#atnight

“TK?” Marjan said impatiently, waiting for him to continue, shifting the bag on her shoulder.

“I knew he’d been nervous, and we all know he gets stuck in his own head sometimes. So I texted him a little while ago to check in.” TK glanced over at Paul, then back to Marjan’s expectant gaze. “I was messing with him during the date, and when he didn’t say anything I asked him if he needed me to bail him out because it was going badly. He said ‘yeah right, that would mean I’m actually on a date’.”

“What? That doesn’t make any sense. Have you tried calling him?”

“He didn’t pick up when I tried him half an hour ago.”

“I’ll try him,” Paul said, taking his phone out of his pocket and pulling up Mateo’s info, the phone ringing as he brought the phone up to his ear. He waited for a few seconds before he sighed, leaving a voicemail to have Mateo call him back when he got the message.

“He’s been talking about this girl non-stop for a week. He basically has her profile memorized, telling me how right for each other they were after their first few dates.” Marjan frowned, running her hand over the back of her neck, fingers brushing against the bottom of her hijab. “You still have keys to your dad’s place?” she asked TK.

“Marj, do you think—”

“She either stood him up, or something went bad, really fast. Either way, he’s gotta be upset.” Marjan bit down on her bottom lip for a second. “I just need to check on him.”

“Let’s go,” TK said as they walked toward the exit, tossing their drinks out on the way.

Paul stopped halfway to his vehicle, looking at Marjan as she unlocked her car, TK hopping into the passenger seat. “Call me? Let me know if he’s alright or if there’s anything I can do.”

“Of course. I’ll call you later,” Marjan said, tossing her bag into the back. She climbed into the driver’s seat, turning over the ignition, hoping that the way her stomach twisted with growing worry for Mateo was unnecessary.

*

TK opened the front door, letting Marjan into the seemingly empty house. She’d have thought that nobody was home if it weren’t for Mateo’s car in the driveway. It was a little after ten, so it was possible that he’d just gone to bed early. Marjan hesitated in the doorway.

“Come on,” TK urged, walking towards the kitchen and noticing the [liquor cabinet] was open. TK’s mouth fell open a little, like he wanted to say something but he wasn’t sure if he should.

“I’ll go knock, see if he’s okay.” Marjan eyed the cabinet. “You alright out here?”

“I’m fine.” TK said, offering her a reassuring smile. “Promise.”

Marjan took a deep breath, then knocked lightly on Mateo’s closed bedroom door. Although he didn’t answer, she could hear the TV playing quietly on the other side, but nothing else. “Probie?”

She heard what sounded like a gasp or a sniffle, but she didn’t feel right just going in uninvited.

“Can I come in?” She tried again.

“Do what you want,” Mateo said instead. Marjan took a steadying breath, then pushed open the door and while she wasn’t sure what to expect, an array of takeout containers scattered across his bed wasn’t it.

“Cap is gonna have a fit when he sees all the GMOs you’ve been eating.” Marjan left the door open a crack, her gaze settling on the liquor bottle that was positioned precariously at the corner of his night stand. “Can I sit down?” She motioned towards the bed.

Mateo shrugged, his focus not wavering from the television. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair ruffled. If she didn’t know better she’d think he hadn’t slept or showered in days, like he was carrying the world on his shoulders. Mateo’s jaw tensed as he continued to watch the movie with great focus.

“What’re you watching?” Marjan cleared some of the containers from the bed, making space for herself beside her friend.

“I-I don’t know,” Mateo answered distractedly, still not looking at her.

“Hey,” Marjan said gently, taking the remote from his hands and muting the television, her forehead creasing more when he still didn’t look at her. “Mateo.” The use of his given name had the desired result, brown eyes filled with anger catching her gaze.

“What?” he snapped, then he visibly cringed, presumably as he realized she wasn’t the one he was angry with. “I—sorry.” Mateo’s voice wobbled on the last word.

“What happened?”

“She stood me up. Didn’t even text or call to tell me,” he said, lowering his gaze to his hands. “When I tried to call her for the third time because I was worried that something happened to her, she answered her phone—clearly annoyed—said I wasn’t what she was looking for. And that I started to suffocate her after one date, which she said was a record.”

“Mateo—” Marjan reached out for his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, wanting to physically reassure him that none of this was on him.

“Don’t.” Mateo’s anger crumbled, his expression turned to one of hurt, tears falling down his cheeks. “I’m always gonna be too much, or not enough—not smart enough, or good looking enough—too different to ever be the right guy.”

Marjan scooted over so she was sitting closer to him on the bed, opening her arms to him, hoping that he’d take the cue and let her comfort him. He didn’t move right away, so instead she placed her hand on top of his.

“I know you can’t see this right now because you’re angry and hurt, but you’re such a great guy. This is on her and not on you.” Marjan paused, her thumb rubbing over the back of his hand, watching as his jaw clenched and more tears rolled down his cheeks.

“You’re more than enough,” Marjan said. “You’re one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known, and that big heart of yours holds so much love for everyone you know. You dive into everything with your all. With your family, and your friends, at work when we’re on calls—and in relationships too. Someone is going to be so incredibly lucky to get all that you have to offer.”

Mateo’s body shook at her words, and she reached out for him, gently tugging him into her embrace. “Shhh, it’s okay. Let it out,” she murmured.

“H-how did you know—how did you get in here?” Mateo managed between sniffles.

Marjan’s hand rubbed over his back soothingly. “TK said something was wrong. He still had a key and I wanted to check on you.”

“I’m sorry I ruined your night.”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Marjan chided, though her tone was soft as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I wish you would’ve called one of us. You don’t have to take on all this hurt alone. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you.”

“Thank you,” he whispered, his body sagging against her, finally letting the tension bleed out.

“I know it’s late. You should go,” Mateo finally said.

“No.” Marjan shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay but…” Mateo was quiet for a long time. “I never had dinner and I’m kind of hungry, do you mind if we grab some food?”

Marjan laughed softly as she climbed off of the bed, Mateo sliding off of the opposite side as her. “What’re you in the mood for? I’ll cook.”

“It’s almost 11:30,” Mateo argued.

“Probie.”

Mateo held his hands up in surrender. “Grilled cheese would be great.”

Marjan nodded, grabbing the bottle of alcohol from his nightstand on her way to the door, hearing Mateo’s feet padding against the floor behind her. She set the bottle on the counter, then walked toward the living room. “Hey T—” Her sentence cut off as she felt Mateo’s hand cover her mouth.

“Shhhh, he’s sleeping,” Mateo said. Marjan laughed as Mateo’s hand slipped away, and he skirted around her, walking over to TK and covering him with a throw blanket.

“You know,” Marjan said, unable to stop the way that her lips curled up into a smile. “We came here to take care of you.”

“We’re family,” Mateo said when he was satisfied enough with how well he’d covered TK, walking back to where Marjan was pulling out the ingredients she needed for the grilled cheese, “and family takes care of each other.”