He watches her go and then turns to look at me. My face must be priceless. “What?” He asks.
“Nothing,” I snort. “I need to use the bathroom. I will be right back. You can order for me.”
“Okay,” Jeremy draws out.
I shake my head, trying to hide my smile. This is the first time I have ever seen flirting that direct before. I do not have a lot of experience in this area. As I make my way to the bathroom, I suddenly hear, “Hey!”
I turn to the voice. “Oh, hi!” I squeak.
“Twice in one day and out to eat again,” Eric says, walking over to me. “This is a surprise.”
“Yeah,” I reply, since you have never talked to me before.
Eric looks across the room at Jeremy. “You here with your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I say, “Not technically.”
Looking somewhat surprised, Eric retorts, “Really?”
Oh wait! I am supposed to make this difficult…I think. “Well, we are discussing it.”
“I see.” Eric smiles, “You know, we have never really talked.”
“Yup, I know.”
He looks down at the ground. “That is probably my fault.”
It’s like a wave of confidence comes over me. “Yeah, it kind of is. We have had lockers next to each other for four years, but until now, I have tried to stay out of your way.”
“Why?” Eric asks.
“I don’t know,” I quietly say, looking away.
Shifting his weight, Eric tilts his head. “I do like the hair. It looks great on you.”
“Thanks. So, who are you here with?” I ask.
“My sister and brother-in-law,” he answers, gesturing behind him. “I was just heading to the bathroom.”
With a nervous laugh, I say, “Me too.”
“Well then, let me escort you there.” Eric waves his hand forward.
I start to walk and he follows next to me. “I have never been here before,” I state.
“We come here every other Saturday, sort of a sibling night. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
Trying not to laugh, I say, “No.”
“Growing up sometimes I wished I was an only child. My sister and I didn’t get along until we got older. My poor parents had their hands full.”
“It must be nice that you guys can do stuff like this.”
Eric nods. “Yeah, it is nice. My sister is pregnant, so I will be an uncle soon.”
“Congratulations,” I exclaim. “That’s great!”
“Yeah, I think so.”
We come to the bathrooms, and I turn to Eric. “Well, obviously we need to part ways.”
With a chuckle, he agrees. “That’s probably a good idea. I may get into trouble going into the ladies room.”
“Just a little,” I laugh. “Well, it was nice seeing you.”
“You too,” he replies, nodding.
I enter the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Seeing that no one is in here with me, I jump and down. He talked to me! Eric actually talked to me! I can’t believe this! This is great! Quickly, I go to the bathroom. I can’t help but smile as I wash my hands.
When I open the door to the bathroom, I find Jeremy leaning against the wall. “You would be surprised who I just saw,” he says.
Hushing him, I say, “Shut up.”
“He is already back at his table. Don’t worry,” Jeremy says, bending over. “Eric can’t hear us.”
“I am starting to think that you are evil!”
Jeremy just chuckles. He drapes his arm over my shoulders and pulls me away from the bathroom. “So, did your heart go pitter pat?”
“Oh stop it,” I snap. “I am surprised you wondered where I was. I figured you would have had Vicky on your lap.”
Getting a huge grin on his face, Jeremy says, “I will get her number later.”
“Is it that easy for you?” I ask.
The smile of his gets bigger. “Usually.”
“You are ridiculous,” I state. “I mean, how many girlfriends have you had in the last year?”
“Well,” Jeremy says, looking up. “Do you mean how many girls have I gone on dates with or how many girlfriends have I had?”
I roll my eyes. “Both.”
“I have had two girlfriends and probably have gone out with like…I don’t know, eight girls besides that.”
Shocked, I exclaim, “Jeremy!”
He laughs. “What?”
“And you find this fulfilling?”
We get back to the table and Jeremy slides into his chair. “I didn’t say that.”
“Then why date so many girls?” I inquire, curious.
“Why not?” He retorts, almost sharply.
