Wild Cards

Chapter 2: Spent Time

After a long week of classes and a couple of shifts at a local restaurant, the weekend finally rolls around, granting me a break from the madness of Gotham City.  Trash on every corner, glares from customers, and snarky coworkers can take its toll on a person. Not to mention constantly looking over my shoulder from the few times I felt like I was being followed, probably due to misguided anxiety caused by creepy characters lurking about. Thankfully, Saturday has arrived to let me relax and unwind for a little while.

Around 6:00pm, I hear a gentle knock on my door.  I have a hunch who it could be, but I'm careful not to get my hopes up.

I tuck a strand of my long, dark brown hair behind my ear and smooth over my black jeans and red, short-sleeved shirt.

When I open the door, I'm met with those startling green eyes again and butterflies begin fluttering in my stomach.  Arthur is wearing his tan jacket again, but with a red button-up sweater underneath.  A slow smile spreads across his beautiful face.

"Hi," he begins shyly.

"Hi," I beam back at him.

"Are... are you busy right now?" he asks nervously.

"No, I'm not actually," I grin.

"Oh, well then, um... would you like to go get something to eat with me?"

I respond without a second thought.  "Sure.  I'd love to.  I just need to grab my jacket.  Do you want to come in for a second?"

"Sure," he says, stepping inside as I hold the door open for him.

I quickly go and grab my black denim jacket from the hall closet and return to find him standing politely in my living room.  It's a heartwarming sight to see Arthur looking curiously around at my sparse, dimly lit apartment with boxes littered in the few crevices of the room.

His eyes belatedly snap back to mine when I take a determined step towards him.

"Okay, I'm ready," I tell him. "Let's go."

As we start to descend in the creaky elevator, I glance curiously up at him.

"So, where are we going exactly?"

"Oh, um, there's a diner that I like to go to that's not too far from here," he answers, looking down at me.  I notice that his frame, although frail and skinny, is much taller than mine.  "If... if you're okay with that," he adds meekly.

"Yeah, that sounds perfect," I say.

He lets out a faint sigh of relief. "It's really quiet and usually not crowded."

"That's good. I don't really like loud and packed places anyway."

"Me neither," he agrees.  "Well, except for this one place I like."

"What place?" I inquire, wanting to learn more about this shy man that I've recently become so enamored with.

"It's called Pogo's.  It's a comedy club."

"Oh, well, that's an exception to the rule then.  I love comedy clubs, too," I inform him as we both step out of the elevator.

"You do?" he questions in sudden disbelief.  His happy face brings joyous light to the metaphorical darkness as we make our way through the dank lobby.

"Yeah, I mean, who doesn't want to have a good laugh and forget about the troubling world we live in for a minute?" I answer honestly.

"Yeah, exactly," Arthur replies with a broad smile, his entrancing eyes sparkling under the glow of the fluorescents above.