As he bent down across the green baize of the pool table, Ben took the black eight-ball into his sights as he lined up his shot into the corner pocket.
Having only been out for a few hours that Saturday night, Ben knew that the few drinks he'd enjoyed wasn't enough to interfere with his senses as he closed in on victory. When his right arm thrust forward and struck the white ball directly beneath its centre, as intended, Ben held his posture across the table as the sound of the eight-ball dropping into the plastic pocket was music to his ears.
Stood to his left with his cue in his right hand, Ben's best friend, Ryan, allowed his eyes to close in anguish as the result of their final frame of the evening went against him. As his eyes opened once more, Ryan laughed softly before he spoke. "Jesus, Ben... You can close the deal in here all you like, but when are you going to ask that girl out? How long is that you've been talking to her now, three months?"
Carefully, Ben stood up straight as he turned and returned his pool cue to the wooden rack that was hanging on the wall. With a grin on his face as a result of his victory, he turned to face his friend. "Man, I'm telling you... I don't know it got to this stage. We met and then we started talking, then we started talking online every night... It's just...it's as if we got into a weird place where it got too awkward for me to ask her out... The thing is though, I swear she's feeling the same way. We just need to..."
After turning to the side and finishing the remainder of the lager from his pint glass, Ryan started laughing as he cut his friend off. "You just need to wake up and stop wasting time... If you wait any longer, both of you are going to find it impossible to be anything else but friends..." As his laughter faded, Ryan took a step closer. "Look, man... I know you want to handle it your way, but you need to make a decision one way or the other. If you two aren't ever going to be a couple, you should be coming out with us at the weekends a lot more. Gemma sounds like a sweet girl, but you can't stay single forever while you're waiting for one of you to break through the walls of that friend zone you've built for each other."
While Ben considered his friend's advice, his right hand found itself delving into the front pocket of his jeans to retrieve his phone. As his lips parted to respond, he noticed an alert on his app from the train company. Swiftly, Ben swiped into his phone and surveyed the message that an overhead line problem meant that the remaining train service that evening, only affecting his line, had been cancelled.
It was just after 11:30 p.m. on that Saturday night in a small town just outside Glasgow. Ben and Ryan were playing pool in a local pub in the town centre having only arrived 90 minutes earlier. They'd planned for a few quick drinks and frames of pool, but to be safely on the last trains home as they'd be leaving in opposite directions. But while there were no such problems on Ryan's line, Ben sighed as he considered the alternatives. When he estimated how much a black cab would cost from the taxi rank outside, Ben knew that there was no way he'd be willing to part with the cash. In his mind, that left only one option.
Almost 30 minutes later, Ben found himself standing at the deserted bus stop as he tilted his head towards the night's sky. It was the first week in July and the weather wasn't a problem as the warmth in the air had led to Ben going out for the evening without a coat. As he turned to the bulletin board which was part of the plastic interior of the bus shelter, Ben found himself scanning through the timetable to make sense of how long he'd have to be stood there.
He'd only went out to meet Ryan for a few short hours, but whenever Ben went out at the weekends, he always made something of an effort. The plain black shirt which he chose looked smart on his lean upper body, while he'd rolled both sleeves up almost past his elbows. Ben was 23 years old and quite tall, standing at just over 6'0", as his shirt was tucked into the waistband of his favourite jeans. They were pale blue, but the numerous rips and tears across both of his knees added a casual dimension to his outfit, which was completed by his iconic beige Timberland boots. When he spotted that the last bus home was scheduled to arrive within the next 15 minutes, Ben allowed his right hand to reach up and run itself through his hair as he was relieved that he wouldn't be waiting for too long. His brown hair was shaved closely at both the back and the sides, but he wore it long on the top with his fringe swept back and to the side.
As he faced the timetable, there was a plastic bench that ran across the interior wall of the bus shelter, but Ben remained standing with his back to the street behind him. The location of the bus stop was fairly central to the town centre where the local pub was, but the town's nightlife wasn't particularly thriving, even for a Saturday night. The majority of young revellers in that area routinely travelled the short distance into Glasgow, but Ben had passed a few small groups on his way from the pub to the bus stop.
It was when he took a further glance at his phone, to check the time, that he heard the sound of a feminine voice calling out from behind him. "You better be careful...those buses rarely show up at this time of night..."
Slowly, Ben swivelled and turned his body to face whomever had addressed him. As he did, he was treated to the sight of two women who were walking towards him as he stood within the bus shelter. While he couldn't be sure, he assumed the girl who was staring into his eyes was the one who called out to him. However, as he felt his gaze dropping to take in her outfit, Ben felt his heartbeat start to quicken as she closed the distance towards him.
