by Rinna Ford
“I will.” He kept grinning at me like he knew exactly what I was thinking. I really hoped he didn’t. I blushed and looked down at my watch again.
“I really need to go,” I looked at him with a pained expression. I really didn’t want to leave.
“I’ll send you a text in three hours, so I don’t interrupt your work.” He took a step closer to me, making us only a foot apart, then he leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. He stayed there for a couple of seconds before letting go and moving aside. I got into my jeep with shaky legs and turned on the ignition. He took a few more steps back, waved, then got into his own car.
On the way home, I called Tessa using my bluetooth.
“Hey, roomie!” she yelled through the phone.
“I need help!” I told her.
“Why? What happened?!” I realized that I just sent her into a panic, thinking I was hurt or something. Stupid.
“Sorry!” I cried. “Brogan is taking me out tonight and I’m freaking out!” I was more confident around him, and we’d already kissed, but this would be our first real date. Dates always seem more serious at night. Like the night time could push a new relationship one way or another. I really wanted to have a good date with him.
“Oh! Well, what are you doing on this date?”
“He’s taking me on a ghost tour. He said that he’s been wanting to do one since coming to Savannah.”
“Oooh. That’s fun! Okay, you’ll need to wear jeans and cute, but comfortable shoes. Ghost tours are a lot of walking.” She kept talking, telling me what to wear and how to do my hair and makeup. That wasn’t why I called her, but I listened to her advice. I was planning on dressing somewhat like that anyway. What I needed was a pep talk. I didn’t want him to go running, even if the relationship wasn’t meant to last. But I remembered that he liked me so far, and not just because he thought I was pretty.
“Call me tomorrow,” Tessa demanded.
“You know I will,” I responded. All of a sudden I heard a door slam on Tessa’s side of the phone.
“Are you talking to Alya?” I heard a masculine voice ask. “Let me talk to her!”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you, Jesse!” Tessa yelled. “Get out of my apartment before I make you!” Then I heard what sounded like a struggle, and the door closing again.
“Ugh. What an asshole!” Tessa exclaimed. “When he isn’t moping over you he’s drinking until he blacks out and screwing everything in a skirt. I don’t think Joe will be able to stand him for much longer.” Joe was Jesse’s roommate, and Tessa’s current crush. I stayed quiet. “Joe just drug him out of here. He burst into our apartment without knocking first! How did he know I was talking to you?”
“I don’t know sweetie, but thank you for sticking up for me with him.” I realized my voice got quiet as I spoke. I couldn’t believe he still did this to me, made me feel these emotions. It still hurt because it was still so fresh.
“Of course! Do me a favor and don’t think about him anymore. Have fun with your giant hunk of a man and forget all about that other guy.” I laughed.
“I need to go. I just got home and I now have 2 hours and 43 minutes to turn in a 10 page paper. I’m nowhere near finished either.”
“Sucks to be you right now. I mean, just for the next 2 and a half hours. I’d kill to be you after that!”
“Love you, friend!”
“Love you too!”
I hung up on the bluetooth, turned off the jeep and went inside the house to finish my paper. Why was I taking this class again?
I hit SEND and emailed my paper to my professor. I stood up and stretched making my back pop. I hated sitting still for that long, especially inside. I bent over to touch my toes, still stretching when I got a text message. I stood up and smiled. Brogan. I walked over to my purse and got my phone out of the side pocket.
Brogan: Hello, is this Alya?
Me: Yes it is.
Brogan: You put ‘Dream Girl’ as your contact name. How do you know that you’re my dream girl?
I smiled and blushed, and thankful he wasn’t here to see it. I really was getting bold with him. I couldn’t believe I had done that.
Me: I took a guess.
Brogan: Well Dream Girl, I got us tickets for a 10:00 P.M. ghost tour. Is that okay? It’s not too late?
Me: 10:00 is perfect.
Brogan: Would you like to have dinner first?
Me: Yes! Sounds great!
Brogan: Okay, I’ll pick you up at 7:30. Please send me your address.
I sent it to him and sighed in delight.
Me: I’ll see you at 7:30!
Brogan: See you soon, Dream Girl.
Mom was working at the shop that afternoon so she wouldn’t get home before I left for my date. I sent her a text, telling her that I was going out with an old friend from college who was visiting Savannah on vacation for a few weeks. I didn’t tell her that I was going out with a guy that I had just met. She was very skeptical when I started dating Jesse- and with good reason- but she’s always been leery of me dating. I didn’t go on my first date until I was in college and away from home. She was a great mom, I couldn’t have asked for better, but she was a little smothering from time to time. She texted back that she loved me and to be careful. Such a mom.
It was 4:45 so I had almost 3 hours until my date. I decided that I had time to pull weeds in the flower garden before I had to get ready. I grabbed some gardening gloves and walked to a flower bed in the front yard. I loved being outdoors. I wasn’t lying to Brogan when I told him that I always felt more at peace near nature. It didn’t matter if I was camping in the woods, laying on the beach, or just working in the yard. If it was anything to do with nature, I was a fan. Tessa didn’t understand how a girly girl like me could be so outdoorsy and honestly, I didn’t either. But my mom always told me that it was a part of me. Nature. I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t question it either. I couldn’t when it always made me feel like this.
