One Man Band System

Later that night, after dropping Emma off at home in his new car, Eric headed over to the business district to meet up with Caleb at a bar. Caleb had just gotten off work and was waiting for a call from his girlfriend, who was on the night shift at the hospital, so he could pick her up. Arriving at the bar, Eric parked the car, hopped out, and headed inside.

A track with a smooth yet fast tempo immediately washed over Eric as he stepped through the door. Scanning the room, he spotted Caleb waving from a round table near the window. Caleb was wearing a white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone and a loosened tie. Eric walked over and slid onto a barstool.

"Sorry for making you come out and keep me company. If you’d been comfortable at home, I wouldn’t have called," Caleb said.

"Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. What do you actually do for work anyway?" Eric asked, tossing his car keys onto the table.

"I’m a project manager at a cybersecurity firm. Whoa... dude, your car?" Caleb asked, pointing at the key fob.

"Yep. It’s out front, right by the curb," Eric replied.

Caleb immediately craned his neck to look at the luxury car parked outside, then snapped his head back to stare at Eric, dying of curiosity.

"Your dad bought you a car before kicking you out?" Caleb asked, totally confused.

"Ha... yeah right. You know how it was. Jason and Ruby were the only ones who got cars for their sixteenth birthdays. I just got gift vouchers," Eric muttered, clearly annoyed.

"Oh yeah... true. Then where’d you get a ride that nice?" Caleb asked, fascinated.

"I made some investments and happened to hit it big. That’s all," Eric lied.

"Hmm... whatever, I don’t care. You’re taking me for a spin sometime, though, haha," Caleb replied, deciding not to pry any further.

"For sure, absolutely. We’ll go for a drive sometime," Eric replied.

"What do you want to drink? You’re eighteen now, so you can legally have a drink," Caleb said.

"Anything’s fine. I used to drink all the time at home anyway. You know how it went—whenever Jason brought home too much booze, they’d make me finish it," Eric replied.

"Haha... true. And whenever you couldn’t handle it, you’d call me," Caleb said, waving over a server.

After they ordered their drinks, "ding," a text slid onto the screen of Eric’s phone on the table. He checked it and saw it was from Emma.

"Don’t stay out too late. If you get drunk, let me know and I’ll have Kevin pick you up."

Reading the message, Eric couldn’t help but smile. He typed a quick "ok" in response and set his phone back down. Of course, when he looked back up at Caleb was staring at him with a massive, knowing grin.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Eric asked.

"That girl from yesterday... is she your girlfriend? What was her name... oh yeah, Emma," Caleb said.

"Not yet... right now we’re just friends," Eric replied, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Judging by the look on your face, it’s already way more than just friends. Like I don’t know you," Caleb teased.

"Shut up. Seriously, we’re just friends right now. I don’t want to rush into anything yet," Eric said, turning serious.

"Alright, alright... but if you let a girl that gorgeous slip away, there’s definitely something wrong with your brain," Caleb joked.

"Well... she really is incredibly beautiful. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m completely out of her league, haha," Eric said, laughing as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Whether you end up with her or not, I don’t care. But honestly, I’m just happy to see you like this. You used to be so miserable all the time, and getting a laugh out of you was next to impossible, like it cost a fortune just to get a smile," Caleb said, clapping Eric on the shoulder.

"Was I really that different?" Eric asked, genuinely surprised.

"By a mile, dude. You used to look completely suffocated at home, like you were straining yourself to prove something to someone. Anyone who saw you could tell, except for Jason and Ruby," Caleb answered.

"Hmm... wow. I never realized people saw me that way," Eric muttered.

"Now you actually look free and relaxed... plus you’re actually laughing. So just stay in this city. Don’t ever go back. This environment is doing wonders for your mental health," Caleb said.

"That’s exactly the plan," Eric said simply.

The server arrived with two bottles of beer and set them on the table. The waitress glanced at Eric, and when their eyes locked, she immediately blushed, got flustered, and hurried away, which Eric found a little bizarre. Eric picked up his beer and "ting" clinked the top of his bottle against Caleb’s. After taking a sip, Caleb spoke up again.

"So, have you decided on a major yet? I can help talk to the admissions office if you want."

"I have... but due to a few different things, I’m planning to start college next year. I want to save up some money first over the next year and just take a breather. I’m completely burnt out from studying non-stop," Eric replied.

"Hmm... that makes sense. Just enjoy yourself for now. You only live once, and if you don’t enjoy it, you’re missing out," Caleb said.

"Ha... since when do you talk like that?" Eric asked, amused but smiling.

"Since I moved here... since I met my girl and she got pregnant," Caleb answered, taking a swig of his drink.

"Hmm... how many months along is she?" Eric asked.

"Five months. I’m having a baby girl. Oh, by the way, my future in-laws are throwing a baby shower, so you better come. I’ll email you the invite later," Caleb replied.

"Oh... okay, send it over. I’ll definitely be there," Eric said.

"Bring Emma with you, your girl," Caleb teased.

"Man... I already told you she’s not, you’re ridiculous," Eric shot back.

They finished off their beers, and then Caleb raised his hand again to call over a server. A waitress walked up to their table.

"What can I get for you guys?" she asked.

Hearing the server’s voice, Eric immediately looked up, and the waitress turned her eyes to him at the same time. She looked so utterly shocked she practically jumped backward. Eric pointed at her in disbelief.

"Wait... Laura?" Eric asked.

"Eric... what are you... doing here?" Laura asked, pointing right back at him.

"Hoho... looks like my little cousin is quite popular around here," Caleb interjected, a massive, knowing grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Caleb," Eric said, introducing him to Laura.

Caleb immediately shook hands with Laura. then she glanced around the room as if she were looking for someone before turning her eyes back to Eric, her face turning a little red.

"Are you just here with your cousin?" Laura asked, her voice a bit stiff.

"Yeah. So you work here?" Eric asked.

"I’m just helping my uncle out since we’re on summer break," Laura replied shyly.

"I see, that’s great then," Eric said with a smile.

Seeing Eric smile, Laura immediately averted her gaze and froze, completely still, while Caleb let out a sigh and turned his eyes toward her.

"Hello... don’t ignore me now. Two more beers, please," Caleb interrupted.

"Oh, right... sorry! Coming right up," Laura replied.

She instantly spun around and hurried back toward the bar, her quick steps making it look like she was running away from something. Watching her reaction, Caleb turned back to Eric.

"Where do you know her from? She clearly has a crush on you," Caleb asked, entirely serious this time.

"She goes to the same school as Emma. Don’t talk nonsense," Eric answered.

"Hoho... so Emma’s already introducing you to her friends. Just get married already. If you’re short on cash, I’m down to chip in, but you better hurry up before your presence ruins their friendship," Caleb teased with a massive grin, clapping Eric on the shoulder.

"Fuck you," Eric said.

"Got it... thank you! Just let me know the date," Caleb joked right back.

The two of them kept joking around and chatting casually about all sorts of things. Laura would occasionally slide over and join the conversation since the bar wasn’t very crowded. While Laura was away, "ding," a notification popped up on Eric’s phone.

He opened it immediately to find another text from Emma. She had sent a photo of him sitting and chatting with Caleb, followed by a string of sad-face emojis. Then, a message appeared right below it.

"I want to come too."

Eric just snorted and texted back that it was already late and that little kids have a curfew from their moms. Instantly, a barrage of random emojis and stickers flooded his phone, until he finally decided to set it back down on the table and keep talking to Caleb.