[ WP ] The protagonists of our story are having a meet-cute . Narrator , however , is going through some troubles at home , and it 's starting to show .

The laundromat that Nick had been going to since his move to the neighborhood had closed down, unable to compete in the unsympathetic environment of an ever changing metropolis. “ Damn it, ” he said, his arms sagging with the weight of his clothes. Hoisting the bag in one arm, he took out his phone and was about to search for a new one, not even giving a second to grieve for the service he had been using two years, when he heard a voice to his right. 
 
 “ Oh no, ” a woman said, most likely bemoaning the fate of the laundromat owners, who had probably lost their only means of making a living and had to give up their dreams of sending their kids to college. “ Goddamnit. ” 
 
 Nick, like most city-people, had quickly learned to ignore the woes of its other inhabitants. It was one of the things that changes in you first. The deadening of empathy, the rush to avert one ’ s eyes whenever they come across a stranger in need. However, Nick did not think there was any advantage in keeping a laundromat location a secret, and he understood the woman ’ s despair, just having gone through it a moment before. And lastly, Nick ’ s mother, a bitter divorced woman who had rightly never gotten over her husband ’ s betrayal, had drilled it into him to always be there for a woman. He cleared his throat and said, “ There ’ s one next to Miller ’ s Cafe. Or so the Internet says. ” 
 
 “ Thank you! ” the woman exclaimed, a bright smile spreading on her face. Nick blinked at her, a bit taken aback. The woman must have noticed it, because she blushed and said, “ I ’ m really behind on my laundry. Which is why I ’ m wearing this. I usually don ’ t dress this crazy. ” Though it was probably a lie. She was likely on drugs. 
 
 Nick noticed her attire then, and was once again taken aback. She had on black tights and was wearing an orange sack that had a jack o'lantern ’ s face on it. He laughed. 
 
 The woman blushed again. “ I also want to say that this isn ’ t my first choice of a Halloween costume, either. I work with kids, which is why. My costumes are usually more clever. ” 
 
 “ No, it ’ s cute, ” Nick said, and then immediately scratched his neck, feeling awkward. His mother ’ s influence had left him awkward around women, especially city women who did not appreciate being white knighted the way his mother told him would get him dates. He would likely end up alone, heavily drinking each night, not even a dog or a cat to keep him company because his apartment did not allow pets. 
 
 The woman laughed, but it was surprisingly not a mocking one, the kind that usually came before a ‘ nice try ’ or ‘ fuck off ’. “ Thanks, ” the woman said, eyes dancing. “ Maybe I should wear it out more often. ” 
 
 Nick smiled back at her, and they stood there for a while like idiots waiting to get mugged, before the woman ’ s arms sagged and she said, “ Yikes, I should work on my arms more. ” They laughed and then she said, “ Where did you say it was? ” 
 
 “ Miller ’ s Cafe, ” said Nick, still hypnotized by her blue eyes. 
 
 “ Ah, I don ’ t know where that is, ” the woman said. 
 
 Nick laughed. “ Neither do I. ” Nick was one of those city people who never noticed anything in his life besides the things that kept his life afloat but very dull. “ But Google Maps will show us the way! ” He scratched his neck again. “ Um, that is if you want to go together. Er. ” 
 
 Any other girl would have cringed and feigned a sudden emergency, but this woman was either very into Nick or more likely, was a scammer who would bully Nick into wiring her five hundred dollars a week. Or perhaps it was because she worked with kids, probably brain-damaged kids, and was patient. “ Let ’ s go then, ” she answered with a smile. 
 
 And so they walked off together, their fate in the hands of Google Maps. At least one person could look out to see if they were going to run into a hotdog stand, a pole, or a small child, all things that usually happen if one ’ s eyes are glued to the phone. But that was not to be, because they had only eyes for each other, and seemed hardly to care where they were going. It was actually twenty minutes after, instead of the eight that Google Maps promised, that they arrived at the laundromat. That time, plus the time spent in the laundromat for their heavy load of clothes to be washed ( both were the type to leave off laundry until the last minute, which did not bode well for their relationship and would likely end up with them yelling at each other to drop by the laundromat because there was no more floor to be seen because of the piles of clothes ) led to phone numbers being exchanged. 
 
 Of course, this being a city romance, it would likely not end in marriage. A few rounds of naked gymnastics in bed, if it came to that -- likely the woman would ignore his phone calls after she came to her senses, or Nick would inevitably disappoint the woman after one round, or they would both have bodies that mismatched, leading to a disappointing time. Or if their relationship survived that, then they would find that they had no time for each other, and their texts and calls would become fewer and fewer. But for now, they left the laundromat with smiles on their faces, heading off to different ways, but thinking of each other. 
 
 *** 
 
 /r/PopcornDreams for more of my ramblings: )
