Begin Again

You should go.

Finn, I can’t. I just got out of a shitty relationship. Why am I going to jump in again? What if he’s as bad as Sasha was?

Bay, I wouldn’t encourage this if I didn’t think it was a good fit. Trust me, you should do it.

Bayley inhaled and exhaled several times, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She’d spent months trying to chase Elias off- he wasn’t her type and she needed to focus on her. Also, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted a new relationship.

Her thing with Sasha ended about as badly as one of those situations COULD end.

“He’s not Sasha. Just keep reminding yourself that,” she mumbled, speaking to her reflection. “Finn wouldn’t suggest you do something that could potentially be harmful.” She heaved an exaggerated sigh as she fastened her earrings.

Elias was the one she never wanted. They started teaming together, around the time Sasha left her. He paid as much attention to her as he could manage. Part of her loved it. Yet, the other part of her wondered if he’d had an ulterior motive to being so nice.

It was a blustery April afternoon when he asked her out for the very first time. For as confident as he was in the ring and on the mic, he did a terrible job of asking her out, clearly fearing rejection. As much as she wanted to, Bayley refused, on the basis of she wasn’t ready to date anyone.

It's not you. It's me. I mean...Sasha did some damage. I need time for me- really haven't had any time since where it's just me.

I can accept that- for now.

For now? Really?

Hey, Elias doesn't back down. Not creepy about it but I don't give up.

Can we be friends for now?

Yes.

True to his word, he didn't give up but still respected her boundaries. He asked her once a month on the 16th and every time she refused, he smiled sadly and said he'd try again in a month.

To Bayley's horror, Finn approached her after the seventh month of this game. She hadn't realized he had been anywhere near them, let alone close enough to overhear the conversation.

I think you should do it.

Do what?

Go out with him. Dinner, movie, hell- find an open mic night and let him play to his heart's content while you pretend to be interested.

I'm going to go with no.

Why?

Finn, this isn't up for debate. I don't want to date anyone.

Your loss, Bay. You can't let her control you forever. Think about it.

What's that supposed to mean?

You should go.

Finn, I can’t. I just got out of a shitty relationship. Why am I going to jump in again? What if he’s as bad as Sasha was?

Bay, I wouldn’t encourage this if I didn’t think it was a good fit. Trust me, you should do it

Try as she might, she couldn't shake that conversation from her mind. Maybe Finn had a point- she needed to jump back in the pool at some point.

Her phone alarm chirped, ripping her from her thoughts. If she didn't leave now, she would be late. She couldn't make a bad impression. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she didn't care because that was far from the truth.

"You've got this, Bay," she mumbled, slipping into her black high-heeled pumps.

By some wonder of the universe, she ended up being early for their date. That actually seemed like the best idea. Be the first one there, look like she wasn't anywhere near as nervous as she actually was, drink some wine and just be chill...

"Bayley!" a familiar voice exclaimed. "Over here!"

She jumped, jerking around. Apparently, Elias had made it there before her. Now that was a surprise.

"Hey! Hope you weren't waiting long." Bayley stopped, ready to pull her chair back. She jumped back, Elias rushing over to pull her chair out. "You didn't need to do that?" She sat, leaving her purse over the back of her chair. He pushed the chair in, never realizing how much these simple gestures meant to her.

Sasha had never been like that. If anything, Bayley had to make any and every romantic gesture.

"No but I wanted to. I tried for eight months to get this date and I intend to treat you like the rockstar you are..." His voice trailed off as he took a swig of his drink.

"I'm the rockstar?" she asked. "Last time I checked, you're the one who plays the guitar. I merely kick the crap out of people and very badly at that." After a quick glance of the menu, she signaled the waitress, ready to order a nice glass of Chardonnay.

"Don't be so rough on yourself," Elias muttered, gazing away. "You're better than you give yourself credit for."

Bayley wanted to believe him but she couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just saying those things for the sake of making her think he was one of the good ones.

They talked about anything and everything. No topic seemed to be off limits. Every time she made a corny joke or some sarcastic comment, he threw his head back in laughter. She didn't think she was that funny but who knew? Sasha certainly hadn't found her funny.

"I enjoyed this," Bayley admitted, smirking. She sighed, relaxing finally. Why had she been so nervous? This was Elias- her strange friend that somehow always managed to bring the best out of her.

"Same," Elias admitted, rising to his feet. "I knew we got along but I didn't know how much we had in common." He pulled her chair out and helped her to her feet. She grabbed her bag, drawing her sweater around her shoulders. "Meet me outside?"

Bayley shuffled to the door. She hadn't expected him to pay the bill but something told her it was best not to fight it. The night chill had begun to set in, making her skin tingle with the faintest breaths of winds running over her skin.

"Ready?" he asked, offering her his hand. She nodded, taking his hand. "God, you're freezing." He took her hand between both of his hands and rubbed, trying to bring some of his body heat to her.

There was something so intimate about the gesture that it almost terrified her. She wanted to pull away but she couldn't bring herself to. He meant well.

This isn't Sasha. Bayley thought. This is the start of something new. Keep remembering that.

"Where did you park?" Elias asked, twining their fingers together. "Let me walk you to your car."

Bayley found herself almost disappointed to think of their night ending. For a date she hadn't wanted to go on, it had been a perfectly lovely experience.

"Thanks for a great night," she said as they walked towards her car. "It's my first date since..."

"So, when can we do this again?" Elias cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

She surprised herself by realizing that she didn't care. For the first time in eight months, Sasha wasn't even remotely on her mind.

As she hugged Elias, thanking him for the night, she leaned into his grasp, giving silent thanks to the universe.

This could be the start of something great...

-Fin-