a smile on my face as I walked out the door. The chilly wind smacked it right off. It was cold. There was definitely a cup of hot chocolate in my near future. With marshmallows. And Netflix. All I had to do was endure the ten-minute walk back to my apartment.
I'd gone maybe three blocks when I passed an alley. I always hated this part of the walk because even though my brain told me it was unlikely someone was in there waiting to kill me, I still searched every shadow.
There was a bundle of clothes off to one side of the alley. It looked like some homeless person was trying to survive the night. Normally, I'd keep walking with a guilty heart, but something compelled me to walk over to them. I wasn't sure how exactly I planned on helping them, though. Maybe I could buy them something warm to eat and drink to get them through the night.
Whoever was tucked away in their jacket must've heard me coming because when I was a few feet away, they sprang up.
"Stay back!" He yelled. There was a flash of auburn as his hood fell and I came face to with emerald eyes that I'd only seen on one person before.
"Hiccup?"
AN: Here's chapter 2! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you guys thought, feedback is always welcome! This story already has more followers than my other one, so thank you so much! I love going through and seeing where the people who view this story are from.
Shout out to CajunBear72 for helping create the new title. The next time I update, it will probably be called "A Chance Meeting" unless you guys would rather it stay the current title. It's really up to the masses.
See you guys next week!