The Bunker

Chapter Two: Umbrella Thieves

Upper Manhattan.

The early morning rain had the people of Columbia University wide awake with students running through the yards and staff members fighting for the parking spot closest to the entrance. At an apartment building right off of campus stood a tall, lean, pale skinned girl who leaned against the door on the porch with a look of content on her face. Focused green eyes studied the rain drops that hit a puddle in the walk way, she watched as the water's surface was interrupted every second. Never a change to fully recover from that last blast. 

HONK.

The girl looked up quickly, a blue Mazda pulled to the side of the road. The girl took a couple steps forward while the window rolled down, a smiling face greeted her. "If you're not in this car in the next minute I will leave without you. You were suppose to meet me on campus."

"Oh really? Aren't I taking my only day off to help you with your project?" She smiled, watching the driver of the car laugh. 

The smooth dark skin around her mouth didn't even wrinkle as she did, her clean white teeth were perfect as she relaxed into a smile and leaned over to be closer to the window. The long black and blue box braids rolled down her shoulder as she did, "Claire. I am so appreciative of you. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Maybe more than that...maybe an...I'm sorry?" Claire crossed her arms, keeping her assertive stance on the porch.

The driver shrugged, obviously confused, "For?"

"Where's my umbrella Nev?" Once the sentence left her lips she watched her friend's face fall, "Mhmm."

Nevah was always taking Claire's things, the two had been assigned as roommates their first year at Columbia and best friends ever since. Once Claire started her internship, they moved into an apartment next to campus so Nevah could continue her physics studies. "Ok...fair." She reached in the back and pulled a light green umbrella out, holding it up, "I owe you coffee."

"And a scone." Claire hurried over to the car and popped in, "An cranberry orange scone."

"Two cranberry orange scones and a coconut milk latte with caramel." Nevah winked, "Got it babe." 

The blue car pulled out into the streets and headed into the city. After a pit stop at Starbucks and Dunkin, because one of the few things they couldn't agree on was coffee shops, they were in the midst of city traffic. Nevah reached into her center console and pulled out a pack of Camel Menthol Crushes, she handed a single cigarette over to Claire who took it, but with no intention of smoking it. Claire took the stick by the filter and pinched the end of it. The filter had a small little ball of menthol inside, and Claire always liked to crush it, even if she didn't support Nevah's nasty habit. After handing the cigarette back she watched as Nevah shook her head.

"Fuck, I don't have a lighter." Claire didn't bother to look around for her, maybe this time she didn't have to go somewhere smelling like smoke. Nevah grunted while looking out the window as they slowed to a stop for the crosswalk. That's when she saw a tall, handsome, blonde guy in a maroon tee crossing in front of them. "Hey!" The man looked her way before slowing his pace slightly, confusion flooding his expression. Nevah wasn't particularly calling him, but he was the one who met her eyes as she glanced over the pedestrians. With a flirty smirk she shrugged, "Got a light?" Although it was an odd request from a stranger, in a car, at a stop walk.

"What are you doing?" Claire lowered her voice in embarrassment.

Nevah smiled more, "Getting a light from a hot stranger." They watched as the man actually pulled a lighter out of his bag, hurried over to the car, and handed it over to Nevah, "Hey, thanks."

"Don't mention it." The man looked over at the passenger seat and locked eyes with Claire, who almost froze at his gaze. With a small smirk he backed away as cars began to honk at him. In the hurry of his steps, Claire caught his eye again as he turned and got to the other side of the walk before the light turned green. For a moment her mind wandered, because she never really was attracted to someone so suddenly. The way he locked eyes with her felt...different. 

As she memorized his face, Nevah puffed on her menthol cancer stick, "Damn he was hot." Nevah put her foot on the gas and glanced over at Claire, "Wasn't he?" Claire was still staring out the window, her mind fixated on the man even though he was already out of sight, "Claire?"

"What?" Claire looked over toward Nevah quickly, "Oh...uh, yeah."

Nevah smiled slightly, "Ok...weirdo."

Pulling into the parking garage and slowing near the booth, Nevah leaned forward, "Twenty dollars for a day pass! To park! Robbery." Claire pulled a twenty out of her wallet and reached over her friends lap to hand it to the guy in the booth after Nevah rolled down the window.

"Ignore her, she's an ivy league brat." Nevah pushed at Claire's face playfully.

"Takes one to know one!" The guy at the booth, obviously being a creep, watched Nevah's low cut top as she bent over to put the ticket on her windshield. Sucking in on her cigarette, she rudely blew some smoke out at the man before pulling away.

After ten minutes of parking, fifteen minutes of walking, and five minutes of Nevah finishing her second cigarette, they finally were walking up the steps to the museum.