Josh's Destiny

Chapter 2

Destiny got home at three o'clock in the morning. She hadn't gotten off until two, but the hours suited her. Destiny didn't require much sleep, she never had. If she slept three hours she considered herself well rested. She wondered why she needed so little sleep but figured it was one of the attributes of her peculiar upbringing.

Destiny had always known she was different. When she told Josh she was trying to get a reading on him, she had not been lying. She found if she concentrated hard enough, she could tell what someone's thoughts were. It wasn't until she was five years old that she discovered everyone didn't have this talent.

Destiny was twenty-two now and as Josh had seen a real beauty. She knew, of course, but she didn't use it to any sort of advantage if she could help it. She had nothing to do with her looks, which was a combination of the genes her parents had given her. She couldn't recall her parents, not really. There were just scattered images and old photographs.

Destiny was brought up in a close knit foster family and she knew her foster family loved her, but when she turned eighteen there was an overwhelming urge to strike out on her own. And so, she had left her family and used her savings to rent a small studio apartment. Then she secured her place at the diner. Between that and the occasional odd job, Destiny lived okay.

But she always felt like she was waiting on something. She was waiting for something to happen. And now she found herself with a date. She put the kettle on and kicked off her shoes. It was a warm night and she stripped down to her underwear. The kettle whistled and Destiny made herself a cup of tea. She then took her seat on the old spring-sprung sofa and went through her mail. She had ads and bills, just what she usually got. She put the mail aside and thought of Josh Kiszka.

The images she had gotten from him were nothing more than what she'd expected, though there was something unknown there. She hadn't been able to read him any deeper before he spoke and broke her concentration.

He was cute, she had to admit. And she was a fan of Greta Van Fleet's music, but she'd not gone out of her way to get tickets or anything. Imagine, a star just strolling into Tom's Place and she'd ended up waiting on him.

Well, she'd have her date and he would move on and that would be an end to it. She knew she should get what sleep she needed and so she turned out her lamp and moved to her bed. She slept only under a sheet and by five she was sleeping peacefully.

                                                                                                                      ~ ~ ~

Josh went through the day's activities with a smile. He was in a very good mood. 

Sam watched then asked, "Hey, what's up with you? You've been whistling and singing and giving everybody the glad hand. Why are you in such a stellar mood?"

Before Josh could answer, both Danny and Jake said, "He's got a date." Josh looked at them and grinned.

Danny Wagner returned his grin. "So, you planning on scoring?"

"Nope, not even gonna try."

Jake said, "Not that it's a bad thing, but this girl lives here, in New York and we live in Michigan, remember? You cannot get serious about her."

Josh gave his twin a sour look. "One date is not the start of anything, Jake. How about all you non-single guys let me enjoy myself tonight?"

"Enjoy away," Danny replied.  He smirked as Josh started singing under his breath. "Joshie's in love."

Josh rolled his eyes and checked the time. It was fifteen minutes until seven.  "You guys have me fifteen more minutes, and then I'm off to get ready. What do you want me to do?"

The guys had Josh pose for a few more band shots, then shooed him away to get ready for his date. As Josh showered, he started to get nervous. What if tonight he was a bumbling fool? What if he said the wrong thing? What if he did the wrong thing? What would he do if she didn't show up at all?

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and regarded himself in the large, somewhat misty mirror. All in all he thought he looked fine. He had been contemplating dressing up, but suddenly he changed his mind. He padded into his bedroom and put on clean briefs. Digging around in his duffle bag he found a soft pair of plain jeans and a white tee shirt. He put them on and added his old pair of sneakers. Josh grabbed a beat-up leather jacket, ran his fingers through his curly mop of hair, and considered himself ready.

He had no idea what Destiny would be expecting, but she had said "no rock star" date. Josh thought he looked like any other young man on the street. He hoped his instincts hadn't been wrong. He walked out to the main room, endured the hoots and catcalls of the guys, waved to them and left.

Josh took the service elevator to a service entrance just in case there were fans hanging around in the lobby. He hailed a cab, gave the driver the diner's address and watched as the city flashed by. When the cab pulled up in front of the diner, Josh felt those nervous butterflies again. He paid the cabbie, took a deep breath, and went in.

He sat at the far end of the counter, ordered tea and looked around. Destiny wasn't there yet. He checked his cell phone and found he had ten minutes. His tea was delivered and he busied himself putting in honey and milk. Every time the bell over the door tinkled he looked up, but by five after eight she still had not shown up.

Josh nervously drank his tea. She wasn't going to show up. He'd been had in the worst kind of way, and damn it, he'd been really looking forward to this date. Josh dug in his pocket to pay for his tea when the bell tinkled again. He was intent on getting change, so when he looked up and saw her smile he dropped the cash and just stared.

Destiny's hair was loose and slightly curled around her face. She wore minimal make-up, a blue-checked shirt and her jeans could have been a copy of Josh's. She wore flat-soled boots on her feet, and she carried a light denim jacket. Josh was suddenly glad she had not dressed up; he didn't think his heart could take it.

She walked to him and bent to pick up the money. When she straightened up, she put the money on the counter, and then turned to Josh. "Hi" she said with a delicious smile.

Josh cleared his throat. "Hi" he replied. She laughed as he stood up and she took his arm. She walked with him out of the diner.

"So," Josh began.  "Shall we see a movie, or have a bite to eat or..."

"Coney Island," Destiny fairly chirped.

"Coney Island? The amusement park?"

"Of course, we are dressed for it aren't we?"

Josh had to admit they were. "Okay, then, Coney Island it is. Let me get a cab..."

"Nope, I'm going to introduce you to the New York Subway. Trust me, you'll love it."

Josh had a peculiar look on his face, somewhere between awe and fear, but Destiny just laughed and with a gentle tug on his arm they headed for the nearest subway entrance.