NINE: Boyle Heights

by Elizabeth Reyes

  Normally, Nine would drop the inquisition, especially after she’d changed the subject, which could mean she was getting uncomfortable with his questions. He couldn’t even remember the last time he cared enough to ask any girl more than her first name. But this wasn’t his typical situation, and he already knew there was no chance of things going anywhere with this girl. They had time to kill, so fuck it. He’d go on as long as she’d let him, especially because, with every facial expression and every reaction she had to his questions, another inquiry popped into his head. “How long were you and Phoenix together?”

  The name had him smirking. Never in his life had he met someone named Phoenix. Such a white hippie thing. She cleared her throat, glancing away, and Nine could see he’d hit a nerve. “Not very long. We, uh”—she still hadn’t turned to look at him and her knee was shaking a little suddenly—“broke things off before Chelsea was even born. But we’d been friends for a lot longer before . . .” Finally, she turned to face him and smiled. “Before anything happened between us. It’s why we’ve stayed so amicable all these years.”

  As curious as he was about why they’d broken things off, he decided to lay off that subject and give her a break. But her answer had sparked yet another question. “Your daughter. She’s what? Four? Five?”

  “Four and a half.” She smiled bigger, and just like at the hospital, he saw the instant twinkle in her eye at the mere mention of her daughter. “She’ll be one of the youngest in her kindergarten class this year since her birthday is in November just before the cutoff date.”

  “So, it’s been almost five years since the last time you’d been in a relationship?”

  Her brows pinched, and for a moment, Nine thought she might start to protest his line of questioning, but she didn’t. Instead, she seemed to get comfortable against the seat and began to explain. “It’s hard to have a social life when you’re a single mom. I’ll be honest. I didn’t grow up as soon as I had her when it came to the men I kept falling for. But once she was born, she pretty much consumed any down time I ever had.”

  “Yeah, but her dad seems pretty hands-on, and you two share custody, right?”

  “Something like that.”

  Nine wasn’t interested in the details of their custody agreement. All he knew was, like tonight, Drew must’ve had free time. “So, for four years, you didn’t date when he had her on his weekend?”

  “No, I did.” Her brow arched now. “But dating slowly changed for me after I had a daughter. Being a mommy changed everything. Even though I don’t always feel like it, I have to think like a grownup now. I can’t just think about myself anymore. I have to remember whomever I get serious with will be a part of her life too. Now that my standards have risen, I’ve been very cautious. Very selective. As perfect as Brad has seemed so far, I still haven’t introduced him to everyone in my life.”

  Nine peered at her, even more curious. “I take it this Brad guy met all your higher standards if you’re now officially dating?”

  This time she lifted her chin in what Nine took as a sign of defensiveness. He couldn’t help smirking as he waited for her response.

  “So far, yes, he has.”

  “And those standards are . . .?”

  She shook her head, lashes fluttering, somewhat flustered. “Do you always ask this many personal questions of people you hardly know?”

  “Nope. But then I gotta say this is a first for me.”

  Her brow flew up immediately again and . . . did she just roll her eyes? “Sitting in the backseat of a car on the side of the road with a girl at almost one in the morning is a first for you?”

  “Nope, not that part.” He laughed, chewing his gum slowly. “Sitting here just talking, that is. Normally, I’d be too busy doing other . . . things. But then, that’s not an option tonight, is it?”

  “Of course it’s not,” she snapped, straightening up stiffly, and despite it being dark, Nine could see her face flush.

  His own eyes were diverted immediately onto her hand as she brought it to her chest and subtly pulled the neck of her dress together. That only made him smile again. “So then let’s continue talking. Shall we? What would those very cautious requirements for any guy you date be?”

  Drew took in a breath, letting it out a bit too exaggerated, and glanced out the window. “Aside from all the usual stuff I look for in a man—”

  “And that would be?”

  No way was Nine letting her skip that part. He had to hear this. Drew turned back to him finally, looking a little annoyed, but that only amused him further.

