Chapter 83 History Repeating Itself
Chapter 83 History Repeating Itself
Cody
I arrive home after a long day at work. I am glad it is over. The only thing that got me through it was my date night with Jasmine. The last few weeks have been hectic. We've both been working extra hours to save up for a second car. We have managed with one so far, but with the hours we both work and Jasmine’s classes, it is getting harder to manage with only one. A second car would be a huge help, but it won’t be cheap. Hopefully it won’t take long for the two of us to save enough money, and we can get back to normal hours and get our lives back outside of work.
Jasmine won’t be home for a couple of hours, which is okay. It allows me to prepare everything for our date night. I asked everyone else to leave, and they were fine with it since they know Jasmine and I haven’t had much time together lately.
Heading to our bedroom, I dump my things, strip off for a shower, and change into something more comfortable before making dinner. We tried this last week, but Jasmine had to work on a project for one of her classes, so we rescheduled for tonight. It hasn’t been easy recently, but as always, we are pushing through. I climb into the shower, but I am not in it for long.
I go back to the bedroom, dry off, and change into joggers and a T-shirt since I prefer comfortable clothes after a long day in work attire. I pick up my cell from the bed and see I missed a call from Jasmine while I was showering. That's odd, as she should be finishing soon. I didn’t expect her to call. I quickly dial her back to check if everything's fine. It rings a few times before she picks up.
“Hey, baby girl.”
Jasmine lets out a loud sigh on the other end. “Hey, my love.”
The sigh doesn’t sound positive. “Jasmine, is everything okay?”
“Please don’t hate me, but I need to work a few extra hours. Someone got sick and went home, and they’re currently trying to find someone to cover. They asked me to stay until they do. We are very busy tonight.”
I let out a sigh and shake my head. “Jasmine, we have plans. Their staffing issues aren't your concern. You’ve already worked more than enough overtime for them.”
“I know, but I don’t want them to struggle. We can still have our date night. I will get home as soon as I can. I really am sorry, Cody.”
“Promise me you won’t stay until closing?”
I don’t want to feel annoyed at her, but I am. I’ll keep that to myself.
“I promise. I need to go, babe. I will see you soon. I love you.”
Jasmine hangs up before I can say anything else. Frustrated, I groan and toss my cell aside, then sit on the bed's edge, running my fingers through my damp hair. This isn't how I envisioned the night. After a few minutes, I get up and start preparing dinner as planned. I dislike losing time, but at least we will still have some moments tonight — it's better than nothing.
I'm extremely upset now. Jasmine should have returned hours ago, but she texted to say she was working until closing, despite promising she wouldn’t. She probably won’t be home until around one or even closer to two in the morning. Our date night is canceled. I’m done waiting around in hopes. Tonight was the only time we had, and I don’t know when we’ll get another chance. Jasmine didn’t need to work so late; she chose to. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I spent time making our night fun and special.
I blow out the candles and toss the leftover dinner into tubs—someone else can have it. I double-check that everything is turned off, then grab what I need before leaving the apartment. I really need a drink. Thank goodness for a fake ID. I might call our friends to find out where they are and meet up with them later. Right now, I want to be alone. I'm feeling more hurt than angry. All I wanted was one night with my girl. I don't think that's too much to ask.
I leave the building and walk until I find the first bar, then go inside. I show my ID, order a double scotch and two tequila shots, and search for a secluded table. The place is crowded, and I prefer to stay out of the crowd.
I take my cell out of my pocket and see a text from Jasmine, likely a follow-up since I didn’t reply to her earlier message.
Cody, are you there? Why aren't you responding? I know you've seen my message. Are you upset with me? xx
I sigh as I look at it, knowing I need to be truthful with her.
Yes, I am angry with you. Tonight was our only opportunity to do this, but you chose to work instead. I don't want to prevent you from working, but tonight, it wasn't necessary; you just wanted to. We hardly see each other as it is.
Talk about history repeating itself. I thought we were past this; clearly not. Shaking my head, I place my cell on the table face down. I take my shots one after another, then lean back in my chair, sipping my scotch. I don’t want us to go down this road again. I'm starting to think a second car isn’t worth it after all. We handled it before; we can handle it again. I don’t want anything to tear us apart again.
Sometimes I wish we could go back to high school and be back home. Life seemed much simpler then, and our problems were easier to handle. I really dislike adult responsibilities!
She will probably be mad at me when she arrives home and realizes I am not there, but I needed to get out of the house. I can deal with all these damn problems tomorrow.