Sidewinder

Chapter 5

The door swings open and you are greeted by Van, a beer in hand, a cigarette in the other.
"Mary Todd! You're here!" He exclaims.
"No, I'm still at home Mccann." You joke. He shakes his head.
"Cmon in, the lads are in the lounge."
You step inside, the scent of aftershave and cigarettes engulf you. The lounge has three worn-down couches and a coffee table littered with beer cans.
"Make yourself at home." Van says coming up behind you.
"How did things go with your Dad?" Asks Bondy.
"Could've gone better to be quite honest." You say, not in the mood to discuss family issues. You take a seat, the couch far more squishy than you anticipated. Van sits next to you, his hand draped over the back of the couch.
"Wanna drink?" Larry asks, walking into the room with a box of beer.
"Yeah, that'd be great thanks." You smile as Larry handed you a can. You were beginning to really like him.
"Let's put some music on eh?" Says Van, getting up and walking over to the stereo sitting in the corner. He inserts a disk and walks back over to you, offering his hand.
"Fancy a dance love?"
"I'd love one." You smirk, trying to keep calm but in reality you were internally screaming. 'Last Nite' by The Strokes comes on, blasting through the speakers. You and Van dance around the room, smiling at each other. It was at this moment that you realised that perhaps there was a little more to this 'crush'. You both continued to dance around for a few more songs before you needed some fresh air.
"I'm in desperate need of fresh air and a cigarette." You say to Van over the loud music.
You step outside and inhale. The crisp air filling your lungs. From here you could just make out the clock tower in the distance. You take a seat on a plastic outdoors chair that had seen better days. Along the fence there was a rather sad looking string of Christmas lights. 'At least he tried to decorate.' You giggle to yourself, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
"So what do ya think of my expert exterior designing skills Mary Todd?" Asks Van, slipping from the shadows.
"Jesus christ Van! Do you ever say hello?" You say, feeling startled.
"Hello," he waves in your face. "So what do you think of me place?"
"It's cosy." You say, taking a drag.
"Is that your polite way of saying that my house is a shit hole?" He laughs.
"If I thought your house was a shit hole I would've told you." You smirk.
He goes to sit down beside you when the seat collapses beneath him with a mighty CRACK!.
"Fuck!" He curses, sitting in a pile of plastic chair remains.
"Smart one!" You say trying to hold back your laughter but failing miserably.
"What the hell is going on out here?" Asks Bob, rushing out of the house, pausing after seeing Van on the concrete.
"He murdered a chair." You giggle, standing up and crushing your cigarette under your sneaker.
"I can see that," Says Bob, trying to stop himself from bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Thanks for the help guys!" Van says as he pulls himself up off the cold ground. "Anyway Mary Todd, I've got something I wanna show ya, follow me." He waves over his shoulder.
"Ooooooo" Whistles Bob.
"Oh shut up will you." Jokes Van.
He leads you up a narrow flight of stairs to his bedroom.
"Welcome to my room of organised chaos." He gestures for you to come in and sit down. You take a seat on the bed, the feather duvet sinking under your weight. Van shuts the door, picks up his guitar and sits himself beside you.
"I wrote a song and well, I wanted you to hear it." He blushes, his long brown hair falling into his face. He quickly brushes it away and begins to play:
"You're simpatico,
and of all the lift homes and all the mixed feelings,
You're cuts above,
and you've got no worries or a chest full of heartache."
He continues to play, his voice dragging you in, you wish that he could just keep playing forever. At last to your disappointment, the song concluded, leaving you speechless.
"Van that, that was incredible." You say, absolutely in awe.
"Thanks," He says. "I've written heaps more, I just wanted you to hear that one."
"Well, I loved it Mccann."
He smiles and puts down the guitar. You wish that you could relive that moment forever, his blue eyes sparkling, the light bouncing of his mop of hair. You both began to lean in towards each other. It was perfect, until...
Your phone rang. It was Olivia. Typical. You were about to have the most romantic kiss of your life and someone had to go and ruin it. Of course. You sigh and answer the phone.
"Hello?" You say.
"Mary! I'm so sorry! Am I interrupting anything?" She asks, sounding frantic.
"Yeah kind of, what's up?"
"It's Louie!" She cries.
'Shit.' You think. Louie is her cat and her most prized possession.
"What happened?" You ask, your heart beating fast.
"He-He's-he's been hit by a car!" She sobs down the line.
"Oh Liv, I'll be home straight away, alright? You just hang tight." You hang up and look at Van. "I'm so sorry but I've gotta bail. Liv's cat has been hit by a car."
"Is she alright?" He asks, his face filled with concern.
"I'm not sure, he was the treasure in her life ya know? She loved him to bits."
"Do you want me to walk you home?"
"That'd be great thanks." You smile. You both walk down the stairs to say your goodbyes.
"Leaving so soon?" Says Benji, pausing his game of Fifa.
"Yeah, flatmate emergency." You say.
The walk home was silent. Neither of you knew what to say, you didn't have any sarcastic remarks to fill the air. It didn't seem appropriate. At last you reach the front porch of your new house.
"Thanks for that," You say. "It's been a fun night."
"We should do it again sometime." Smiles Van before pulling you into a hug. "Oh and by the way," He whispers. "It's short for Ryan." He turns and walks away, leaving you on the porch.
"Ryan." You whisper. "I like that."