  “I’m not a shallow person, but I don’t care what anyone says. There has to be some kind of attraction, and I’m not just talking about the physical kind.”

  “There’s another kind?”

  As entertaining as all her flustered expressions had been so far, the disgusted one she was giving him now rubbed him the wrong way. “Yes, there is—are. All kinds of things can attract you to someone aside from their looks. Like their personality for example. That’s huge. Not only do our personalities need to be compatible, I need to like the guy, before anything else. Our conversations should be entertaining, not annoying. It goes both ways. Just like a pleasant personality can make a less eye-catching person more attractive, an obnoxious personality can turn me off to someone I initially thought attractive.”

  Her tone and the way she was eyeing him, coupled with that last comment, were clear enough. Not that it mattered, but Nine couldn’t help feeling slighted. Clearly, he’d never make the cut if she were ever on the market again, and she couldn’t be more obvious about it if she’d stamped a big fat REJECT on his forehead.

  Only he’d die before letting Taylor-Swift-with-an-attitude know it bothered him in the least. Instead, he smirked. She thought him obnoxious, annoying even. She didn’t know the half of it. He was just getting started. “Ah, I get it. Brad’s not a looker, but he’s got a”—he lifted his fingers in air quotes—“good personality. That’s cool.”

  “No.” She shook her head, and this time there was no question about it. She rolled her eyes outright. “He’s very good-looking actually. I’ll admit when I was younger it was all about looks, but I’ve grown and come to realize there are more important things to look for in a man than just good looks.”

  Just like Drew hadn’t, Nine didn’t bother refraining from rolling his eyes either. “Really? So let’s say Brad wasn’t very good-looking. Say he was some cockeyed fat fuck, would his dazzling personality still have you dropping your panties?”

  To his surprise, she smirked. “Believe it or not, if I liked him well enough, sure, I’d be willing to overlook the cockeyed part.”

  That had Nine laughing and shaking his head. “That’s such bullshit.”

  “I would!” she insisted. “That kind of stuff can’t be helped, and I wouldn’t hold it against him if he was a cool guy who I had fun with.”

  Nine continued to laugh, feeling slightly disappointed. She’d actually begun to make him think twice about dating someone he normally wouldn’t: like an outspoken white girl who claimed to be open-minded about the guys she dated. Turns out she was just like most chicks. Full of it. “But you wouldn’t date a fat fuck?”

  “Look.” She exhaled again. “Like I said, when I was younger, it was all about looks. But my priorities have changed since then. It’s not all about just me anymore. There’s a lot more I think about when I meet a guy than just how hot he’ll be in bed. I have a daughter to think about now. I need stable and reliable, and if he’s a . . . a fat fuck, then odds are he doesn’t care about his health. Your appearance says a lot about you. He doesn’t have to be hot, but I do want someone who takes pride in his appearance.”

  When Nine continued to shake his head in obvious disbelief, she pointed a perfectly groomed blood-red fingernail at him and went on. “It’s like with your car. I read somewhere your car speaks volumes about you, not just the price tag but how you keep it. I used to be a hot mess, and you’d know
it just from taking one look in my car. I had paperwork from school and fast food wrappers all over. I was always in a rush to get to school from work, so my Wendy’s uniform was in the backseat more often than not because I barely had time to change and head straight to school after my shift. These days . . .” She glanced around her car. “Well, I cleaned it up a little for tonight, but it usually screams single mom who’s always in a rush. There’s usually a car booster seat back here and a whole bunch of kids’ stuff to keep Chelsea occupied while I drive. But I have gotten better about the fast food wrappers. Even that says more about how I’ve grown. Now that I have a daughter, I’m more health conscious and try to make better choices about the food I buy for us.”

  “If that’s the case . . .” Nine peered at her before he dropped his next obnoxiously annoying comment. She could say she’s grown all she wanted, but that didn’t change one fact. “It also says you’re a little on the irresponsible side.”

