New York City, USA.

Damian's P.O.V.

As the cacophony of the 'city that never sleeps' resounded in the ears of the people exiting the subway's entrance, a young man, who looked just as tired and apathetic as everyone else around him suddenly checked his watch. “10 p.m., uh?....” He muttered with a tired sigh, his body automatically moving in his apartment's direction. 'I wonder if it'll ever end... The compulsory overtime disguised as some bullshit excuses like “Think about it as a boost for your career Damian”, and “Everyone has it hard Mr. Knight, so suck it up!”...' Shaking his head inwardly, he continued his inner monologue.

'I should just quit... But what should I do afterward?...' The decision was far from being easy. Trading his current situation for something unknown... He was aware of what was the right decision to make, but fear made him hesitate. Lost in thought, it took him a few seconds to realize that the ringing tone of his own phone had replaced the music he was listening to in his earbuds.

Feeling a bit lost, he simply decided to ignore the call, as he lacked the energy to talk to anyone. 'It's probably some random advertisement.' He thought despite not believing it for even a single second. After all, which company would be stupid enough to call someone at 10 PM and still believe that they would answer happily?

There was no way. To be honest, there was only one person who called him regularly. His mother. There was one way to be sure that it was her. Simply wait for the ringing tone to stop and if they resumed swiftly afterward, there would be a 99% chance that it would be her calling.

A few seconds later, his music stopped a second time, replaced also a second time by his phone's ringing. With a wry smile on his face, the 30-year-old knew that he could not avoid her any longer. To be fair, he could, but he did not want to hurt one of the only people who cared about him in this otherwise cold world.

Taking out his smartphone, he immediately spotted the three-letter word that further confirmed his previous guess. Unfortunately, as Damian was about to tap on the green icon on the screen, the call ended, making him both frustrated and relieved for some reason.

Chuckling wryly when he noticed his own reaction, he decided to keep the phone in his hand since... Just then, the ringing resounded a third time in his ears with the same word written in large font on his phone's screen. This time, he immediately tapped the call button instead of letting it ring away.

“Hey, Mom! Sorry if I didn't answer right away. I was... Busy.” He said in a voice that made him wince due to how unconvincing he sounded. “Hi, Sweety! It's fine, don't worry about it. I just wanted to call you because I've got a few guests that you know very well who just arrived.” Pausing for a second the mature woman at the other end of the line then added.

“I know you had to work overtime many times lately, so I thought that I might be able to reach you around this time of the day. Or night, I guess.” The obvious care in her voice seemed to have an immediate relaxing effect on him, helping him feel more at ease with sharing with her the question he was struggling with.

“You said, I know them very well?... Are they Michael and Jane?” He asked, pretty certain of his guess. “Hello, there!” The voice of his younger brother resounded in his ears, bringing a smile to his face as he used the classic reply. “Is that you General Kenobi?”

"Nope, it's Michael. But nice try!” The man continued, barely holding his laughter. Another female voice then resounded from his earbuds. “Hey, Mister Dork! It's your favorite sister here!” Chuckling slightly, Damian retorted. “Aren't you my ONLY sister, Jane?” A second of silence later, she replied. “I don't care! I'm your favorite and that's that.”

Shaking his head in amused helplessness, he responded. “If you say so, sis.” He could hear the three at the other end of the line laugh a bit before their mother lightly berated the other two. “Alright, you two! Quit messing around! I'm trying to talk to your brother here.” The two then fell silent as she continued.

“You're still coming this weekend, sweetie, correct?” Thinking about her beach house in Florida, he felt greatly tempted. Apprehending the talk they would have, made him hesitate, though. “Of course, Mom. But I've been feeling a bit exhausted and I'd have to take the plane...”

His voice was however interrupted by his mother's. “Sweetie, don't lie to me. I made and raised you so I know when you're trying to run away from something. You're coming this weekend and that's final.” Scratching his shaved chin absentmindedly, he could not help but have a wry thought. 'I knew this is how it would go...'

“Alright, Mom. I'll come. But please go easy on me. I've been feeling a bit down lately, so the last thing I need is more problems.” The mature woman chuckled slightly before replying. “Of course, I know that. But I'm sure coming here with all of us will help you get through the phase you're currently going through.”

“Sure, Mom. I think I need that. Scratch that, I'm sure I need that! My job is making me go crazy and I feel like I haven't been able to take a breather for a while now. Going to the beach and having fun with the three of you might be able to do the trick.”

“I've always told you that going into accounting would be the death of you, bro. You should've followed your passions in high school instead of doing that.” Michael commented. Letting out a sigh, Damian retorted wryly. “You say that as if it's an easy thing to do. I had many things I wanted to do back then, but could they help make enough money to put food on the table?”

