Chapter 68: Dodged A Bullet! A Good Meal
Adrian took a step closer and raised his hand to knock, then it hit him.
Maya.
His hand hadn’t made contact yet, which was good, because stopping mid-knock was significantly better than confronting Maya. He stood there for a second, mentally appreciating how badly that could’ve gone.
Rose’s sister. His ex-girlfriend. Both of them in Apartment 201.
Walking in there would’ve been difficult to explain, and he definitely wasn’t interested in finding out how badly that could’ve gone.
He turned around and headed to 206. Problem solved.
The group chat had filled up while he was driving. Drew had somehow sent eleven messages, most of them variations on his conviction that Monday had been designed by people who hated students specifically.
Jenna had contributed less. One complaint about her professor arriving late, followed by something he didn’t bother opening.
Adrian replied to a few messages. Nothing substantial. Just enough to prove he was still alive.
Then his phone buzzed again.
(Private Message) Jenna: About the studio thing ...I thought about it. If the offer’s still open, I’m willing to try.
He stopped in the hallway outside 206.
That was surprisingly quick.
Jenna had spent their breakfast conversation convincing him that she could sort it out herself, and for what ever reason, that had lasted a few hours.
He considered making a remark about it, then typed a reply. He deleted half of it after deciding Jenna would definitely take it the wrong way.
Adrian: I’m down. Text me when you’re ready and we’ll figure it out.
He tap send, and the message went through almost immediately. He opened his door and went inside.
The apartment was quiet, which was exactly what he wanted after the day he’d had. He locked the door behind him and stood there for a moment, not immediately doing anything.
No more meetings. No more east student lots. No more Daniel.
He checked his phone once more out of habit, and only then noticed that Dina hadn’t messaged him.
He looked at the time. 2:24 p.m. That’s weird. She’d called about paperwork, something she needed him to sign, and then disappeared.
Maybe she’d found someone else. Maybe she’d handled it herself. Either way, if it mattered, she’d call again.
He walked to his bedroom and tossed his phone on the matteess. He was probably overthinking it. If it was important she’d have said so.
Then, he got in the shower.
The water helped more than he expected. He came out of the bathroom with his shoulders which had finally stopped feeling like they’d been holding up the building.
And even better, he noticed, with mild surprise, that he wasn’t hungry. Fuck yeah.
Apparently, the Nutritional Multiplier had decided to give his stomach the afternoon off. He’d take it.
He lay down, intending to rest for a few minutes and clear his head.
He shifted around for a while, trying to get comfortable. A few minutes later, he was asleep.
===
Bzzzt~Bzzzzt~Bzzzzt
His alarm buzzed. Adrian stretched out a hand, still half-asleep, and slapped around the cupboard beside the bed.
Nothing.
"Urgh."
He lifted his head, eyes heavy from sleep, and spotted his phone on the floor. The alarm was still blaring.
Shit. Did I oversleep.
He picked it up and shut off the alarm first. That thing was way too loud. He checked the screen. Surprisingly, there wasn’t even a scratch.
Then the lights came on, immediately making him squint. At least, he caught the time which eased something in him that he hadn’t known he was holding. 7:39 p.m.
Adrian looked toward the window. It was pitch black outside, with only the streetlights and people moving along the road. So it wasn’t as late as he’d thought. And then his stomach growled. Gruuurr
He looked at his belly, a frown drawing on his face as he understood the day off was over
I swear, if I find a way to delete a skill, you’re first.
His stomach growled again. Adrian sighed and and went to the fridge.
He opened it, and the bright interior light made him squint again. But he did catch something; the fridge was surprisingly not empty.
There was an egg, Some bread, something in a container he didn’t want to open, and water. Usually it’d just be bread at best. Apparently, money was changing things.
Cooking was technically an option. It was also something he had no energy for at 7:39 on the day he’d met Daniel and a man who looked like he’d personally reprimand someone for blinking too slowly.
He took a breath and shut the fridge.
He wanted to sit somewhere, eat something someone else had made, and not be responsible for anything for forty minutes.
He got dressed, a well-fitted vintage white button-up shirt, black trousers, and sneakers he’d bought recently, along with a new pair of socks.
He gave himself five sprays of perfume. Probably excessive. But it was just in case he needed it. He grabbed his keys and left.
Adrian checked the hallway first. Empty. He took the stairs.
He was back in the car before he pulled out his phone and searched for somewhere to eat.
The results loaded. A list of restaurants sorted by rating appeared: the usual spread of fast casual, a sushi place, and a couple of options that looked actively hostile to his bank account.
He scrolled until one caught his attention.
Vessel Grill. 4.1 ⭐️(34 reviews)
Description: Modern comfort food. Reservations recommended on weekends.
He tapped the menu. The prices made him pause. Not because he couldn’t afford it, but because it all seemed too ridiculous. Four hundred dollars for a plate. Absolutely ridiculous. Who the hell would pay for that.
Wait. He looked at the price again. I think... I can actually buy that.
He checked his balance, he could.
But there was the $5,000 he’d set aside specifically for the Rose situation. That money was sitting untouched. And he still had two thousand beyond it.
Surely he could afford to treat himself. The restaurant did have good reviews and it was only twenty-five minutes away. Yeah. It still felt like an absurd amount to spend on dinner. But was it worth it? Probably not.
He shaked his head. Fine. One fancy meal. Not the worst use of a Monday.
He put the address in his maps and started the car.