  “What?”

  Nine couldn’t make up his mind now whether her spunky side was off-putting or amusing as hell. At the moment, it was leaning on the amusing again. “When’s the last time you had your car serviced? Seems a little irresponsible to be driving your kid around in an unreliable car.”

  “It is.” She agreed but quickly added, “But in my defense, I’m currently in the market for a new one. It’s why I hadn’t bothered taking it to get serviced lately because I’ll be rid of it soon.”

  Nine glanced around the small sedan. “What’s wrong with this one?”

  “The radiator for starters.” She frowned. “But mostly I’ve outgrown it. Chelsea’s been asking for a puppy. If that happens, it’ll be going back and forth with her from my house to her dad’s. She’s also starting peewee soccer soon and school later this year. I’ve already signed up for carpooling in both cases. I’m gonna need a bigger car.”

  Nine scrunched his face. “You’re getting a soccer-mom minivan?”

  Finally, she indulged him with a sweet smile, but she shook her head. “I thought about it. But I don’t think I’m quite there yet. Maybe if I ever have more kids. I’m thinking more of a crossover.”

  The subject veered into something less stimulating as they spoke cars and Nine gave her his two cents on something he was more familiar with than relationships. After discussing which crossovers he thought would be best for her needs, and more importantly since she was so into reliability, Nine got back to something new he was curious about now.

  “So, we’ve gotten to know each other a little tonight. I already know I’d never make the cut for your grown-up standards, but I’m curious. Just from what little you do know of me, what’s the first impression you’ve gotten?”

  Her expression went a little uneasy for just a moment, but then she straightened up and took a good look at him. “What kind of car do you drive?”

  “I don’t. I drive a motorcycle.”

  She nodded with a knowing smile. “I should’ve known. Risk-taker.”

  “Bikes are no riskier than cars. I don’t know why everyone always just assumes that. It’s all about who’s driving it.”

  “You don’t know why?” She momentarily distracted Nine when she reached down to tug her dress a little.

  He’d been so immersed in their conversation that his dumb ass hadn’t noticed it’d ridden halfway up her milky white thigh. Gulping back the irritation that something so trivial could nearly rattle him, he glanced back up at her. It was just her thigh for fuck’s sake.

  “Watch the news,” she went on. “Listen to the traffic reports. Anytime they report an accident on the road that involves a motorcyclist, it’s almost always a fatality.” Before he could retort, his eyes were on the blood-red fingernail she was pointing at him again. “And you smoke—another known risk.”

  “You drink,” he snapped back this time, suddenly craving a smoke.

  “Not all the time. And I mostly sip. I talk too much and have no secrets if I have too much. But you asked what my first impression was, and I’m just being honest. Truth be told my very first impression of you was you’re the kind of guy I used to always be into.” Nine started to smile at that—a little too big—then she added the next part. “Until I grew up.”

  Stunned for a moment, it took him a second to realize what she’d just said. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “No offense.” She waved both hands in front of her now. “I don’t mean it in a bad way.”

  “How the hell else could you mean that?”

  “I just mean you don’t strike me as anyone ready for a serious relationship. Least of all with a single mom.” She shrugged. “I’m not faulting you for it or anything, and I could still be wrong, right? I’m just answering your question about what my first impression of you was.”

  Nine tilted his head, peering at her, annoyed now that every one of her answers continued to spark a new inquiry. But there was no way he could let this one go now.

  “So you were into guys who weren’t looking for anything serious, or is there more to the type of guys you were always into, before you grew up?”

  Not since he’d asked if doing more than just talking tonight was an option had she appeared as anxious as this question seemed to make her. But like she had so many times already, she recovered quickly enough, and those animated hands were at it again.

