“Uh-huh.”
“So who is it and how did you meet?” Tripp asked folding his hands in front of him. He didn’t care how much of a cross between mom, teacher, and nosy grandma he sounded, Shanny finding someone who interested him enough for teasing was out of the ordinary enough to be unique.
“He’s just this guy I shared a bench with for a little while.”
“Uh-huh, we wouldn’t be having this conversation if that’s all there was,” Bobby said.
“I’m just curious about what was so special about the bench for it to leave such a lasting impression,” Tripp said.
“Ha. Ha.”
“Basically, genius over here forgot to check the bus schedule before sitting down and his new friend wasn’t much better,” Kane said.
“Hey, it’s my story, let me tell it before you butcher all the details,” Shanny grumbled as he tried to smooth his hair back into place after how ruffled it had gotten messing around with Kane.
“Then get on with it for fuck’s sake.”
“Fine. Damn. Maybe Kane had a point about the bus schedules, if I’d looked I’d have caught a clue that I’d be better off walkin’. There was no next bus. Who knew. Clearly Liam didn’t ‘cause he was sitting there tappin’ his foot, checkin; the time on his phone, drummin’ his fingers on the arm of the bench and fidgetin’ so much he was makin’ me nervous. I caught him glancin’ over at me a couple times and waited for the whole fan boying to begin, but it didn’t happen.”
“That’s a plus. I guess. Did he not recognize you?”
“No, that was the best part, he did, but he didn’t want to be rude, since I was readin’, and he didn’t wanna blurt out somethin’stupid and utterly humiliatingas he put it.”
“So basically, you both sat there checking each other out while pretending to ignore one another,” Tripp supplied.
“Pretty much.” Shanny said. “After about forty minutes he huffed and reached into his pocket to pull out his phone for like, the twentieth time, got the spiderweb ring on his finger caught on the edge of his jacket and seams tore. Like, loud. He turned the most adorable shade of pale strawberry when I looked over at him, until I showed him my other hand and the matching ring I was wearing. Told him I’d lost count of how many times that had happened to me.”
Kane snickered and finally stopped fiddling with the cap on his drink and took a sip of the damned thing. “If you know that’s what’s going to happen, why do you keep sticking your hand in your pocket in the first place?”
“’Cause I need what’s in there.”
“Then stick it in the opposite pocket like a normal person!”
“You know what happens every time I try that.”
“Yeah, it lasts about half a day, then you stuff everything back in the pocket you shouldn’t and rip something.”
“Exactly,” Shanny replied.
“Insanity, pure and simple,” Bobby said.
“There is nothing simple about the neurotic shit that goes on in my head.”
“True.
“Anyway…moving along now,” Shanny muttered.
“Hopefully to what happened next,” Tripp insisted, his curiosity beginning to get the best of him.
Groaning, Shanny rolled his eyes at him. “Come on man.”
“Come on nothing,” Bobby said. “How many times have you poked and prodded at us to share? Your turn.”
“Uggg,” Shanny groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“That doesn’t sound like part of the story.”
Shanny flipped them off.