CUPID STRIKES AGAIN

Part II

(Part I is here)

(For anyone that gave a hoot, the setup™ did not go off this weekend. My girl had something come up at the last minute, leaving me off the hook...for now.)


And now, back to our story:


"Naw." I said. "But I can help you pick out one if you like."

"Ohhhhhh!!!" A's date exclaimed, his right hand formed a fist and rested against his mouth for added punctuation.

"Aww you got jokes!" Glasses was laughing. Good. I hadn't offended him. And even better, i had lightened up what was turning into a forced "sexy" moment.

I reached over the head rest and patted his shoulder.

"I'm just playing!" I said laughing.

"Whatever shun" He brushed me off in mock protestation.

(glasses had new york roots and would pepper his conversation with NY-isms for the remainder of the evening)

We arrived at fridays after spending an interminably long time looking for a parking spot.(if you are relatively familiar with the south street area you know how it is.)

The restaurant was crowded per usual - and our hostess informed us that it'd be a 35 minute wait. A informed us she couldn't wait that long. She needed to eat. Now.

"What about the south street diner?" She asked. "Lets go there instead."

I felt myself getting irritated with her, but i swallowed it. If everyone else was willing to head there, i certainly wasn't going to balk.

At the diner we were seated immediately. As we sat around waiting for our food to arrive, we made the requisite small talk. We began sharing our backgrounds, and seeing as how the other three knew each other for the most part, i was doing most of the sharing. When the guys learned what my major was, their interest was piqued.

"Oh so you're a nerd or something?" A's dude said jokingly between sips of sprite.

I felt my face begin to flush.

"Well..." I chuckled.

A cut across me.

"She's is the biggest geek i know! I'm surprised she doesn't wear a pocket protector! She's like doogie howser."

I looked over at A, surprised. Her words had a mean-spirited, sarcastic undercurrent. She avoided my glance, instead staring at the remaining menu the waitress left with us studied nonchalance. Yep. She meant to be snarky. I looked at my napkin wrapped fork and contemplated stabbing her l.e.i clad thigh with it.

The boys, oblivious to the kind of sideways snark that often exhibits itself among preening females, laughed at her doogie howser comment.

"yo...remember that show? Glasses interjected. "What was his friends name? He was like 45 playing a 16 year old."

We all laughed at his obvious exaggeration, and the rest of the meal passed without incident. I put the fork down. :P

After we finished eating and paying for the food (the boys having picked up both of our checks) We stood outside the diner, wondering what was next. The night was still (relatively) young, and none of us really felt like going home.

"Lets walk over the bridge" A's date suggested. We all agreed.

Somehow between the diner and the bridge we had broken up into twos, A and her date, me and glasses. Natch.

Glasses and I walked for a bit, making idle conversation. I learned he was 22. Pausing at one of the apertures in the safety wall, we peered through the gate, looking at I-95 below. The sound of car engines roared in our ears.

"You have nice hair..." He interrupted the silence. "Is it yours?"

I looked at him, amused. My hair looked like crap, and the humid march air wasn't helping.

"No..." I said apologetically.

"Oh."

"Sike naw." I laughed. "Its mine. What made you ask? Does it look fake?"

"Aww see" he chuckled. "Naw it doesn't look fake, but you never know..."

"Oh" i said. "Well its all mine." And then, so as not to be rude: "thank you." (Sometimes i get so caught up in deflecting a compliment that i forget to say a simple thank you. I suck, basically. :/)

"Yeah...you have pretty eyes too."

"Wow...um thank you."

"...And pretty lips"

"Um..." I say embarrassed by the sudden onslaught of flattery.

I look at him, and his eyes are heavy lidded, weighted down with the burden of a million sexies.

I continued:

"You're just a flurry of compliments aren't you?"

He laughed lightly. My attempt at levity had no effect.

"I like the way you talk...Can i kiss you?" He said, leaning in.

I leaned back, flustered. Glasses was cute, but um no. Besides, I was saving all my kisses for Bryce Wilson.

"Lets find A and _____." I tried, unsuccessfully, to change the subject.

"Why?" "Let me kiss you first."

I backed up again.

"I'd rather you didn't." I said, in my best no- nonsense tone. I smiled sweetly to let him know i wasn't a b-- rhymes with witch.

He grabbed my zipper pull out my hand. Apparently i had been absentmindedly fiddling with it again.

"Don't be shy" He said soothingly. He leaned in once more.

"Dude!"

Yes i said dude. I've been saying dude for awhile, its not just one of those hipster-isms i've appropriated.(though lord knows there's been a few :/)

He looked taken aback by the vehemence in my voice. It occurred to me that i didn't really know this...dude. I mean i assumed he was good peoples because he was friends with my friend, but really. Who was he anyway? My notoriously vivid imagination concocted all kinds of terrible dramatic life changing scenarios.

Unbidden, the words of a three dog night song echoed in my head:

"mama told me not to come..."

Suddenly, underneath the glow of the sodium vapor lamp i saw the faces of A and her beau.

"Hey!" I said, a bit too cheerily. "Where did you guys go?"

"We walked down that way." A said, pointing. At this point i noticed her face; her brow was furrowed and she looked a little more than irritated.

"I'm ready to go home." She added. "I had a long day."

"Yeah me too." A's date said, yawning for emphasis. He began walking in the direction of the car.

There was definitely a weird vibe between them.

I looked over at glasses. He had been staring at me, but when i turned around he quickly averted his glance.

"Yeah i gotta get up early tomorrow, anyway." He, too, had started walking, avoiding eye contact with me. His long strides caught him up to his friend.

I guess the night was over then. We had all turned into farmers. © Elaine

A and I were a few footsteps back. I wrapped my arm around hers.

"Whats wrong?" I said quietly.

She gave me this stank look.

"Why would you flirt with him?"

"Huh?" "Flirt with whom?"

"Forget it."

She pulled her arm loose from mine. We walked the rest of the way to the car in silence.

The car ride home was an awkward one. All was quiet save for biggie's life after death booming from the infinitys (A's date had earlier informed us of the stereo enhancements he had made)To this day hearing sky's the limit reminds me of that early spring evening.

We got to A's house after what seemed like the longest car ride ever. He pulled up and parked. A got out the car without a bye or leave. I had no idea what her problem was, but i couldn't be rude.

I thanked glasses and a's dude for an "enjoyable" evening.

A's dude said you're welcome, while glasses grunted some kind of response.

Ok. Whatever.

I opened the car door, and begin making my way up her walk. The front door was ajar.

"Hold up a sec!" A's dude ran up to me. I was about halfway up the walk.

I paused.

"This is for you" he said, in a whisper. He handed me a crumpled up piece of paper.

Before i could say anything more, he began jogging down the walk.

I stuffed the paper in my back pocket, entered the house, and closed the door behind me. A was in the bathroom, preparing to take a shower.

I sat on her bed, suddenly just as tired as everyone else had claimed to be. I remembered the piece of paper in my back pocket.

Grabbing it, i unfolded it and it read:

"Call me plase?(sic) 215 XXX-XXXX"