You and Me

Chapter 4: Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?

Wes’s POV

She is hot, I gotta say. Maybe she’ll be my newest fling.  Who knows?  I can’t help but think that she looks vaguely familiar.  I’ve seen that face somewhere.  But where?  Oh well.  It’s obviously not that important if I can’t remember. 

But I feel this weird connection with her.  And apparently, she feels it too.  The entire time, her eyes keep flitting to mine every few seconds.  Huh.  Maybe I should turn on the charm and see where it gets us.  “Lori, you don’t need a library card here,” I announce.  This gets her attention.

“What?” she questions.

“I don’t mind if you keep checking me out.”  Her face turns a delicate shade of pink.  With an embarrassed look on her face, she keeps her eyes downcast.  Seeing the mortification on Lori’s face, Cynthia stands up and declares that she is “totally famished.”  We follow her to the impeccable dining room, and Lori takes the seat right across from mine.  This is going to be easy.

Once everyone has started eating their freshly cooked take-out, I start the game for real.  “Hey Lori. I was wondering,” I begin.

“Yeah?” she glances at me, confusion clear in her eyes.

“Did you get sunburn, living in California all these years?  Or are you always this hot?”  This time, she starts choking on the noodles she had taken a bite of. 

Will pats her on the back till she can breathe again, and scolds, “Wesley.  Stop making Lori uncomfortable!”  He turns to her and continues their conversation that I had interrupted.  “So, Lori, d’you have a boyfriend?”

She gives me a brief but meaningful look before responding.  “No. I’m waiting for the right guy to date.  I don’t want some jerk who thinks of me just as a new conquest.” Damn. She caught me.  The rest of dinner was uneventful.  No pickup lines, no choking, and no words exchanged between me and Lori.

* * *

After dinner, we all sat in the lounge to get to know Lori better.  Zac started it off.  “So, what brings you to Atlanta, Lori?” he questioned.  And honestly, I was curious myself.  Who would move from California to Georgia?  Surely something had happened to her.

She seemed surprised as the question.  “You mean, you don’t know?  Aunt Cynthia didn’t tell you?” she wondered, incredulously.  All eyes were on Cynthia, who looked incredibly uncomfortable being in the spotlight.  The same Cynthia who was known for having a fierce courtroom presence.  Go figure. 

Cynthia cleared her throat and spoke, “Lori’s dad, who was my brother John, died in an accident.  He raised me when our parents died.  He was all I had.  He was all Lori had.  I think he figured that we’d get along.   I mean, he knew us both best.  So, he named me as Lori’s guardian.  It only seemed fair after all he’d done for me.  And that’s why she’s here.”

By the time she finished her rambling, Lori’s and her eyes were filled with tears.  Will was bawling on the couch.  What a girl. 

But I couldn’t help but think that that she and I weren’t so different after all.

* * *

After a while, we decided to head home.  It was getting late, and we all had things to do early tomorrow.    Will and Cynthia were sharing a long kiss goodbye, which left the three of us to stand there awkwardly before Zac decided to open his mouth.

 “What are you planning on doing this summer, Lori?“ he asked, curiously.  Too curiously for my liking.

 “I don’t know,” she began wistfully.  “I was going to work this summer.  I’d even gotten a job back home, but I’m not sure anymore.”  He eyes started shining before she could even finish her thought.  Leave it to Zac to make the girl sad.  Again.  My best friend, the idiot.

“Well, ya know, my dad owns a chain of gas stations.  Wes and I work at the one a couple of blocks down from here.  And we’re looking to hire someone.  If you’re interested, that is.”  Well, at least he wasn’t completely tactless.  Actually, it wasn’t a bad idea at all.  The only person who was in need of a “shift buddy”—Mr. Joe’s words, not mine—was me.

She pondered for a moment.  “I’d really like that,” she finally breathed.  Phew. I wouldn’t mind seeing that fine face everyday. 

Zac seemed relieved as well when he replied, “Ok.  Come on down to the ShopNFill tomorrow at 10 and ask for Mr. Joe.  He’s my dad.  He’ll give you more information.  And Wes will be there, too.”

Excitement clear on her beautiful face, she agreed.  Will and Cynthia came out of the room, and we were set to leave.  Goodbyes were said, but I couldn’t be bothered by a simple good-bye.  Instead, I called quietly to Lori.

“Do you believe in love at first sight?”  Her eyes widened in shock as she registered my words, but I didn’t let her reply. “Because I could always walk by another time,” I finished.

For the first time, she kept her composure at my obvious flirting.  “Well, I guess you can try again tomorrow, huh?”  She was flirting back.  This time, I was the shocked one. 

 “Tomorrow, then,” I promised.  And with that, we left the ladies and headed home.

* * *

I quietly unlocked the front door and made my way to the living room where Camille was waiting patiently.  “How was she?” I asked, apprehensively.

“Fine.  She was asking why you weren’t home for bedtime.  But fine,” she replied.  You can tell she’s a talker.  Not. 

I took some bills out of my wallet and handed them to her.  “Thanks for doing this, Milz.  I really appreciate it.”

“It’s fine.”  What a vocabulary!  And with that, she grabbed her bag and walked out the door.

I locked up behind her and made my way to Cassy’s room.  She was sleeping like a baby, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her.  So, I walked to my room, stripped down to my boxers, and lost consciousness as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I hope you liked Wes and Lori’s first encounter.  They hit it off pretty well!

Why does Wes think they aren’t so different? Who do you think Cassy is?

Next Chapter: Lori comes to work!

(Picture of Will)