Fidgeting with my fork, I say, “I guess I don’t have a reason why not.”
“I…” he starts, “Well, I just like having someone around.”
“Then why not have a serious girlfriend?” I ask.
Jeremy stares at me almost blankly. “I haven’t found someone to be serious with.”
“Well, you are a great guy, so I don’t think it would be hard for you to find someone.”
He looks at me and then smiles. “You are sweet.”
“I am just stating the truth,” I reply.
“You are going to be an awesome friend. Oh! We should go over our friend creed!”
With a scoff, I say, “Seriously, a friend creed?”
“Yes,” he replies, placing his hands on the table. “One, we will never lie to each other.”
Nodding my head, I respond, “That seems like a good idea.”
“Two, we are allowed to pick on each other and it’s encouraged, but hell hath no fury if someone else picks on you.”
A smirk crosses my face. “Thanks, that’s appreciated.”
“Three, you must deal with my constant flirtation with girls. It just comes with the territory.”
“Oh geez,” I groan. “Fine.”
With a raised eyebrow, Jeremy asks, “Well, are you going to flirt with me to satisfy my flirting needs?”
“Jeremy, I couldn’t flirt if my life depended on it,” I retort.
Frowning, Jeremy counters, “We will need to work on that.”
“Oh okay,” I sarcastically reply.
“Four, you will learn to drive in my car!”
Now that I can argue about. “No! I will kill someone or total your very pretty car.”
“I swear that you will do fine,” he retorts, obviously ignoring me. “Five, I am going to trust you to be my friend. I haven’t had a real one in a long time.”
“Why?” I ask, probing for some hint of his past.
Immediately, he says, “Six, we don’t talk about my past. Someone’s past is their past and should be left alone.”
“Okay,” I whisper slowly.
Looking with his beautiful, but sad eyes, he says, “Seven, and the most important. I want us to trust each other. I don’t trust people, but I feel as though I can trust you.”
“Deal. Eight, I trust you with my personal life. I hide it, so you need to hide it.”
Jeremy thrusts out his hand. “Deal, that is our creed.”
“Sounds good to me,” I reply, shaking his hand.
“So, tell me what you and Eric talked about.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Ugh, he mentioned he never talked to me before. I told him that was true. He mentioned his sister was pregnant and they come here every other week. It was a really short conversation Jeremy.”
Jeremy taps his chin with his finger. “Well, he talked about his family. That is a good sign. Eric was actually forthcoming with personal info.”
“Can you not say his name, please?” I quietly growl.
Rolling his eyes, Jeremy says, “Fine. ANYWAY, at least he is talking to you. That is a step in the right direction.”
Suddenly, Vicky is beside us. I look up. She smiles at Jeremy. “How is your wine?”
He falters a little bit. “Oh, I haven’t tr
ied it yet.” Picking it up, he takes a sip. “It’s good, thank you.”
“I got you a glass of our better wine,” Vicky whispers. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“It will be our little secret,” Jeremy replies, winking at her.
Vicky’s grin just gets bigger. “Your dinner will be out shortly,” she says. “If you need anything, just ask.”
“I will be sure to do that,” Jeremy retorts very smoothly.
With her eyes bearing down on him, Vicky walks backwards and then turns. Jeremy checks her out. “Jeremy!” I hiss. “Put your eyes back in your head.”
“Why?” He laughs.
“You are so obvious about it.”
Grinning, Jeremy says, “That’s the fun part.”
I take a deep breath. “I can’t flirt. Well, I have never tried to flirt. Actually, I have never even been in a situation that I could have flirted,” I sigh.
“Flirt with me then,” he murmurs, leaning forward. His chocolate brown eyes just stare at me. It makes me nervous. “You look beautiful tonight, you know that right?”
Blushing, I look away. “I wouldn’t say that. I just look better.”
“No,” Jeremy says, “You are beautiful.” He reaches his hand over the table and gently puts my hair behind my ear. His fingers slowly trace their way down my jaw line. My heart nearly jumps out of my chest.
