The List (Giving it a Shot)
The premise of the story is your standard romantic comedy, guy likes girl, and does everything he can to win her over. To give some background on the characters, the guy (for the sake of story telling we will call him Will) has been friends with her for many year, but he has always cared for her, but the girl (we'll call her Erica) never gave him a shot. He has tried before, but in those times she was either already in a relationship, or something similar to that situation. They basically grew up together, being very close most of the time, and like the stereotypical situation it is, they have always joked about getting together, or had plans for one another in the future, but never actually gave it a shot. Around 3 years before the bulk of the story starts, to shows Will asking Erica what was wrong with all the other men she's dated, with which she listed reasons for each one, but when the idea leaped into his head, he inquired on why they had never dated. The reason, because "You don't have your shit together."
Both have now graduated and received their degrees and are preparing to begin moving on with their lives. Erica finds out she received her dream job that would pull her across the province. With this sudden realisation that Will would be potentially losing Erica for good, he makes a proposition. Since this will be their last summer together before she moves away, and with him finishing his degree and looking to finally grow up, that they should try it out. As he knows that his life isn't ideal at the moment, with him still living at home to save up, and currently being between jobs, he sees the potential for improvement, but knows that he is getting his shit together. So he brings up the idea of her putting together a list of objectives to achieve this summer, and if he can, they will actually give it a real shot, even if it would only be for the summer.
To his surprise, Erica gladly accepts a few days later, asking for a few days to put one together. Though for Will this should be great, talking with his friends, they don't show much hope for this list turning out to be reasonable, but they all agreed even if some of the demands were too much, completing anything on the list would only aide him in improving his current circumstances.
Finally, after a few days, Erica gives him the small portion of the list. Get any job, Have a healthier diet, Quit his bad habit of drinking so much coffee, Get his car license, Come of a biking trip with her. Leaving herself time to add more things to the list over the summer. Will thinking this list isn't something he hasn't had completed in the time that he knew her, thinks this is a weak list to begin with. He was expected more along the lines of: Get a job in his field of study, Get a car, Move out of his parents and things on those levels, but with what he was given, he starts immediately.
The next part is mostly him doing his best to fulfill these objectives as they come in. After a few completed objectives, Erica asks Will if he can drive her down on his bike to the city of her new job, so he can help her pick a new place. The day goes great, and it's probably the first big climax of the story, as he really sees them having a shot at it, only for that night to be talking to their mutual friend whom is quite drunk to find out that Erica only agreed to the list out of persuasion so that the result would help improve Will's state. Upon finding this out Will gets extremely frustrated, planning on completing the list but to disregard them actually trying it out, as she obviously wasn't to keen on them giving it a shot.
Continuing on completing the list, they spent a lot of time together, going on the biking trip, to the beach, all easy things. Will inquires on how many more she plans on adding to the list on them returning from the beach, for her to respond that she will only add one more, but would hold out on it until the rest were complete.
Time passes, and to celebrate that all but the single task that she held out on were complete, she recommends they go out to dinner to celebrate. During dinner Will is frustrated on the concept that he entered this situation under false pretenses. After dinner Erica tells Will his last objective has been folded under the wine for most of the dinner, and that he can't look at it until next time they meet up. Will takes it reluctantly, knowing that even after he completes, it was still under false pretenses. The week passes showing him eagerly wanting to know what is the last thing he has to complete, but the time comes and she asks for him to meet him at the pub near his house.
Will decides to leave early to plan out how he will tell her that he doesn't think they should go through it, going through possible situation after possible situation in his head. Heading there early he sees her at a distance talking to her ex boyfriend (I guess he'd be introduced earlier in the story to better solidify the point) who then embraces her and kisses her. It lasts long enough for Will to turn around and crumples the last objective and throw it away. It then shows her pushing him off and slapping him, telling him that she has moved on, and is currently waiting on said person to come and see her. The ex gets pissed and drives off. It shows her waiting around for over half an hour waiting for Will, only to leave disappointed.
The next morning shows Will on the couch with empty coffee mugs and fast food around the couch. Every time it shows Erica calling him, he just ignores it. The day passes, and after many calls ignored their mutal friend comes pounding at his door. Will opens the door, for her to push him aside and begin yelling at him. Telling him he is an idiot, and why would he flake on their big night. Will actually very unconserned with the situation, fluffs it off telling her that he knows all about how it was all bull shit, since she told him when she was drunk. The mutual friend surprised by this fact says that he is an idiot. That Erica had enjoyed their summer together so much that she wanted to really give it a shot, and Erica was falling in love with him. Will then brings up the counter point that it was wrong since he saw her back together with her ex, only to find out the contrary. Will regretting the decision he made, runs out of the house to the garbage in which he through out the note. Not being able to find it initially, he dumps the garbage all over the sidewalk and sifts through it. Their friend drives up just as he finds the note, and Will tells her he found the last one. She questions this, and he tells her it was his last objective. It begins to rain and their friend offers to drive him to her house.
During the drive Will opens the folded paper, Tell me you love me. After reading this, his heart sinks, exclaiming how much of a moron he is. They get to Erica's house, only to be told her wasn't there. Not knowing where she could be, their mutual friend offers Will to drive him back to his house, Will insists that he should walk home, even though it was raining, because he needed the time to think. He walks to the bus stop as the rain really picks up. As the bus arrives, just before he is about to step on, he notices Erica stepping out of some random guy's car. Will back ups and rushes over to Erica.
"Erica, I'm sorry! I'm an idiot for blowing my shot, and realistically I don't deserve another, but I want you to know that this guy may have his own car, his own place, is probably loaded, and has a much better jaw line than mine, but do you know what he doesn't have. He doesn't have my heart! Wait that makes no sense, obviously he wouldn't have my heart, I've never met him before. But he hasn't been through what we have been through together! We got through the highs and lows of University together. When no one would make a big deal about something in your life, I always try my best to make the littlest things amazing! He hasn't been by your side for the past 8 years, and doesn't want to stay there as long as I plan on being there! I want to see you on your bad days, just as much as your good. I would wake up every morning with my main goal to be able to bring a smile to your face. I don't care if you don't have the best table manners, or every time you lay beside me you drown me with your hair, or that my parents don't really even like you. I don't even care if you went into this dumb idea of mind with no plan on ever really giving us a real shot! Erica I love you, and I'm sure this schmuk can't say the same and mean it as much as I do!"
"Umm, Will this is my co-worker Sam, he was just giving me a ride home, and is happily married, to Jeff."
"Oh Jeff, right, I remember Jeff... Sorry Sam."
More talk is exchanged between the two of them, and the stereotypical ending kiss happens.
The last part of the story is showing Erica in her new place talking on the phone with Will, only for her to hear a knock at the door, she tells him to hold on while she checks who it is, only to open the door to him being there. She embraces him, they kiss, and... credits.
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