Y/N

_

❝I'm glad you packed up and ditched that sorry excuse of a boyfriend.❞

I pressed the phone up to my ear, listening to Soairse give me a back to back lecture about how to let the past go. I bent down to pick up one of my moving boxes, letting out a disgruntled sigh.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled into the speaker, "I know. I'm still not completely over him yet, though."

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"We were together for three years, what am I supposed to do? Just move on?"

"Yes!"

"You make it sound so easy," I groaned, setting the box onto my kitchen counter, "I just need to focus on moving into my apartment."

After I stumbled in on my ex-boyfriend sucking face with some random girl he picked up at a club, I decided to move out. It was hard finding an available apartment in NYC, but thankfully Soairse had a few family connections.

"Oh, speaking of your apartment," the girl continued, "did you find a new roommate?"

Right...yes. Even though I got the space, the rent was still way beyond anything I could pay off.

"I've got a few offers from that Ad I put on Craigslist," I explained, "but no, not yet."

"Craigslist? Are you kidding me? Do you want to be murdered?"

"At this point that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Okay, enough. Leo didn't deserve you, and you know that!"

I sighed, sliding across the room to grab another box, "In his defense, I was a pretty bad girlfriend."

"Oh hell no, please tell me you aren't trying to defend that loser."

"But none of it makes sense-"

"I'm calling Daya," Saoirse urged, "meet us at Barry's in fifteen minutes."

"I'm not in the mood for coffee," I complained.

"Yeah, well suck it up. Bye, love you."

She hung up the call, my phone starting to blast out a deafening ring. Shoving it back into my pocket, I grabbed my purse from the table and fumbled around the pockets for my keys. I really didn't feel like going out, but when Saoirse puts her mind to something, I have no choice.

Switching off the apartment lights, I slipped into the hallway, shutting the door behind me. As I made my way towards the elevator, my phone started to buzz again. Without looking at the caller ID, I picked up the call and let out a sigh.

"Relax, Saoirse," I said, "I'm already on my way."

"This...isn't Saoirse."

My body froze up the moment I heard the voice, and I had to pull it away from my ear to regain my composure. As the elevator doors slid open slowly, I stepped inside, my heart pounding.

"Leo..." I mumbled, "why are you calling me?"

"I know you're mad at me right now, but I think we should just talk it out."

"Talk what out? I broke up with you a week ago, and this is the first time you're calling me to talk."

"I just thought you needed some time!"

"I'm going to hang out with my friends right now," I frowned, watching as the elevator numbers started to count down, "so I'm hanging up."

"[y/n], come on-"

"Goodbye," I huffed, clicking off the call.

As I strode out of the building, my cheeks were hot with irritation. I knew I had to move on, but every time I thought about Leo, all I could remember were the good times. The truth was, he wasn't a bad boyfriend, he was everything I wanted. He was respectful, he was kind, and he never once ignored my calls.

But the one day we fought, he went out to the club and found some girl to replace me. I hated how he thought it was okay. I hated how he thought that just because we fought once, he could screw around.

No one screws me over.

I crossed the street, my head spinning as I thought. Barry's was only a few blocks away, but I decided to take the long way; I needed to clear my mind after all. I weaved in and out of the busy crowd, nodding apologies to the people I accidentally brushed against.

I needed to move on from Leo, but it was hard. Three years, I mean seriously! How do you cheat on someone after three freaking whole years! I was about to make another turn, before the sound of running footsteps came hurtling towards me.

A man was running full speed in my direction, a panicked expression on his face. I expected him to fly past me, but he came skidding to a stop right where I was standing. He had curly brown hair, red lips, and piercing green eyes, but none of them were particularly familiar.

"Hey," he said quickly, as if he knew who I was, "are you busy?"

I blinked, clutching my purse in suspicion. No one stops to talk to strangers in NYC, so this was incredibly alarming. Not to mention how he was speaking in a panicked tone.

"Who are you?" I stammered, tilting my head, "do I know you?"

"No, you don't know me."

"Oh, I'm actually on my way somewhere-"

"Can I kiss you?" He asked abruptly, his eyes widened as if the question was nothing more than a daily phrase.

What the hell? I took a step back, laughing nervously. I wanted him to say it was a joke, and that I was being pranked, but he seemed bloody serious about it.

"No thanks," I declined, "I don't know you."

"I'm in a bit of a dilemma," he frowned, "please, just one kiss!"

He turned around, as if he was looking for someone, and then flipped back around with fright. I couldn't tell if he was crazy, romantically desperate, or was just all around strange. He could be either one of them, or all three.

"Look," I started, "I don't kiss strangers."

He looked behind him a second time, but this time whatever he saw was apparently devastating.

"I'm so sorry," he said quickly, not giving me a chance to respond.

Grabbing my waist, he pulled me towards him sharply, and crashed his lips onto mine. My eyes were stuck open in the kiss, too horrified and shocked to muster any words. I managed to plant my hands in between our chests, and I pushed him off.

"What the hell?" I spat out, wiping stray saliva off with the back of my hand.

The man didn't seem to care about what he just did, and he suddenly seemed more relaxed. I was anything but. He squinted his eyes, licking his bottom lip, and perking his ears up.

"Was that cherry chapstick?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Yes. Yes it was cherry chapstick. How did he taste that? NO! Chapstick doesn't matter at the moment, what mattered was that I was just forced to kiss a stranger for no justified reason!

"Are you serious?" I gasped, still struggling to process it, "who do you think you are?"

He shrugged, reaching out his arm to pat me on the side of my arm.

"Timothée," he smiled, "thank you for your help."

Before I could say anything else, he brushed past me, running back down the sidewalk. I stood frozen to my spot, the sound of horns honking and road rage invisible. All I could see was him disappearing into the New York City crowd, swallowed up by a mass of people.

And just like that, he was gone.