The Improvement Plan

Six

Alex's eyes roamed over the crowd several times for Hope only to come up empty-handed. He couldn't find her blonde hair anywhere or her red jacket as people came towards him.

Out the windows of the cafe, it was raining.

"Hey, can I take a picture with you?" A girl with short auburn hair and a wide smile asked. Alex had been so lost in thought about Hope he hadn't realized she had been standing in front of him watching and waiting. He cleared his throat and tried to be friendly.

"Um, sure," he said. The girl crouched next to him and took a photo. He conjured the best smile he could manage for her. She squealed in delight.

"Oh, it's perfect!" She talked fast enough that her words seem to blur together. "Can I sit here?"

She took Hope's seat without an answer and with ease. Something in Alex wanted to snap, to run, to yell for Hope; but, he sat in his chair, motionless. Even if he told the girl to go he doubted she would. The girl had continued to talk as he had a war within himself.

"So, what's your name again?' She asked. Something about her smile bothered Alex who thought it seemed too wide and big to be meaningful.

"Alex."

"Alex..." she waited for him to elaborate and sighed with frustration when he didn't. "Come on, you have to have a last name."

"Denburg."

"Denburg." She responded as she leaned forward, offering a view of her large chest that Alex didn't particularly care for. "Well, Alex Denburg, I'm Angie, Angie Casetter. Nice to meet you."

Angie smiled at him as if we wanted him to say it was nice to meet her too. But he didn't feel like indulging her. She was clearly flirting and Alex was clearly being a jerk. Angie cleared her throat.

"Your song," she continued, attempting to keep the conversation going. "It was really good. You have an amazing voice."

"Thanks," there was something about the way she complimented him that put him on edge. It was almost like the words she said were a gun and it was loaded.

"Where did you get the inspiration for it? I mean, I heard something about blonde curls but maybe it was just a line that fit?" Bang. "I don't have blonde curls but I've found the guys like me just fine."

Angie's voice became husky, seductive. He wanted to pick up his jacket and tell her to put it on as she purposely angled her chest at him, but he knew to give her his jacket would be a bad idea for many reasons. The number one reason being Hope. She was the only one Alex wanted to wear his jacket. He looked around the shop for her again, ignoring the teen girls who were probably just like Angie.

"Listen," Angie's snapped him back. "You seem a little busy right now but you should call me sometime." She wrote her number on a napkin and handed it back to Alex. She winked before walking away. "Maybe auburn hair will be able to find its way in instead?"

Alex looked at the napkin. In neat handwriting in black ink was her number and beneath that was her name, Angie. A single heart dotted the I. The cafe buzzed with life but not a single sign of Hope. Alex did t know how long he sat there for before she finally showed up.

"Hey," she said as she sat down.

"Hey," Alex said softly back.

"Sorry that I didn't see you at the end. So many people were pushing forward and I was feeling, really warm, I had to go to the bathroom just to get away from all the people."

Alex brightened a little. "So, you did listen?"

"Of course, did you think I left in the middle?"