“What are you doing?” I barely whisper.
He smiles. “Making you blush.”
“Well, stop it,” I snap, totally uneasy.
That makes him laugh. “Why?”
“You are making me nervous!”
Jeremy looks at me and sighs. “What are you going to do when a boy really hits on you?”
“I have no idea. Probably, have a heart attack, stutter and fall over,” I groan.
“You have no faith in yourself.”
Raising my eyebrow, I reply, “Would you have faith in yourself, if you were me?”
Before he can reply, Vicky comes up to us with our food. She sets mine down, without saying a word, but she most definitely talks to Jeremy. That irritates me. “Here is your lasagna. I hope you like it.”
“Oh, I love the lasagna here,” Jeremy says softly. I am shocked because he isn’t laying it on so thick. He looks at me. “But I also love what Isabelle is having, so hopefully she will like it, too.”
Vicky looks at me. “I believe that she will. If you guys need anything, let me know.”
“We will, thank you,” I quietly reply.
She still smirks at Jeremy. He casually winks back. Vicky stifles a giggle and walks away.
I stab a piece of tortellini and eat it. Why I suddenly feel irritated I don’t know. That girl just rubs me the wrong way. Giggle, giggle, my name is Vicky. What? I look like a super model, how nice! Girls like her have it so easy. It makes me sick. I stab another piece of tortellini.
“What did the tortellini do to you?” Jeremy asks.
Looking up, I say, “What?”
“You seem to be really angry at your food. Be nice to your meal, it will taste better.”
“Sorry,” I mumble.
Jeremy puts his fork down. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I quickly take another bite of food and stare off into the restaurant.
“Something is wrong. Did I make you mad? I was just teasing. That’s what will happen when I guy hits on you. Nothing I said was a lie if that is what you were thinking.”
Great. “No,” I moan. “I know that. It’s just that….well….I will never have a guy look at me the way you are looking at her. For some girls it is so easy! Look how much effort I have to put into it. It just seems unfair.”
“She could be an utter bitch,” Jeremy replies.
“What?”
Leaning forward, he whispers, “I am an attractive guy. I get that. So, luring girls in is not hard. I have a nice bike and an even better car. That makes it even easier, but when it comes down to it, after a few dates, you have to show your true colors. She may be picture perfect, but you have no idea what she is really like. She could live with fifty cats. I have no idea. Going on dates and getting phone numbers can be scary and tricky.”
“That’s all nice and everything,” I retort, “but at least you have the option of getting phone numbers. This is the first day that I have felt even half way normal. Getting a guy’s phone number is light years away.”
Jeremy reaches over and snags a pen off the table behind him. He takes his napkin and starts to write something down. I just raise my eyebrow. Suddenly, he thrusts the napkin at me. I take it and look down. Jeremy just smiles. “Now, you have a guy’s number.”
“Getting your number doesn’t count,” I sigh, trying to not smirk.
“Do you not find me hot?” He asks, with a huge smile. I just roll my eyes. “Oh come on, you are the one who called me hot first.”
Crossing my arms, I say, “Fine, you are drop dead gorgeous, but you know that already.”
“So, technically, a hot guy gave you his number.”
“That doesn’t count! You are my friend. Totally nullifies the effects.”
With an exasperated look, Jeremy groans, “Particulars, particulars.”
“Eat your lasagna,” I laugh as I take another bite of my food. My eyes just stare down at his number. Why does it make me feel giddy that I have it? That is so stupid Isabelle. You know where he lives! I pause and then giggle to myself.
“What are you giggling about?” Jeremy inquires.
I can’t help but laugh. “I was thinking to myself that I doubt Sonya has ever gotten such a hot guy’s phone number before. Oh wait! OH! You jerk! I totally forgot about the flowers!”
“Oh come on, they were beautiful!”
“Yes they were, but that is beside the point. Talk about being the center of attention! Sonya snagged the card from me before I could even read it.”
