Michael’s getting dumped before he’s even began

I was furious. My one chance at getting a girl, and he’d thrown it down the toilet. Before I could ball my hand into a fist and throw a hook at Rich’s annoyingly perfect jaw, the three dots of a reply popped up (which is likely for the best, I think Rich could kick my ass).

Cait: ?

Fuck. Okay, wait… that’s it? She’s just confused? I could fix this.

Michael: Hey, Cait, I’m so so so so so so sooo sorry!!! This sounds made up, but I swear to GOD my boss took my phone and sent that!!!

No way she’d believe me. I should have lied. Acted like that wasn’t me; get a new number, try again. Fuck. Then, when we are married with three kids, she can tell me this funny story about some psychotic text she got when we first started dating, and I can laugh! Fuck.

Cait: I’m sorry, who is this??

I’d actually forgotten that I hadn’t given her my number. That made this seem even stranger, I’m sure.

“She ate that shit up, didn’t she?” Rich leaned back in his chair, cocky grin plastered across his face.

“Uh… yeah, man. You did great. I’ll invite you to the wedding. I’m going to go to the bathroom.” I needed to get away before he could screw this up more.

“I better be Best Man at that wedding, bitch!”

I would say that he would never be, but he was technically the closest thing I had to a male friend. Dammit.

I locked myself in a stall and sat on the seat with the cover still down. I quickly began texting an apology.

Michael: It’s Michael. From the movie theater? Again, so sorry!

Cait: Omg, Michael! I’d started to worry that you’d never text me :)

Cait: Stiiill confused on the text tho…

Okay, I can work with this. She seemed happy to hear from me too, which made my heart swell.

Michael: Okay, this will sound made up, but I swear my boss texted that.

Cait: That *does* sound made up. I’ll need some more context than that!

Michael: Well, I didn’t know what to say to you, you know? I didn’t want to mess things up with you already. I’m not what you’d describe as a ‘ladies man’, so I asked my boss what I should say. He wrote that garbage and sent it before I could do anything. I was really worried he’d messed up my chances with you. Still are, really.

I reread my text and cringed. First, I’m pretty sure people hate being sent paragraphs. Second, I sounded so insanely pathetic. Third, it still sounded made up. I was done for.

Cait: OML

Yeah. Done for.

Cait: That’s sooo cute!

My eyebrows shot up. ‘Cute’?! She didn’t immediately block my number!?

Cait: You don't have to be nervous, dummy! You already got my number. You should have just asked me to get dinner!

I almost started laughing. Was it really that simple? Just treat her like a human being, rather than some Goddess on a pedestal that I shouldn’t even be allowed to look at?

Well, when I word it like that, it seems obvious.

Michael: Oh. My bad.

Cait: xD

Michael: Haha!

Cait: …

Cait: Sooo… you gonna ask?

I face-palmed.

Michael: Yes!

Michael: Cait, would you like to get dinner sometime?

Cait: Nope.

What?!

Michael: What?!

My stomach dropped as I watched the three typing bubbles popped up.

Cait: I don’t want dinner ‘sometime’. I’d like it tonight.

Ooh, she got me. Was it weird that I found her messing with me so enchanting?

We texted a little bit more before setting on a small Lovusian spot she liked. I hate Lovusian food, as mentioned previously, but I didn’t want to say anything.

I must have returned to Rich with a look on my face, because he began howling like a wolf when I came back.

“Michael, you mother fucker! You got nudes, didn’t you, you lucky fuck? That line always ends with nudes! Let me see ‘em!”

That usually gets nudes? What the hell?

“No, no nudes. Just a date.” I looked sheepishly at the people with PhDs walking past as I talked to Rich. He’d yelled quite loud, and I was getting looks.

“No titties? Ass? Pussy? What, is this some high-class whore or something?” Now, what he said was very rude, but he didn’t say it as though he was being rude; he said it like he was genuinely confused, as though he couldn’t comprehend the idea of a woman like Cait.

“Uh… I mean, I probably messed it up?” I shrugged. I didn’t feel like explaining the morality of his statements to him.

He shook his head, disappointed. “Michael, Michael, Michael… you’ll learn.”

He spent the rest of the day explaining how to pick up women. I… I don’t feel like I should explain any of what he said, because it frightened me at times. It was scary because he did shit like that, and scarier that it seemed to work.

-

Hey, all. I am back! Two updates, one exciting and one somber....

The Patreon is here! My intention is to keep the Patreon one week ahead of here, and (if all goes well), to hold polls and see what sort of fan art you all would like me to commission. And, if by some miracle I make an abundance of money, I'd like to start on my other story idea(s)! Though I do not expect that lol, more likely it would just be made after this story finishes... one day, long from now! Here is the link if you would like to support me:** https://patreon.com/MichaelChaseLit **PLEASE!!! Do NOT consider supporting if you are not financially secure! I understand hard times; I'm in them! So I never want to feel like I am taking anything away that you may need. I never intend to have anything hidden away on the Patreon forever, they just get things first![

Now for the sucky one... I did some thinking while I was sick, and I think I am going to have to cut back some. I have a weak immune system, and during times like what just happened it becomes much too difficult to write a chapter a day. I'd like to cut it down to four a week, just so I can use anything I may get ahead with to ensure that, during times like I just had, I may use anything I got done early to not be gone completely during sick periods. I really hate doing this, but I see no other way to avoid the long outages like I've had. I deeply apologize once again. I understand having this announcement after asking for money is... lame, to say the least... but I needed to be realistic with my current capabilities. If possible, one day I'd love to get the chapter number back to seven! I just can't at this moment.

Thank you all for sticking with me. The next four chapters are already on Patreon. Those will be released here next week.