  “Look. I already had an impression of you before I even saw you. Your appearance only confirmed it. Ali had told me about Beast’s roommates. Nothing bad.” She once again lifted her hand in front of her. “She just said you two had been surprised by Beast suddenly getting serious with someone. Apparently, it’s not something any of you are used to. Then I saw you tonight, and it was just the first thing I thought. Your reaction alone to my having higher standards now is exactly what I’d expected.”

  Again with her answers leaving him wanting more. Why the hell did he even care? Still, he was incapable of not asking, “What do you mean my reaction?”

  “Before my daughter was born, my only real standards for men were that they be hot-looking and fun to be around. Your only standard is probably just the former and that’s okay—”

  “I have more standards than just that,” he snapped back defensively, which was stupid because she was actually right on the money. “I mean there’s other things I’d look for in a girl if I was considering anything more serious with her.”

  When she lifted an unimpressed brow, he rattled off some of the same shit she’d said and then improvised. That any girl he’d ever consider for something more serious would have to be fun to be around. Not clingy or annoying. “And I don’t do boring or nags.”

  Good enough, though judging by the look she was still giving him, she knew he was full of shit. Not until just now had he even thought about what other standards, aside from hot and willing, he’d ever look for in any girl. But before she could question any more of this, he had one last question about what she’d said last.”

  “You said something about when you saw me tonight it was the first thing you thought. What was the first thing you thought?”

  Of course, the fucking lights of the tow truck pulling up next to the car then in front of it would interrupt them at that very moment. Instantly, she was reaching for her purse, and Nine had no choice but to open the door so they could both get out.

  For the next twenty minutes or so, it was all about getting the car hitched onto the tow truck and talking about where she wanted it towed. Since the car was getting towed to her place, she’d be able to jump in the tow truck and get a ride home that way. But her coverage didn’t cover them driving in the other direction toward Nine’s place. The tow truck driver said the most he could do was get him off the freeway and somewhere where he could call for a ride.

  There was a twenty-four-hour taco place just off the freeway. “This is cool. I can grub while I wait for my Lyft ride.”

  “I’m so sorry about this horrible night and how much longer it had to be for you because of my car issues,
” Drew said, looking genuinely remorseful.

  Nine started out of the truck. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Drew turned to the driver. “Give me a sec.” She turned and got out behind Nine.

  “I usually get home way later when I go out.” He smirked, adding, “If I get home at all.”

  Drew smiled but still seemed troubled. “Listen. Can you take my number down and let me know as soon as you know something about Beast? Ali was really beside herself, and I know she’d like to know as soon as there’s any word on him. He might not wanna risk calling her himself.”

  Trying not to make too much of the fact that she was giving him his number and asking him to call her, Nine nodded, pulling his phone out. She rattled her phone number off, and he punched it into his contact list. “Got it.”

  Sending her a blank text just to make sure he had it right, he asked if it went through. When she confirmed, he glanced up at her. “So what was the first thing you thought when you met me tonight?”

  She seemed surprised that he’d still be asking, but how could he not? He couldn’t just let her leave him hanging. Any playfulness from earlier seemed to wane. They’d had a long night, and it was beginning to show in her tired eyes.

  With a half-smile, she inhaled and exhaled softly. “With your pretty-boy looks, that confidence you ooze, and from what little Ali had told me about you, my first thought was you’re a player out on the prowl. Last thing on your mind, no doubt, would be establishing any kind of relationship with anyone, least of all an exclusive one.”

  Like she had earlier and before Nine could respond to that, she lifted a shoulder, dropping it quickly. “I’m not judging, and I know I might still be way off about you. But I was totally into those types of guys—that carefree fun-and-run lifestyle—once upon a time. Might’ve still been”—she added, arching that brow and smiling—“if I didn’t have a kid yet. It’s not like, at my age, I’d be worried about my ovaries shriveling up just yet. But I do have a kid now and that changes everything. And it’s the only thing that changes it. I have nothing against good-looking players out for a good time, without any strings attached.” She smiled big when Nine chuckled. “I’m sorry if I insulted you earlier or anything. That wasn’t my intention.”