Maybe We Shouldn't

Who are you?

Cade called her the next day and invited her out to a friendly dinner to compare notes. She was worried that he had picked her up from her home without asking her address, but he explained that he had seen her at home when he was watching Ali.

"I've known Ali all her life, literally. She's best friends with my sister Sophie. I met her the day she was born when I was visiting my mother and newborn sister. She was so small, even then I knew she was perfect from the first time I saw her. When she opened her eyes and looked into mine I saw my own heart layed bare. I was four years old when I first saw that look, and I have been waiting for the last 22 years to see that look again, for her to see that I'm the only one who truly loves her and for her to remember that she loves me too."

Toni stared into his eyes seeing the stress and grief that his wait had caused him. She felt the need to comfort him because she knew the pain he was feeling. She told him how she had met Nate and how she from that moment saw him as a god. Since then she had followed him everywhere until after a friend of his, Trent, commented that she was like a little puppy dog and as dirty as one too. She was a 100% tomboy, through and through. She didn't have a problem rolling around in the dirt.

"There was one time, when we were about twelve or thirteen, when we played mud wars, me, Nate and a few of his friends. There was this patch of mud on the furthest side of the school out of the line of sight on the on-duty teachers. There would be two students in the middle of the puddle and then there were about ten people who would have to run through the mud to get to the otherside. First person to make it without being tagged by the two people 'it' would win. It was the same game we played every single day, and then Nate came up with a plan. He was going to go up along the side of this concrete wall and try to sneak past them without them seeing him. Admittedly it was a good plan, so, you know, I followed him. The whole plan went to custard when they spotted me."

Pausing for breath she realised how clearly she could remember. "Trent tackled me. I hit the wall hard. I passed out. I broke my arm. When I woke up, it was like everything was different. I heard from other students that Nate had gone pyscho on Trent, he had beat him to a pulp, all because of one accident in a childish game. We didn't play that game anymore and we didn't see much of Trent anymore. In fact I had gotten exactly what I wanted: Nate all to myself. He didn't talk to any of his old friends at all and he wouldn't let me anywhere near them. It became Antonia Torin and Nathan Ryder against the world, for a little while anyway." She noticed on the clock above her head that they had sat there with their food untouched for the last two hours. With a sigh she pushed away the stone cold food.

"I'm sorry I talk so much, it's so late, we should probably get going." She motioned to the waiter for their meals to be boxed. While they paid for their food and stood waiting inthe foyer for the return of the waiter, Cade reached up and curled a wisp of her hair around his finger before pushing it back behind her ear.

"You don't need to apologise for talking so much, I loved listening to you. It's really interesting to find someone like me. You are very beautiful, I wouldn't want to miss out on this-" he said gesturing to her, up and down, up and down "-if I was him".

Blushing furiously, she avoided his gaze and saw the waiter arriving with the bags.

"Hope you enjoyed your night." He smiled cheerily as he shook Cade's hand and then Toni's, winking as he discreetly slipped her paper betwen their enclosed hands.

She rolled her eyes. She folded the paper into a small square and dug through her bag to find a small ziplock bag. Once outside she dropped the square into the bag, sealed it and tucked in back into the depths of her purse. She noticed the look he gave her and smiled.

"Numbers," she said as if it was completely normal.

"What?" Now he was completely lost.

"Well, come on. You said it yourself, I'm beautiful. Other guys notice that too. When they give me their numbers I put them in this bag and take them home to burn them as part of a Wicken ceremony." Eyebrows raised, she paused to see if he had caught on yet. A smirk spread across her face when realisation dawned on his face.

"Ha Ha. Come on, let's go to your's. I think Ali is spending the night with Nate."