by Lila Felix
“So you were checking me out.” This time I earned a full blown laugh and a slap to the bicep.
“Oh my God, yes Falcon, I was checking you out. Did you see the drool running down my chin? I mean, I literally had to restrain myself from tearing all of my clothes off and taking you right there in the inventory room.” She doubled over in laughter, now holding onto my arm for balance.
“Ok, I see how it is. Go on, make fun.” But I couldn’t help but laugh with her, it was contagious.
She finally got ahold of herself and yawned once. I didn’t know if Mom or Maddox had worked her too hard or if she still wasn’t sleeping well. Either way, it was time to get her out of here. I went to tell my mom goodbye and she followed me back into the kitchen where she hugged the life out of Reed and they whispered back and forth into each other’s ears. I didn’t know why I had been so worried. My mom loved everyone. Whatever she was saying to Reed had her nodding back in response. I folded my arms while resting on the back door, waiting for them to finish their pow-wow. They hugged once more and then she smiled as she headed my way. I nodded at my mom and she nodded back, indicative of conversations to come.
We walked back to the truck and I opened the passenger side for her to get in. I got into the other side and started towards Theo’s where we left her car, but I wasn’t ready to bring her back yet.
“So, your Mom said you live in a rinky dink apartment.” She laughed at my mom’s use of words.
“What else did she say?” I could only imagine. Good thing she wasn’t alone with my dad.
“She said you work tons, have a heart of gold, and she said she could tell by the way you look at me that you had it bad.”
“I’ve never known my mom to lie.” I shrugged and kept on driving.
I pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and my heart sunk into my stomach at the thought of not being around her.
“Your number is in my phone, right?” She looked like she wasn’t any happier than I was about parting ways.
“Yeah, did you make any tips? I’m sure Mom had you bussing tables.”
“I did. Thank you for that. So, it’s ok if I text you?” Was she serious? Could she text me? She could call me every hour on the hour and I would be elated.
“Yeah, you can text or call or whatever, it’s not going to cost anything.”
“Ok, I will talk to you later then?”
“Yeah, I’m just going to go home and study.”
She opened the door and got out and I swore I heard my bench seat protest her absence. I patted it in consolation. I felt its pain. I made sure she got into her car and pulled out onto the street before I left. I got home sometime later after picking up a large coffee from a drive-thru. I missed three classes today. I planned to go, even though we were at the hospital most of the night, but after finding out that Reed wasn’t working, I decided to take the day off. It was so worth it. I was in my third year and hadn’t missed a day yet. I hoped Dr. Glusman didn’t say anything world changing while I was gone.
I unlocked the door to my apartment and though my mom and Nellie had criticized my living quarters for years, I didn’t pay any attention until tonight. What if Reed came here? I didn’t want her to feel weird in my lame ass bachelor pad. Ok, Nellie and I were going to have to go shopping for a lot more than skates.
I emailed a fellow classmate to ask for Dr. Glusman’s notes from the day and within thirty minutes I had made up for missing class. I studied them and thankfully the girl I emailed had taken good notes. I finished off the studying and the coffee and by the time I was done it was already nine o’clock. I was exhausted from the night before so I decided to shower and head to bed early. After getting out of the shower, I plugged in my phone and noticed I had a missed text message.
R: R u awake?
Me: I’m not that old. Yes, still up.
R: Ha. Ha. Just wanted to say thanks again. I had the best day with you.
Me: U r welcome. Tomorrow night?
R: What you have in mind?
Me: U, dress, me, suit, us, dinner.
R: Ok, what time?
Me: I will pick you up at seven. Address?
Chapter 12
Reed
What people don’t know won’t hurt them. That’s what they say. Of course it will, don’t be stupid. Because the truth is a fickle wench. She’s gonna come get you when you least expect it. And her bedside manner is atrocious—flat out deplorable.
Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. He opened the door and I just walked right through it like a premium grade moron. Think Reed, think.
Me: I will be at the bookstore working. We can just go from there.
Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it.
F: Ok, that’s fine.
Me: By the way, you’re making good progress.
F: At what?
Me: Getting me to fall for you.
F: NOW it’s the best day ever.
Me: Truth
I needed to find a place to live and soon. It would take me at least two months of paychecks to save up for the deposit and the first month’s rent. I did not want to lie to Falcon for that long. Hell, I didn’t want to lie to him at all. But my pride was keeping my tongue from telling the truth.
And I’m not sure what happened with his mom, but I told her everything at that little white linen cloth covered table in her restaurant as we placed silverware in napkins. I told her about my most memorable foster families, mostly the one I ran out on when I was sixteen because the guy kept making lewd comments about my butt and other things. I told her how my last foster family had sixteen foster kids and as soon as I turned eighteen, they wouldn’t be getting a state check for me anymore, so they threw me out with $187 and a ‘get the hell out of here.’ And before I knew it, I admitted to her that I’d been basically homeless ever since. She asked me about relatives or friends, but I had no relatives and my friend, the only one I had, was in college living her own life.