Jeremy stops chewing and says, “Was it a problem?”
“No, she didn’t know what a guillotine was though. Then this guy told her she should check it out, which everyone found funny. She ended up looking rather stupid, so in the end it was good. It was just embarrassing to have everyone stare at me.”
Getting a rather wicked smirk, Jeremy retorts, “Well, I did it to get under Sonya’s skin, so my plan worked then. Plus, I thought you would like them. I saw them in your room. Do you keep them there so you can gaze at them and think of me?”
“You are so full of yourself!” I playfully snap. “Geez Jeremy, not every girl wants to swoon at your feet.”
“Darn it, I am losing my touch.”
There is laughter from both of us and we eat dinner. The rest of the conversation is about bands and movies that we like. It is nice to know we have a lot of similarities. At the end of the meal, Vicky brings over the bill. “Did you enjoy your food?”
“Yes, it was VERY good. We will HAVE to come back,” Jeremy replies heavily.
“That’s great to hear. If you need anything else….please feel free to let me know.”
Jeremy just smiles at her. When she walks away, he picks up the bill. A little piece of paper falls out from underneath it. Picking it up, Jeremy shakes his head. “See, getting a number isn’t that hard for me. Finding a girl that I am actually interested in is another thing.”
“So you won’t call her?” I ask.
Shrugging his shoulders, Jeremy responds with, “I probably will. I am just trying to tell you, getting a number doesn’t always pan out the way you think it will.”
“I don’t know if I would want to get a stranger’s number,” I reply. “No matter what, I am shy. It would be easier for me to date someone I have actually met a few times.”
“That isn’t a bad thing,” Jeremy replies. “It’s probably a better idea than what I do.” He puts some cash into the bill folder, and slides the number in his pocket. “Let’s go toots.”
We get out of our chairs. “Thanks for dinner Jeremy. Thank you for everything.”
�
��I am glad that I could do it. Now, I want to take you somewhere, because I would like you to sketch something for me.”
“I will sketch anything you want,” I reply. “I owe you a lot.”
Looking at me, Jeremy emphasizes, “You don’t owe my anything.”
“Well, I will still do anything you want.”
That makes him laugh. “Be careful what you say to people young lady. A guy could take that the wrong way.”
My cheeks light on fire with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know, just watching out for you. Let’s go.” Jeremy gestures me forward. I proceed down the aisle. He comes over and drapes his arm over me. “Put your arm around my waist,” he whispers.
“Why?” I whisper back.
“Just do it.” So, I do. As we walk out, I look to our right. There sits Eric. He smiles and I smile back. Now, I understand why I am touching Jeremy. Not that it is bad to have your arm around a hot guy. I hope it’s this easy to have a guy touch me for real. Jeremy makes it so comfortable and easygoing.
We make our way to the car. Jeremy let’s go of me and opens my door. “Why thank you,” I laugh, as I get in.
“You always open a door for a beautiful lady,” he responds.
“You sure are trying to boost my self-esteem.”
Leaning against the door frame, Jeremy says, “I am trying to get you to see that you are attractive and somebody important.”
“I think it will take a while to get me there,” I say quietly.
Jeremy gives me a small smile. “I promise we will get you there.” With that, he shuts the door.
When he gets in the car, Jeremy looks at me. “So, I want you to draw me something, but I mean, like professionally. I want to be able to frame it, larger than your sketch book and colorful.”
“I said yeah, I will do whatever you want.”
“Okay,” he replies, as he backs up. “I will show you.”
We listen to music as we drive. Finally, we pull up to his apartment. I turn and look at him. “You want me to draw your apartment? Really?”
“No,” Jeremy laughs. “I will show you. Get out.”
Shaking my head, I climb out of the car. Jeremy nudges his head to follow him, so I do. The stairs up to his apartment are old and steep. “These things are like a death trap,” I say.
The Art of Life Page 7