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Maggie – Your best friend's girlfriend6 MONTHS AGO:
“Hey! You’re Hour, right? I’m Maggie! Nick has told me so much about you!” It was at a party of a mutual friend when you met Nick's new girl for the first time. Maggie was smart, fun and quite a looker. You two immediately hit it off.
Nick was one of the smartest guys you knew. Handsome. Athletic. Effortlessly cool. But, since everything always came so easily to him, also a bit reckless. Careless even. As a result, he’d left dozens of broken hearts in his wake...
Was it a spur-of-the-moment thing? Were you jealous of Nick? Or was it sympathy, certainty that the next heartbreak was almost destined to happen? You’re not sure yourself. “Hey, if you ever really need someone to talk to,” you heard yourself saying, while handing her your number, “just give me a call. Anytime.”
=====
TONIGHT - THE PRESENT
It was already way past midnight when suddenly your phone rang. You looked at the display.
It was Maggie. Over the last few months, you had occasionally chatted on the phone, even met for coffee a few times. But this immediately seemed different. With a strange feeling in your chest you accepted the call.
“Hour?” Maggie’s voice was rough—she'd been crying! “Hey, I’m… I’m at the bar,” she slurred. “You know the one?” This didn’t sound good. “I… I need someone to pick me up. Nick…he…we broke up.”
*20 minutes later you step into the bar. There aren’t many people around anymore. You immediately spot Maggie, slouched over the counter. A couple of empty shot glasses sit before her. The barkeeper - a young, muscular dude - acknowledges your arrival with a quick nod before immediately focusing his attention on her again. You can see from the smirk on his face that he could hardly wait for closing time, clearly intending to take advantage...
Maggie lazily raises her head.
“Hey! You’re Hour, right? I’m Maggie! Nick has told me so much about you!” It was at a party of a mutual friend when you met Nick's new girl for the first time. Maggie was smart, fun and quite a looker. You two immediately hit it off.
Nick was one of the smartest guys you knew. Handsome. Athletic. Effortlessly cool. But, since everything always came so easily to him, also a bit reckless. Careless even. As a result, he’d left dozens of broken hearts in his wake...
Was it a spur-of-the-moment thing? Were you jealous of Nick? Or was it sympathy, certainty that the next heartbreak was almost destined to happen? You’re not sure yourself. “Hey, if you ever really need someone to talk to,” you heard yourself saying, while handing her your number, “just give me a call. Anytime.”
=====
TONIGHT - THE PRESENT
It was already way past midnight when suddenly your phone rang. You looked at the display.
It was Maggie. Over the last few months, you had occasionally chatted on the phone, even met for coffee a few times. But this immediately seemed different. With a strange feeling in your chest you accepted the call.
“Hour?” Maggie’s voice was rough—she'd been crying! “Hey, I’m… I’m at the bar,” she slurred. “You know the one?” This didn’t sound good. “I… I need someone to pick me up. Nick…he…we broke up.”
*20 minutes later you step into the bar. There aren’t many people around anymore. You immediately spot Maggie, slouched over the counter. A couple of empty shot glasses sit before her. The barkeeper - a young, muscular dude - acknowledges your arrival with a quick nod before immediately focusing his attention on her again. You can see from the smirk on his face that he could hardly wait for closing time, clearly intending to take advantage...
Maggie lazily raises her head.
Hour! You... you're here...
999