She swore she’d keep my secrets and I believed her. She looked me dead in the eyes when she spoke to me. That was enough for me. She made me promise that if I ever needed anything I would come to her or Falcon. She even offered for me to live at their house until I got on my feet, but I declined. But in that moment she offered me willingly and freely what most of my foster parents offered me begrudgingly and greedily. I was just another paycheck to them. I could truly say that I loved Sylvia just for that offer. It was from her that I thought Falcon got his nature. And it was that goodness that I was falling for a little bit more every second I thought about him.
I curled up as much as I could in the front seat, parked outside of the same diner where Falcon and I ate today. I pulled out of the parking lot earlier and drove around the block and came right back. It made me feel close to him to be here. Because close to him is where I wanted to be.
The following day I went to the safehouse again instead of trying to sneak into the dorms. This time they had an I.D. ready for me and I didn’t have to sign in as a guest anymore. I got some extra laundry done while I was there since derby practice started next week and we all got new schedules tomorrow. While I folded my derby clothes, I realized how little I had and what I had was torn up—and not good derby torn up either. But it would have to do since most of my next few paychecks were spoken for.
I got to work at ten after eating breakfast, compliments of my tips from last night. I passed by Falcon’s office and I wanted to stomp my foot at his absence. I passed by Nellie’s office and to my surprise she was standing in front of her desk, looking a little green.
“Are you okay, or did you need some puking bonding time with me again?”
She laughed and motioned for me to come in.
“Nah, I just couldn’t stay in that bed one more minute. And Owen was driving me insane doting all over me. I mean, I love him, don’t get me wrong, but if he asked me if I was okay one more time I was going to strangle him.”
“No, I get it.” She walked around the side of her
desk and shuffled some papers.
“Here’s your new schedule. Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays from six to eight, so we work me, you, Huxley and Amber around that.”
“What about dues and uniforms?” Please let it be after next paycheck.
“Um,” she began fidgeting, something I’d never seen Nellie do. She was usually the epitome of confidence. “We’ll talk about that later on.”
I shot her a look that let her know I knew something was up but left her office anyway. I re-shelved three carts full of books and straightened out everything else on the sales floor. I moved to clean and dust the shelves behind the counter when I heard his voice. It was rich and soothing and I loved to hear him talk.
I couldn’t reach the dust in the back of the shelves so I took all of the books out and started fresh. I couldn’t hear what he was talking about anymore. He was in Nellie’s office and they had the door shut. Those two were worse than middle school girls. They almost had their own language. And sometimes they would both just look up at each other and make a face like they were simultaneously thinking the same inappropriate thought.
Satisfied with the appearance of the sales area, I went to the inventory room to see if Huxley needed help. She only had three boxes left to unpack, so I took over for her so she could help Amber ship out orders. After the last box was unpacked, I felt a shift in the air around me. The hairs on my arms stood up.
“You’re violating the dress code,” He said as he crossed his arms and leaned against a bookshelf.
“It’s not seven yet, inspector.” He checked his watch.
“OK, in eight minutes you will be violating the dress code.” Persnickety little bastard.
“No, in six minutes, I’m going to go change and then I will be within the parameters of first date dress code.”
“Ok. I’ll see you then.” He left the room looking a little disappointed.
I put the boxes in the compactor and went towards the bathroom to change. I threw on my dark purple maxi dress, one I had for years and paired it with a short sleeve black sweater. I slipped on my newish flip flops and pulled up the front part of my tangerine hair. I never was much for a lot of make-up so I put on some lip gloss only. I grabbed my bag and walked out and ran directly into Falcon’s chest.
“Sorry, I was just going to tell Nellie…” He trailed off.
“What?” I checked for lint or something on my dress but came up empty.
“You—you look, I mean you’re…” And then a loud voice shrieked from another room.
“Spit it out bird boy!” It was none other than Nellie.
He rolled his eyes but somehow her joking around helped him ground himself. He cleared his throat and started again.
“Reed, you’re breathtaking, truly.” He smiled at me and at the sound of those three words I became a goner. No one in my life had ever spoken such compelling words so sincerely to me.
He took my hand and led me through the back to his truck. He opened the passenger side and as I slid in, he shut the door behind me. He seemed absolutely petrified with nerves and I couldn’t for the life of me comprehend why. His walk around the front of the truck was filled with clenching and unclenching of fists. He got in the driver’s side, started up the truck and let out an extravagant exhale.
“Falcon, look at me.” I didn’t necessarily mean to, but my hand reached his at the moment I spoke. He looked out the windshield for a few moments and then to me.
“It’s just me, okay? Breathe.” I let out a light laugh hoping to calm him a little like Nellie had done earlier. He scrubbed his hands over his face and then smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry, I’m just nervous as all Hell.”
“No, no, no,” I said it all with a smile on my face “You can’t apologize before the date’s even started. You’re not proving anything here, Falcon. I already like you. Let’s just go have fun.”
“Yeah, I can do that.” He picked my hand up and placed the sweetest kiss on my knuckles.
Chapter 13
Falcon
Whoever first dubbed the phrase ‘butterflies in your stomach’ was a dumbass. ‘Cause what I felt was more like little tiny Napoleon Bonapartes shooting assault rifles into my gut. Not cool little weird dictator, not cool.
