AS THE STORY GOES

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Justin, determined not to get behind in his responsibilities, struggled to focus after his first date with Lourdes. All he could think about was her and their future together. He didn't stop to think if it was realistic or if it made sense. He just knew it was right.

Lourdes: I kno u said u work ur security job fri and sat night, but (i hope this doesn't sound crazy) do u want to do dinner at my parent's house this sunday?

Lourdes: I kno it's soon, but——you know

Justin: Soulmates, right? Yea. Jon, too, right? If we meetin parents they gotta meet the set

Lourdes: It would be no other way

Justin: I'm not even nervous. Ur parents are gonna love me/us. We're good guys

Lourdes: Agreed. Go do work.

Justin: Don't think about me too much. I don't want to distract you

He watched as her bubble popped up then disappeared, then popped up before disappearing two more times before finally reading: ttyl justin lol. Justin had to put his phone in "Do Not Disturb" and refocus his energy to get to his day of data examining.

The rest of his week passed at a snail's pace as Justin tried to do the responsible thing, which was keep to his school/work/home schedule. He and Lourdes spoke every morning to wish each other a good start to each other's day—nothing but positive energy and goodwill. They texted funny memes and gifs to each other throughout the day, then at night they spoke on the phone until Lourdes fell asleep in his ear just a few minutes into each call.

But, on that Saturday night, Lourdes broke the painful monotony and surprised him at his second job as security at the Crowne Plaza on Route 70. The job was painfully boring—too boring to take as seriously as he normally would—but looked great on his resume. He also would be lying if he said the extra $250 a week didn't help move along his little family's goals.

"What are you doing here?" His cheeks hurt from how hard he smiled to see her. She had on those big black boots again with somewhat loose, black pants and a plain white tee with a black leather jacket. Her hair had blonde in it again and he wanted to know how she was doing it, but knew he would sound so dumb to ask.

"Am I coming at a bad time?" She walked up much more casually than the last time she had seen him, though she was just as smiley as he was.

He shook his head before greeting her with a slow hug and a soft kiss. "Hi."

"Hello, sir." Her eyes grinned even more than her lips as she met his gaze and they locked in for a moment.

"It's the deadest night ever. You saved me." He spoke quietly, as if nervous to be overheard.

"Are you so bored that you want to tell me about all the things in the universe?" she hinted towards their last conversation, which had become surprisingly metaphysical—and she loved it. She followed him towards the front desk, taking in his size compared to hers. She was 5'7" and not exactly thin at about 175 pounds, but he made her feel small in size. He didn't know it yet, but he was big like the males in her family—both her father and brother coming in at 6'3", but her father weighing closer to 300 and her brother, at the other end, weighed barely 190. She imagined Justin to be right in the middle, but he seemed to be all muscle, unlike either of the men in her family.

"What kinds of things in the universe do you want to know?" he asked, allowing her to sit in the seat behind the security desk while he sat on a small filling cabinet.

She smiled up at him. Days ago she could barely make eye-contact with him, now she couldn't look away. "The kinds of things your mom taught you," she said while gently spinning from side to side in the worn leather office chair, never looking away.