The Pizza Boy

Part One

"Max I'm home!" El called out the moment she walked into the apartment that she shared with her best friend. They were juniors in college and found it cheaper to live together and split the bills over the extortionate price of living on campus.

"I'm in the living room!" Max called back in response whilst El shook her jacket off and hooked it onto the coat stand. She yawned, throwing her bag by the door and kicked off her shoes.

"How was work?" Max asked, her voice louder as El walked towards the living room. The sound of the television started to prick her ears and El smiled knowing that Max was watching The Notebook despite her protests that she hated that film.

"Work was work. You know what it's like, once you've served one coffee you've – "

El stopped abruptly as Max came into view. Her red headed best friend was slung across the couch in denim shorts and a baggy sweater, her hair plaited to the side in a French braid. But it wasn't Max's appearance that stunned El. It was the thing stirring on her chest.

"Max...what is that?"

Max looked up at El and grinned, stroking the creature that popped its head up to see where the new voice had come from.

"That is a pug, he to be exact. His name is Gizmo, he's my grandma's dog." Max said snorting in amusement at El's reaction to the dog who was now wagging his short tail and had jumped down from his comfy position to greet a surprised El.

She bent down and stroked the small dog, grinning at Gizmo's big bulging black eyes and sandy coat. "He's actually really cute," El couldn't help but admit as she took in his squished face and scratched behind his ear.

"Well I'm glad you think he's cute because we're dog sitting him this weekend." Max said before yawning and snuggling further into the couch cushions.

El rolled her eyes in fake annoyance at the fact that Max hadn't even thought to mention that Gizmo was coming to stay. "What if I had plans?" She said to her best friend before sitting more comfortably on the floor whilst Gizmo jumped onto her lap.

Max scoffed, "oh please! Your only plans are with me and you know it." She teased making El huff in embarrassment because she was totally right. It wasn't like she would have some hot date or something.

El had given up on dating a year ago, losing faith in all men after several dates when the guy only seemed interested in getting into her pants. Not that she had let them of course.

"So what's for dinner?" El asked changing the subject from her lack of a social life. It was a universal understanding between Max and El that when one of them was working, the other one handled dinner.

Max shrugged and looked at the television screen lazily. "I was thinking we could just order pizza and have a girly night on the couch with Gizmo."

El grinned and stroked the little pug. "Sounds good to me. Do you want your usual?"

Max nodded, "yes the deluxe please." Whilst the red head was more adventurous with her pizza toppings El was just a regular cheese pizza kind of girl. She had lost count of the amount of times Max had complained that she needed to stop being boring and order a damn topping. Did extra cheese count?

Whilst Max took Gizmo out for a quick walk, El took the menu off the fridge for Casa Bianco Pizza Pie and grabbed her cell phone, tapping the touch screen and quickly dialling the number.

"Thanks for ringing Casa Bianco Pizza Pie, this is Lucas, how can I help you?" Came a bored voice.

"Hi, I'd like to place an order for delivery?"