“You out, Valentine?” my friend from college, Stephen, cries out to me as I reach for the door.
“Not out, no. Just leaving here.” I curl my fingers around the handle, ready to make my escape.
“You aren’t out? But you have those stress lines in your forehead. That always means a wild night.”
“I know, I know.” I shake my head and smile. “But today is different.”
“Oh yeah? Why is that? I don’t think I have ever known you have a night in. Are you in love?”
This time my laugh is forced. Of course I’m not in love, that’s ridiculous, but this still isn’t like me. If I tell Stephen that I’m going to meet a woman, he will jump to all kinds of conclusions. I don’t need that. I don’t want him to put me off the night that I have slowly been planning in the back of my mind all day long.
“Right, well I have to go.” I swing the door open and put a foot through it. “See ya soon, okay?”
I break free and head out into the parking lot where I find my car in a prime parking position. As I hit the button to unlock it a smile spreads across my face. Tia’s sweetheart face, her curvy body, that aura about her is drawing nearer by the second and I can’t wait. I wonder what she will be up to, what her day has been like. I wonder what she’ll look like when she sees me. I bet she’s going to be utterly thrilled.
The car roars to life and takes me away from work. My shoulders lean back, my demeanor becomes more relaxed, all the stress of the day rolls off of me the further I get away. I haven’t ever been one of those people that brings work home with me. Once the day is over, it’s done. Especially when I have a good distraction.
The closer I get to Tia’s house; I turn the music down to focus. The anticipation builds. I lean over the steering wheel and examine the surrounding area. I wasn’t really looking the last time that I was here. I was distracted by the beauty sitting next to me. Now that I’m here though I can tell how different we are. This is the cheaper end of the city, the rougher area, not the sort of place that I would ever live in.
Not that I would judge someone by that. I just managed to get lucky in life. If it wasn’t for… my circumstances, then I would probably be in this kind of situation as well. Probably. Who the hell knows?
I park the car, hoping that it’s going to be safe where it is, and I head towards Tia’s apartment without looking back. She’s more important. I head towards the door where I watched her head inside only a few days before and I bang confidently. I expect it to swing open right away, but it doesn’t, which would have normally put me off but it doesn’t. Probably I am much more confident and in control today. The only reason she wouldn’t be answering the door is because she isn’t in. I know she isn’t twitching the curtains and hiding away from me.
I don’t move, I’m not going to leave right away. I know what I want and I’m going to get it.
“Oh!” The door finally flies apart and I see Tia there. Her shocked eyes speak volumes, but it seems like she’s a little relaxed as well. Maybe like she’s been drinking. She has that blurry, not fully stressed look of someone who has had a night of fun. I’m hoping that I can make this night even better for her. “Shane.”
“Yes, surprised to see me?” I smirk. “Thought I’d drop by and say hello.”
She glances behind her before stepping outside. I can’t help but wonder why she’s acting so sketchy about her home. I should be the one with something to hide. Although I suppose she could have secrets of her own.
“Hi.” She folds her arms across her chest and narrows her eyes at me. “Is that all?”
“No, that isn’t all.” I ignore her resistant body language and brush my hand down her arm. “Of course I want to see you. I have been thinking about you all day long…”
“You… you have?” She crumbles just a tiny bit. She likes me thinking of her.
“Yes, I have. And I was thinking that you might want to invite me inside.”
“No, I can’t do that.” She shoots me down much too quickly.
“Why, do you have someone in there?” I laugh, but I’m a little fearful that might be the case.
“Yes, I do.” Oh shit. “My friend. She’s sleeping in her drunk state off on the couch so we can’t go in.”
“That’s okay.” All of that is okay. As long as it really is a friend in there and not a husband or something. “We don’t need to go inside. We can spend some time together out here. I’m good with that.”