Tabbs

Chapter 12

"Pass the honey mustard?" Tabbs asked Valentina with a cheek full of dollar menu burger.

Valentina swept back her absurdly perfect hair from her face and dropped a couple of honey mustard packets into Tabbs' awaiting palm. The young woman then drizzled a light coating of Italian dressing on her flimsy salad and turned the pathetic greenery over with her spork till it was evenly distributed. She studied it a moment further, scooping up a couple of pieces of particularly slimly looking romaine and dropping them into the takeout bag with a plop. Valentina then speared a couple of pieces and mouthed them with a watery crunch. Her face said everything Tabbs needed to know about its flavor.

Tabbs couldn't help but to redden slightly. She didn't particularly know why. She knew she didn't owe a thing to Valentina. Especially since their one night arrangement had somehow turned into a little over a week of rent free living in her apartment. But, contrary to what Tabbs had considered bible truth about the particularly prissy-looking, pretty girl, Valentina had proved to be a perfect house guest. Her things in the bathroom were always neat and tucked away, the kitchen was spotless, and Valentina was always sure to clear the living room of her bedroll and various pillows during the day so Tabbs never had to worry about tripping over them. Not to mention, the apartment seemed a whole hell of a lot cleaner. So all in all, it was hard to complain.

Since their odd, impromptu roommate-hood began, Tabbs had taken it upon herself to make sure their manager's and Valentina's schedules never overlapped. One day Valentina took advantage of knowing her apartment was safe for a time when she knew Keith was working and snuck back into her apartment to steal away a few more things of value. One of which was a large, fancy-looking electric keyboard and a chest nearly full of hardback books. The keyboard in particular peaked Tabbs' interest. Recalling Valentina's singing from the backroom, it was clear the other woman was well trained, at least vocally.

Over the course of the week, the women had taken to a loose schedule with each other. When Tabbs would get home, sometimes late into the night, Valentina would have a takeout meal ready for her. Both would munch away silently on their respective meals, only ever speaking to exchange pleasantries or asking about the other's day. They then took off to their separate corners of the apartment and performed their personal nightly rituals. For Tabbs, this typically meant fiddling around with her guitar in her room. For Valentina, however, instead of lounging around watching The Bachelor or something equally stupid on TV like Tabbs expected, she spent hours either playing her keyboard, reading, or writing something on her laptop. Sometimes Tabbs could hear her clicking away on that thing late into the night.

Challenging every preconception Tabbs had of the other woman, she couldn't help but for her interest to be peaked in the other girl. Valentina was cool, had good taste in music and clothes, was mysterious, and drop dead gorgeous. Tabbs tried actively not to stare or gawk, at least when she knew the other girl would notice, but it was as if a model from a magazine had popped into real life and started bumming it on her couch. After the long week of silent, awkward dinners and stilted interactions, Tabbs couldn't hold it in any longer. She had to know who the hell this chick was.

Tonight was her attempt to do just that. Not to mention try to pay Valentina back after the king's ransom's worth of cash she must of paid to get them both take out for a week. From the look of the pile of parched, stale-looking dollar menu salad on Valentina's plastic bowl, and the parched stale dollar menu look on Valentina's face, it wasn't going well.

Valentina dabbed at her round lips with a crisp white napkin. "Do you like quesadillas?"

Tabbs glanced up at her and felt a dab of honey mustard sauce drip from her lip and onto the folded white paper bag on her lap. "You mean from Taco Bell or something?" she asked with a mouth full of burger.