His brother's following words cut through all the excuses he told himself for all those years, making him speechless. “Have you ever tried, though?” A few moments later, Damian replied. “Touché.” “See? With how talented you are, I'm sure you'd succeed if you put your mind to it.”

“Mike is right, Damian. Don't imitate Dad. He's done exactly the same thing that you're doing and see where that got him? Sad and selfish. I don't want you to be like him.” Jane's tone turned caring, making his heartache at the emotions lacing it. Taking a deep breath to rein in the tears that threatened to fall, he stated.

“I get it. I... I think I'm ready for some changes. The life-changing kind of changes.” “It's good, sweetie. Don't forget that you're not alone. The three of us are all here for you. Also, if you need to, you can stay here for a longer time. You don't need to leave right away.” His mother's words brought a relieved smile to his face before he responded. “We'll see about that this weekend.”

“Sure, Sweety. On another note, how did it go with that beautiful neighbor of yours? The one with my future granddaughter?” Rolling his eyes at her words, he replied. “Mom, I haven't even asked her out yet. Don't go making other people's daughter your own granddaughter.”

His two siblings burst into laughter before they were suddenly cut off by their mother's half-serious reproach. “Don't laugh you two! If you were quicker in finding me a daughter-in-law or son-in-law, I wouldn't be saying that sort of thing!” Shaking his head, he retorted. “Mom, stop messing around. It's not as easy as it sounds. I mean, Sofia's got a daughter already and I've never had kids. I don't even know if I'm mature enough to raise a kid...”

After his explanation ended, he heard a sigh at the other end of the line. “No one's ready to have kids, Damian.” His mother said. “You're just learning as you go. Especially since every kid is different. So don't stress yourself about that too much. What you need to think about is how you feel about the Sofia girl.”

Scratching his chin in thought, he took a few seconds to ponder before answering. “I think I do? I'm not sure. She's got that something about her... It's hard to describe, but if I had to put it into words, I'd say she makes me feel at peace.” As he vocalized his previously confused feelings, he realized that those same feelings may be deeper than he previously thought.

“If that's what you think then you shouldn't hesitate to ask her out. The worst that can happen would be a rejection. It's nothing serious.” Chuckling wryly, he said. “You say it as if it's easy.” “Because it is!” She replied. Letting out a sigh, he relented. “Fine, Mom! You're right, as you always are.” The sounds of her laughter resounded in his ears before he heard Micheal propose.

“Why don't you send her a message tonight?” Feeling hesitant, Damian replied. “Wouldn't it be awkward to do that by message?” “I'm not saying you should invite her by message, dumbo. I'm saying you should send her a message to ask if you could meet her at her apartment to discuss something. It doesn't have to be tonight of course. After all, it IS late right now.”

Pondering his words over in his mind for a few seconds, he thought it was feasible. “Alright! I'll send it right now.” After stating his intentions, the two crafted a message before sending it to Sofia. Letting out a breath he did not even notice he was holding, Damian declared. “It's done! Now I can only wait for her response.”

The young man then chatted for a few minutes before he heard the sound of his phone's notification. Feeling his heart beating uncontrollably faster, he awkwardly fumbled with his phone, coming very close to dropping it before he unlocked it and read the short message his neighbor sent him.

While unconsciously smiling happily, he shared the content with his mother and siblings. “It's Sofia! She said she's not sleeping right now, so I can come for a chat.” After his voice stopped, he heard three exclamations full of happiness, with all of them consisting of congratulatory words.

Chuckling at their reactions, he exclaimed gently. “Thanks, guys. Don't get excited too quickly, though. Nothing's happened yet.” “Dude! A single woman has invited you for a 'chat' after 10 in the evening...” Michael stated as if he was talking to an idiot. With an amused smile on his face, Demian replied. “Fair enough.”

Looking around, he noticed that he was only a few hundred feet away from his building. “Alright, guys. I'm almost there, so I'll have to hang up. We'll continue our chat this weekend. Thanks a lot, by the way. You're a bunch of weird people, but I love you anyway.” The sound of his siblings' protest resounded in his ears before his mother replied.

“I love you too, sweetie. And good luck for tonight.” A tender smile appeared on his face at her words. “Thanks, Mom. Bye.” The young man then hung up the call, noticing his music resuming in his ears.

As his feet led him to his apartment's building, he tried his best to calm his mind by taking deep breaths. In and out, in and out. 'I really hope tonight will go well...” He thought with a nervous smile on his face.