I took my time, enjoying the breeze and the feel of the sun on my face. I had a hard time living in Atlanta with all of its tall buildings and concrete, but my ultimate plan was to run my own architectural landscape firm. I wanted to bring back nature to cities, so I needed to be in a big city. It was the only way my dream would work.
I finished pulling all of the weeds and put them in the green waste bin. While I put the gardening gloves away I decided that I still had time to take a bath. I hadn’t had a bath in years. It seemed like I never had time between working, classes, and the ex-boyfriend. I really missed them. Baths, not the ex.
I found some bath salts under the sink and filled up the tub with water. As I laid there relaxing, I thought about Brogan and guessed what his life was like away from Savannah. He told me about his family, but not really about his life. I wondered about his friends, his home, and his job. Before I knew it, the water grew cold, making me get out to get ready for the evening. I really needed to make more time for baths.
There was a knock on the door just as I grabbed my army green jacket from the hall closet. I looked at my watch. Exactly 7:30. Without hesitation, I opened the door and took his appearance all in. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t overdressed or underdressed, but also I just wanted to check him out. Man, he was hot.
He was wearing dark jeans, with a black t shirt, and a pair of Chucks. It was the most dressed down I had seen him, but it made me feel less self-conscious. I let out a laugh making him scowl.
“We match,” I told him. I was also wearing jeans, a black tank top, and a pair of Chucks. The only difference was my jacket. He gently smiled as he took in my outfit.
“Are you ready to go?”
I nodded and he took my hand after I locked the front door. He walked me to his car and helped me inside. As he got in, all I could think about how much trouble I was in and how I didn’t want the month to end.
Chapter Eight
“Is pizza okay?” Brogan asked. He pulled his car onto the main road and
headed toward downtown.
“Of course! Who doesn’t like pizza? I feel like I was raised on it.”
He looked a little embarrassed. “I’ve honestly never had pizza until a few weeks ago.”
I looked at him in complete shock. “Are you from another planet?” I joked.
He laughed. “Something like that. Things are very different where I am from.”
“And in all your travels with the military, you never had pizza?” I just couldn’t drop it. How can someone NOT have had pizza? It was one of my major food groups.
“Believe me when I say, I don’t know how I survived without it,” he chuckled.
“So where are you from?” I asked him. He thought a few seconds about how to answer before he spoke.
“I live in a small place called Morrell. It’s pretty isolated, not a lot of influence from the outside world. When I get home though, I’m going to make pizza for myself.” I smiled over at him.
“Maybe I can teach you how to make it so you know how when you leave.”
“Are you trying to get another date before this one has really even started?”
“Maybe.” I grinned. “But honestly, I just don’t think I’ll be able to live with myself knowing you don’t have pizza in your life. So really, it’s for my peace of mind and not just because I want to see you again.” He laughed out loud.
“Well, I definitely want you to be able to sleep at night, so I’ll let you teach me.”
We pulled into a pizza joint on a busy street downtown, one that I had never heard of. After he put the car in park, he turned to me with a serious face.
“You make me smile and laugh more than I ever have in my entire life,” he spoke in a low voice with a slight smile playing on his lips. “I’m so glad I met you.”
“Me too,” I responded. I started to get choked up because it wasn’t fair.
I was flirting when I put my contact as Dream Girl in his phone, but he was really my dream guy. I couldn’t imagine me wanting anyone as much as I wanted him. But, our time would have to come to an end in less than a month. I would just have to make the best of it and enjoy it while it lasted.
“Let’s go eat,” I smiled a watery smile. “I’m starving.” He let out a loud laugh, kissed me on the forehead, and got out of the car.
The pizza was amazing. Some people can really screw it up, and don’t even get me started on large pizza chains. But this restaurant had pizza so good I considered it an art form. An art form that you could eat, of course. Which in my opinion, is the best kind.
I moaned as I took a bite of my third slice of pure heaven. Brogan looked at me, his mouth hanging open in shock.
“I’ve never seen a woman enjoy her food as much as you do right now,” he told me.
I swallowed the bite I was chewing on and took a sip of water.
“I told you that I love pizza.”
“Yes you did, but I didn’t completely believe you.”
“Now you do.”
“Yes, now I do. And I have to say, you’re really gorgeous when you do something you enjoy.” I blushed and took another sip of water.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” I whispered. He just smiled over at me.
“Can I get you anything else?” The waitress asked Brogan, completely ignoring me. She was wearing tiny little shorts under her restaurant uniform shirt, which was tied tight at her back. She had been over to our table at least a half dozen times to see if he needed anything, always pretending that I wasn’t there. He never really looked at her or encouraged her in any way, but she still kept coming back.
