Dream Girl

Shades of Cool

Ben's P.O.V

Ben got into his car and drove towards Menagerie Coffee on 3rd Street. When he arrived, it was exactly 10:45. He ordered a cold brew coffee and sat at a table by the window. He wanted to see outside so he could keep an eye out for Ziggy. He sipped on the coffee and waited. The coffee shop was moderately busy. This was the go to place in Old Town for coffee. Five minutes went by and she hadn't come. Then ten minutes. Then fifteen. She's not coming. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and it fell to the floor as his grip wasn't firm enough. When he sat back up, he jumped at the person sitting across from him. It was her. Padge. 

"I heard you've been asking around about me," she said as she played with a straw. "I didn't know you were coming. I was expecting to see Ziggy," he murmured. He was at a loss for words being in her presence. "Ziggy isn't here. I am. Now, why have you been asking about me?". Her tone was frustrated and she seemed on edge. Her big brown were full of fury but her playing with the straw indicated anxiousness. She was impossible to read. "I just wanted to get to know you". She managed to crack a smile but it quickly faded. "For what?".

He gulped at how intimidating she was. He observed her outfit. Black bodysuit, leather skirt, black tights, and black Doc Martens. Her hair was slightly tousled as if she had combed it and then intentionally made it look messy. She was wearing a deep brown lipstick that went perfectly with her skin. "You interest me. Let me get your name at least," he said. "You already know my name. It's Padge". He shook his head. "Padge seems like a nickname. I want your real name". She pursed her lips and stuck her hand out. "Give me your phone and make sure it's unlocked".

Ben hesitated but handed it over, unlocked. She opened the Instagram app and typed in her screen name. She pressed the follow button and it was followed by a message that said his request had been sent as her page was private. She closed the app and handed the phone back to him. "Tell me why I should talk to you," she said as Ben put his phone back in his pocket. "Excuse me?" he asked. "Convince me to want to get to know you". Ben was perplexed by her attitude. He had never before encountered a woman so haughty. Women would kill for a chance to be around him but he had to prove why he should be taken seriously.

"I don't know how to prove to you that we should talk," he said. She scooted her chair back. "That's too bad". She got up to leave but he stopped her. "Just wait a minute. I'll think of something". She sat back down and folded her hands on the table. "I think we're alike," he said after two minutes of silence. "We both like solitude and not having people be able to figure us out. We're also both very confident people". She looked at him as she began toying with the straw again. She let out a soft chuckle and took the cold brew from his side of the table and took a sip.

"You win again Simmons". Ben danced in his head. Was this his acceptance into her life? It must've been. She said that he had won. He was taken aback by her being so formal and calling him by his last name, but he was taking what he could get with her. "So, tell me something. What made you want to go to the party last night?" he asked her. "Ziggy told you, I like to know what's going on. I have fleeting moments where I desire to be apart of the action but then I'm quickly reminded why I keep to myself". She tucked her hair behind her ear.

Mesmerizing? No. Charming? Closer. Attractive? Sure, but that wasn't what he was going for. Bewitching? Exactly that. There was a subdued allurement about her. She exuded confidence bordering on cocky. Ben couldn't help but want to know everything there was about her, but he hid his desperation. "Where do you stay?" he blurted. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Over on 2nd. The real modern looking apartment complex". She picked a piece of lint off the sleeve of her long sleeved bodysuit. "Can I come over sometime?" he asked. "Possibly. I'll have to see how you fit into my schedule".

He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "So I can get to know you then? On a more personal level?" he asked. "You can know me as much as I'll allow". She looked at the watch on her wrist. "I have to go. Thanks for the coffee". She grabbed the cold brew and walked out of the coffee shop in the opposite direction of her house. She's not going home, so where is she going? Ben pulled his phone from his pocket and immediately opened Instagram. He looked at her profile and finally got a name.

Rhys Padgett

Rhys' P.O.V

Rhys was sitting on Ziggy's couch petting her dog, Uriel. "How did it go?" Ziggy asked as she poured herself a cup of grapefruit juice. "As well as it could've gone," she grinned and flapped Uriel's ear. "I just figured it would better if you went and see what he wanted. I would've felt horrible if I met with him and gave him your socials". She grabs the glass and sits down in the chair next to Rhys. "You have to tell me your secret! How do you make these guys go crazy for you," Ziggy enthused.

"I can't even tell you what it is. I don't think of myself as some seductress but the way men fawn over me says otherwise". Uriel jumps down from the couch and walks over to his food bowl. "Maybe it's your voice," Ziggy says. "Whatever is, I like it. I get what I want and keep it moving". The two of them erupt into cacophonous laughter. "So what's the game plan with Ben?" Ziggy asks before she takes another sip of the juice.

"Not sure yet. He seems to eager you know? I'm all for knowing what you want but there's a way to approach that". Ziggy nodded in agreement. "I get what you mean. When I saw him he was a mess. Sweaty, nervous, just...odd". She sat the glass down by the leg of the chair. "Whatever magic you do worked a little too well on this one. I don't think you'll be able to shake him". Rhys scoffed at her. "I wear them down. All of them. I'm a poison, you know that". A grin spreads over Ziggy's face and and she laughs.

"Which one of the exes said that?" she laughed. "Darren". She stood up from the couch and began mocking him. "You're vicious Rhys! Women like you make men miserable! You're a poison to every man you encounter!". She throws her hands into the air and then plops herself back onto the couch. "What a fucking loser he was". Ziggy pulled a piece of paper off her end table and handed it to Rhys. "While you were away, I looked up how much he makes". She hands the paper to Rhys and she looks it over.

"8.1 million huh?" she sits the paper next to her. "You know I'm never after the money," she says. "But it's a huge bonus," Ziggy enthuses. "While they may be true, I know what I'm after with this one. I get my sexual needs fulfilled and then I leave. It's always been this way". Ziggy sighs because she hoped that Rhys would quit this being this way. "I should get going though. I just stopped by to tell you how it went". Rhys stood up and walked towards the door. She turned around and faced Ziggy.

"I lied to him and told him that I stayed in this building. I had to take the long way here so he wouldn't think I was coming to what he assumes is my home. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up. Just letting you know," she said. Ziggy threw a pillow at him. "You're the worst," she says as Rhys walks out.

Rhys walks onto the street and takes a moment to just soak up the sun. She checks the notifications on her phone.

bensimmons has requested to follow you.

Even though she had done that action herself, she still rolled her eyes. I'll make him wait a few days. She placed the phone back in her clutch and made the long walk home.