When I said ‘breathtaking’ I wasn’t exaggerating. There’s something about seeing a person in a new style of clothes that throws you off a little bit. And Reed just threw me into next week.
Nellie and Owen told me that my idea was cheesy. But girls liked cheese, right? And honestly, I thought it would be something quiet to do where we could talk. I drove towards our destination slowly, mostly so I could get ahold of myself, I was a freakin’ wreck. I’ve never been this nervous around a girl. But who was I kidding? This was far from any old girl.
We parked at the theatre, and I expected a negative response after the flack I got from Nellie about taking her here. She put her hand on the handle of the door and I wasn’t going to stand for it.
“Let me,” I got out and walked around to her side and opened the door for her.
“I’ve never been here before. What are they showing?”
“It’s some kind of Barrier reef movie, in 3D.” Well didn’t that just prove my nerdhood.
“Oooh, I bet that’s gonna be good. Thank you. This is awesome.”
We went inside and I bought her popcorn and a drink even though she protested. We got our 3D glasses and entered the theatre.
“There’s nobody here.” She looked at me shocked.
“Yeah, um, that’s kinda what I paid for.” I cringed. I wasn’t trying to flaunt my money at her but at the same time I wanted to spend this time alone with her, not in a crowd of people.
“You reserved the whole theatre?” She wasn’t looking at me.
“Yeah, it wasn’t that much. We don’t have to stay if you’re not comfortable. I just…” Shit, now I’d gone and done it—and on the first date. That’s a new record. Alert the Guinness Book.
“It’s perfect Falcon, really. I just didn’t expect it. It’s really great. So go ahead, pick us some seats.”
I led her to seats in the exact middle of the theatre. I looked at my watch at the exact time the lights were dimmed and the show began. She gasped next to me as the movie began. The apples of her cheeks rose as the first of her many smiles took shape. I’d seen this show before, so I paid more attention to the theatrics next to me. They were infinitely more interesting and beautiful than anything the Great Barrier Reef had to offer.
I felt like a pre-pubescent moron as I analyzed and pondered whether or not to hold her hand. I had held her hand before, but it always had a purpose other than me needing to touch her. But sitting here next to her, there was no reason, other than my body itching to make contact with hers. The sensation was unrestrainable.
But she beat me to it. Still facing the screen, her arm moved to lie across my thigh and she grabbed my hand. It didn’t even belong to me anymore. Everything I was and had was hers already. I turned my head to look at her and she was waggling her 3D glasses up and down and smiling like I’d bought her favorite cookies.
The movie ended and I truly hoped she didn’t ask me anything about it because I didn’t have a clue and I’d have to recall something random from the time I’d seen it before. We left the theatre and I brought her to my favorite place to eat. But no one knew that because the moment word got to Mom about me liking another restaurant, well, she’d probably beat me with one of my own appendages.
Reed looked like she was preoccupied. I thought back to my earlier assumption that she had a boyfriend when I saw her leave the dorms. But certainly she wouldn’t go out with me and confirm that she was interested if that was true. I must be wrong. But, of course, I had to test that theory.
“So, the other day I saw you coming out of the dorms. I forgot to tell you.” She blew out a breath that made her cheeks puff out.
“Yeah, I, um, was visiting a friend.” She didn’t say boyfriend.
“You were, huh?” She laughed facing the window.
“Mmmhmmm.” I said and parked in the closest spot I could find.
“Oh, jealousy is so cute on you. But trust me, there’s no one for you to be jealous of,” she started to open her door and then stopped herself.
I walked around the back of the truck and opened her door.
“Your Mom makes the best food I’ve ever tasted and this is where we’re eating. Oooohhh, I’m telling her.”
“Don’t you dare. She’d kill me. But seriously, this place has the best sandwiches you’ve ever had. One of them is stuffed with macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Come on.” I took her hand and we ordered two huge sandwiches and cut them in half and exchanged with each other. She laughed at me when most of mine fell apart and I had to finish it with a fork.
She threw her fork down and pushed the plate away from her.
“I’m done. It was so good though. So, what are you doing with Nellie tomorrow?”
“Oh, we’re going shopping. She needs some new skate stuff and she’s going to help me get some new stuff for my apartment. They say it’s pathetic. And I hate shopping, so she’s basically going to pick everything out and I’m gonna pay.”
“Oh, I need to buy some new skates too. Mine are road kill. Plus I need a new panty if I’m gonna be a jammer since Nellie’s out. “
I choked hearing the word ‘panty’ come out of her mouth. I nearly aspirated macaroni and cheese and had to stand up to stop coughing. I had been around Nellie long enough to know that a ‘panty’ was the thing that jammers wore on their helmets with a star on it. But it didn’t change the facts. The girl just said panty. Maybe I wasn’t 40 on the inside after all.
“Wait, Nellie won’t be skating. Why does she need more skates?” Oh crap. The girl was quick.
“Skate stuff. She wants a bunch of derby t shirts to wear over her belly. She told Owen if she can’t skate, she’s going to have every derby shirt ever made.”