He started to say something to her when I interrupted him. “I’ll take some more water, please,” I told her with a sweet grin on my face. She finally turned her head to acknowledge me. She gave me a tight smile and snatched the cup from in front of me. What a bitch.
Brogan began to quietly laugh.
“I bet that happens to you a lot doesn’t it?” I asked.
“Pizza girls hitting on me?” I nodded, a small smile playing on my lips. “Not as often as you think. People, even sleazy women usually give me a wide berth. I told you I don’t usually smile a lot.”
“Well I’m glad you smile around me. I like your smile.”
The waitress put my glass of water down on the table with so much force that it splashed onto what was left of the pizza. That was just rude. I looked over at Brogan, then to the inconsiderate waitress.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” she told Brogan, not to me, even though it was my water she spilled. “Let me clean that up, and I’ll get you another pizza. On the house.”
He glared at her and I understood what he meant about people staying away from him. It was scary. “No need,” he told her. His expression was even more harsh than when I hit him with my jeep. “I’ll just talk to your manager, please.” I was surprised he didn’t hit her with the way he was looking at her. I was ready to hit her myself.
She blanched, but scurried off to the kitchen as fast as her legs would carry her. The manager came over to the table a minute later.
“Sir, madam, I apologize for the spill and we would like to offer you a new pizza, on the house.” He smiled, hoping that we would be appeased.
“That is not necessary,” Brogan said. His accent got thicker the more he spoke. “But I’d like to ask you why your server thought it was appropriate to continually flirt with me in front of my date. I did nothing to encourage her. Is that how you like to run your business? Because no matter how much my girlfriend and I love the food, we will not be coming back if it keeps happening.”
The manager’s jaw began working up and down like he didn’t know what to say. Then suddenly, he said, “I’m sorry sir. I’ll see that it doesn’t happen again. Tonight’s meal is on the house.” Then he stormed back to the kitchen.
I sat there gasping because in that whole speech, all I heard was the word “girlfriend.” He couldn’t have actually meant that. We barely knew each other, and he knew the relationship would be short-lived.
Brogan put enough cash down on the table to cover the pizza (even though we were told it was free), grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the booth. We walked out the door and to his car. He didn’t mention the “g” word again, so I didn’t either.
We got to where we were supposed to meet up with the ghost tour group with just a few minutes to spare. I loved old ghost stories and learning the history of places. Brogan seemed to be enraptured by our tour guide and the stories he was telling as much as I was. We walked around old Savannah, holding hands and listening to stories, looking for anything supernatural to happen. I didn’t necessarily believe in it, but it was fun to pretend that I did.
The hour-long tour was over too quickly, and we were led back to the original meeting place. Brogan gave a generous tip to the guide and led me away toward the car.
“Would you like to get a drink with me? It seems that I don’t want to say goodnight yet.”
“That would be great,” I told him. “But you should know that I’m not 21 yet. Not until the end of June.” He looked at me a little confused. Then suddenly it occurred to him that I wasn’t legally old enough to drink alcohol yet. “That’s not a problem is it?” I asked. “Me, being only 20 years old.”
“No, not at all,” he assured me. “I just assumed you were older. You act older.”
“How old are you?” I questioned him.
“Older than 21.” He smiled, not giving anything away. He seemed to be even better at vague answers than I was.
From his looks I would have guessed he was around 25, but his non-answer made me guess older than that.
“If I guess your age, what will you give me?” I flirted.
He seemed to consider my question and the possibility of me getting it right.
“Anything you want,” he said completely serious.
Whatever I wanted. That would be him for all of eternity, but I didn’t dare say that out loud. He’d likely go running for the hills.
We walked into a bar and then outside to the patio. Brogan pulled out a chair for me to sit in, then asked for my order. He went to the bar and told the bartender what we wanted, constantly glancing over at me. When his back was turned, talking to the bartender again, a man approached my table. He had obviously had a few too many already because his eyes were a little glassy and he was having trouble walking.
“Hey pretty lady,” he slurred. He sat down in the chair next to me, almost missing it all together. “How bout we go somewhere ‘n get to know one ‘nother.”
Before I could say anything, Brogan was standing over the guy, with the angriest look I’ve ever seen. He set the drinks down on the table, and picked up the drunk by his shirt. He whispered something in the guy’s ear that I couldn’t quite hear, but as soon as Brogan put him on his feet he took off running away from us, tripping over everything in his path.
Brogan sat down and reached for my hand across the table.
“Well, that was weird,” I said quietly to myself. He continued to hold my hand as he stared at the table. “Are you okay?” His eyes shot up to my face, then back down to the table again.
“I am fine.” He responded and took a sip of his beer. His accent had become even thicker than before.
Okay.
We sat like that for a few minutes without talking. He was brooding, and that was not how I wanted to end the night. Tired of it, I got up and walked around the table. I pushed the table back so I had room to sit in his lap. He looked stunned when I put my arms around his neck.