Noah slumped in his creaky office chair, staring at the glowing screen of his ancient desktop computer like it owed him money.
The clock on the wall ticked past five-thirty, but the open-plan office still hummed with the low drone of keyboards and the occasional sigh from the cubicles around him.
Another twelve-hour day of chasing invoices, answering emails that never mattered, and pretending he cared about quarterly reports that would be forgotten by next week.
At twenty-four, he was supposed to be building something, maybe a career, maybe a life but all he had was a paycheck that barely covered rent and a growing pile of credit card debt that laughed at him every time he checked his banking app.
He rubbed his eyes, feeling the familiar headache creep in behind his temples, the kind that came from too much cheap coffee and not enough actual sleep.
He pulled out his phone, the cracked screen catching the fluorescent lights overhead, and scrolled through his messages. The three girls who somehow kept orbiting his messy life were the only bright spots in this grind, even if things with each of them felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of complications.
First, he tapped open the chat with Mia. She'd sent a simple heart emoji earlier that morning, and he replied now with a quick text: "Long day, but thinking about you. Miss that smile of yours."
Her response popped up almost instantly, warm and soft like always: "Aww, Noah, you always know how to make my heart skip. I miss you too… more than you know. Come home soon so I can take care of you properly? I'll make your favorite soup if you want."
He smiled faintly at the screen, picturing her in that oversized sweater she loved, the one that made her look all innocent and safe even though he knew there was something deeper underneath, something that had been there since they were kids growing up next door to each other.
Mia had always been the steady one, the girl who showed up with snacks after his bad days and listened without judging, but lately her texts carried that extra layer of clinginess, like she was afraid he might slip away if she didn't hold on tight enough.
He switched chats to Lila next. Her last message had been a selfie from earlier, her platinum hair with those pink streaks falling just right over one eye, lips pursed in that playful pout she used for her influencer posts.
"Babe, the lighting today is killer. Wish you were here to see it in person."
Noah typed back, keeping it light: "Looking fire as always. Work's killing me, but maybe we can grab something this week?"
Her reply came with another photo, this one a little more flirty, her crop top riding up just enough to tease: "Only if you promise to make it worth my while. I've been dying to show you the new lingerie I got… for you, obviously. Don't keep a girl waiting too long, Noah. You know how I get when I miss you."
He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. Lila was a whirlwind, always posting couple goals on her stories even when they weren't officially anything solid, always turning their hookups into content that made his pulse race. She had this way of making everything feel electric, like the world was watching and she wanted them all to know he was hers, even if it was just for a night or two.
Finally, he opened the thread with Selena. Her messages were always shorter, cooler, but they carried that pull that got under his skin every time.
"Busy day at the office. Dinner soon?" he sent, keeping it casual.
Her response was almost immediate, elegant even in text: "Dinner sounds perfect. My place or somewhere with a view? I've been thinking about you all afternoon, Noah. Don't make me wait too long, I hate when plans fall through."
He stared at the words for a second, feeling that familiar mix of excitement and unease. Selena was the one who felt most out of his league, the sharp-suited CEO type who had somehow ended up in his bed that one wild night months ago and hadn't let go since.
Her texts always left him wondering what she really saw in a guy like him, broke and average, but the way she said his name in person made it hard to question.
Noah pocketed his phone, grabbed his worn-out jacket from the back of his chair, and headed for the elevator.
The office was emptying out now, people chatting about weekend plans he couldn't afford. He nodded at a couple of coworkers on the way down, muttering the usual "see you Monday" lines, but his mind was already elsewhere, on the texts, on the girls, on how his life felt like it was stuck in neutral while everything else moved too fast.
The streets outside were busy with the evening rush, horns blaring and pedestrians weaving through traffic like they had somewhere important to be. Noah stepped onto the sidewalk, phone still in hand as he checked one last message from Mia.
The crosswalk light turned green, but he wasn't paying attention, thumbs flying across the screen as he replied to her soup offer with a quick "Sounds perfect, see you soon."
HONNNNNK!!
Just then a truck came out of nowhere. Barreling down the road with its bright headlights piercing through his eyes.
Noah was shocked and terrified as he juat stood there, his heart completely stopped beating for a second. His pupils contricted as the truck reflected in his eyes.
From the corner of his eyes, he can see the pedestrians on both sides of the road, yelling at him to get out of the way. Others also pulled out their phones to record this unforgettable moment.
The whole scene was weird and scary at the same time.
Finally Noah managed to get two words out of his mouth.
"Fuck me!"
BANG!