A knock on the door breaks off our staring contest and Lory excuses himself to check who's outside. I pull out my phone and open my camera to check my face. Well, I haven't shaved in weeks so my stubble is slowly growing out. I haven't got a haircut yet because my lazy arse wouldn't let me. My lips are kinda chapped. This evening is the best first hookup ever but I look like shite. I hate it here.

“Uh, hey, Kian?”

“Yeah?”

“I think there's some kind of a mix-up.”

I furrow my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“There's a guy outside my door who told me he's supposed to be my blind date tonight. And he's dressed nicely.” He scratches the back of his head. “I told him to wait outside for a bit because I need to fix some stuff.”

“Wait, okay, pause.” I open my Grindr app and tap on the message thread between me and spidermandeek. He sent me three new messages.

uh sorry to say this but i think imma cancel bc my parents are gonna come visit tonight

also my room number is 613 not 513, sorry for the typo

we can resched tho, whaddya say?

“Fuck,” I groan, running a hand through my hair in frustration. Then embarrassment starts to crawl underneath my skin and I sink onto the cold floor, covering my face with my hands. “I am so sorry, I thought you were my Grindr hookup but it turns out he sent me the wrong room number.”

“Oh. Oh! Uh, okay…”

God, if you're there, why are you playing games with me? I'm tired of dealing with bullshit already. I've had enough! This evening is supposed to be the beginning of my redemption. But of course, of fucking course, things have to take a dire turn.

“Hey, Kian, look up.”

I do as I'm told. Lory is kneeling down on one knee. “Look, I don't want to make this weird, even though it is, admittedly, the weirdest night of my life. You're not my blind date, you thought I was your hookup, and my real date is just outside. This is unbelievable.” He lets out a laugh, which makes me laugh, too. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to disappear or cry in a corner,” I half-jokingly say, but I see him biting his lower lip looking a bit guilty at our situation. “I'm kidding! I think I'm just gonna go outside and pretend I'm your cousin or something.”

“Are you sure?”

I roll my eyes. “Duh. I already ruined your evening. The least I could do is fix this. At least I did something right tonight.”

He stands up and reaches out an arm for me to hold onto. I grab it and he pulls me up.

“I guess I'll go now. Thanks for the… aglio e olio? Am I right?”

“Yeah.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night, then.” I take a few steps backward, before turning my back on him and dragging my feet towards the door even if my head is telling me to seize the moment for a bit and kiss Lory. Not on the lips, but maybe on the cheek? Honestly, I'm just waiting for him to call my name and say something.

“Kian?”

I turn around quickly, almost tripping on my own feet. “Yeah?”

“For the record, you didn't ruin my night.”

And when I thought he couldn't get any better. "I... I am glad to hear that." I stand there, grinning at him, before finally opening the door and putting on my best I'm-just-a-friend face. “Bye, mate. See you again soon!”

“Excuse me? Who are you?”

Lory's date looks ten times better than me. Obviously, he's prepared for the occasion, with his denim top and slim fit jeans. He even smells like perfume. And he's carrying a box of who knows what. 

“I'm Lory's second cousin. Paid a visit to check on him since it's been years since I last saw the bloke.”

“Okay?”

“Anyways, enjoy your date with him!” I clap on his shoulder twice before making my grand exit and jogging down back to my room.

Once I'm back in my flat, I flop on the couch and bury my head on a pillow. This is not how I imagined my evening would go. I'm just glad it didn't end badly, especially when Lory told me how I actually didn't ruin his night. He could be lying, though. I'm sure he's having a better time with mister what's his face.

I close my eyes and will myself to sleep, thinking how much I don't want to wake up anymore.