“You know, this isn’t gonna solve anything,” a soft voice chimed in. I turned to see a girl, maybe twenty-three, with a book and a knowing look.

She sat across from me, her eyes wide with a mix of pity and curiosity. “You look like hell,” she said, her voice a soft whisper.

I forced a grin. “Thanks, I think.”

She didn’t flinch. “No, really. You look like you’ve been through a war.”

I shrugged. “Something like that.”

She leaned forward, her eyes intense. “What’s your story, stranger?”

I hesitated, then launched into a rambling, incoherent tale of lost loves, broken dreams, and endless nights of self-destruction. She listened patiently, her expression unreadable.

When I finally fell silent, she simply smiled. “You know, you could write a book about this.”

I snorted. “Yeah, right. A best-seller about a stoned loser.”

“Why not?” she persisted. “You’ve got the talent, the experience. All you need is the discipline.”

I scoffed. “Discipline? That’s a word I haven’t heard in years.”

She leaned in closer. “Maybe it’s time to change that.”

I pulled up to the joint, a little dive bar on the edge of town. It wasn’t much, but it was cheap, and that’s all that mattered to me. I spotted her sitting at the bar, a blonde in a tight dress that looked like it was about to burst.

“Hey,” I said, sliding into the stool next to her. “You must be Jesy.”

She nodded, her eyes flicking over me. “And you’re…D, right?”

We ordered drinks and made small talk for a while. She was a sales rep, and she talked about her day, her job, her apartment. I nodded along, occasionally offering a comment.

When it came time to eat, we headed over to a nearby diner. The place was packed, the air thick with the smell of fried food and cheap beer. Jesy ordered a bowl of pad thai, a mountain of yellow mass and meat that she attacked with gusto. I got a plate of same same but veggi, a bland and forgettable meal that I picked at halfheartedly.

The food came, and it was okay, I guess. But the music was driving me nuts. It was like someone had stuck a drill into my ear. I tried to ignore it, but it was impossible. Every time I took a bite, I had to shout to be heard.

By the time we were done, I felt like my head was going to explode. I paid the bill and hurried out into the cool night air, grateful to be away from that racket.

Jesy suggested we go for a grab. I shrugged. Why not?

We drove around for a while, talking about nothing in particular. Eventually, Jesy pulled into a quiet neighborhood.

“Want to go for a walk?” she asked.

I followed her down a dark street. She stopped in front of a small house. “This is where I live,” she said.

I nodded. “Cool.”

She turned to me. “Do you want to come in?”

I hesitated. I didn’t know what to expect. But I was curious.

“Sure,” I said.

We went inside. The place was small but cozy. Jesy offered me a drink. I declined.

We talked for a while, and then she started to get a little touchy-feely. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I mean, we were just on a date.

This is how it works. I paid for dinner, and she thinks i expected something in return. It was a simple transaction, a quid pro quo.

She leaned in closer. “Do you want to kiss me?”

I hesitated again. I didn’t know what to do. But I didn’t want to hurt her feeling.

“Sure,” I said, and I leaned in and kissed her.

It was great.

After a while, she pulled away. “I should probably get some sleep,” she said.

I nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

She walked me to the door. And thanked me for the evening. I said no problem.

As I walked back to my grab, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. I mean, we had a nice time, right? But it just felt…empty.

I got into and drove away. As I was pulling out of the neighborhood, I saw Jesu standing on her porch, watching me go.

I waved. She waved back.

I drove away, and I never saw her again.