Mind of Romance, Heart of Gold

fries, a burger, and a milkshake

  So... Now I'm sitting in the car of an unknown dude, who's offering me a lunch date and some relaxation at his place. I know all the red flags. But we're already heading to In-n-Out, and he's paying. Not like I haven't skipped class before. And if I jump out I'll probably get run over. On the freeway.

  "You good?" He asks, keeping his focus on the road ahead. I can't read his expressions.

  "I'm fine. Just confused as to why you're still going through with this." I explain, bouncing my right leg anxiously. "I mean, you could've easily just said no, right?"

  "Yeah, but it's nice to ditch with someone else."

  Can't argue with that. I nod and fumble with the coins. "Not much offered, yet you still go with it.." I mutter, to no one in particular.

  He straightens himself to a more comfortable position in the seat, breathing in slowly and softly. "Yeah... I promise I'm not a rapist or anything," he chuckles, "but I assume you already think I'm fine."

  I laugh a little. "Well, to be fair, I still came here with you. I wouldn't otherwise." I admit, shrugging. That's true--I don't feel intimidated, and I hope I'll be ok.

  "Alright, we're here." He announces quietly, and pulls into the parking lot. "Drive-thru, our dine in?" He asks, to both himself and me, and I don't answer. I don't do dates. He pulls into the drive through and up to the menu, behind two other vehicles.

  "What do you want?" He asks, and I can't tell if he means about me staring at him or ordering, so I look down. "I'm paying, c'mon." He urges. I sigh I the relief that he just wants me to order.

  "Just some fries, and a burger..." I murmur, and he pokes me. I look up at him questioningly.

  "That really all?" He jokes. He rolls down his window and orders two of what I've ordered, in with the request of the kids' sticker sheets. I hear a laugh from the last taking our order. She agrees to it. He then orders one strawberry and one chocolate milkshake in small, since small is pretty big already.

  As we get our food and drive away, I snort. "Sticker sheets?" I tease, and he passes me one. This keeps me quiet and occupied for a bit, just trying to put together the puzzle.

  We turn onto a street of apartments, near the street the school is on. We park and he helps me out of the car. I stand up and fully see him-- about six foot, with pretty eyes. He's towering over me.

  "Well, c'mon. I got the food and keys, so follow me and don't fall up the stairs." He smirks, leading me up a flight of stairs and into what I assume is his apartment.

  A queen sized bed with navy sheets and dark pillows sits on the floor next to the door, a nightstand next to it in-between the door and the mattress. A television is hung on the wall at the end of the bed, which fits perfectly between the two walls. A kitchenette is in front of the door, about 10 feet ahead. To the right a little ways is the door to what I assume is a small bathroom.

  "Forgive the mess, I wasn't really expecting to have company." He grunts, and closes the door behind us. I can't figure out where to sit. There's no table or couch. "Bed's fine," he prompts me, handing me my serving of food and putting the shakes into a small freezer. I sit on the edge of his bed. It's super comfy. I sink down into it unexpectedly, and almost fall backwards.

  He laughs a little and smiles a genuine smile. White, straight teeth, his eyes creasing up a bit. "Careful, I dunno how deep that thing goes." He toys, and I put a fry into my mouth. He passes a small paper cup of ketchup to me.

  "Don't spill," he pleads, and I put the ketchup on his nightstand for safety. He nods and begins eating.

  After our burgers are gone, we finish basically half our fries and lean back a little, trying to be friendlier. I couldn't ask for a ride back to school right this second if I wanted to.

  He puts on some Lucifer on Netflix and pours us both some Sprite. I drink some of it thankfully and he takes some sips as well. I pay more attention to the show than anything else, and my nervousness disappears.

  "The name's Sry." He says after three episodes. It's been over an hour since I told him my name, but I guess slow is steady and fair. "Sry Marcs."

  "Nice to meet ya officially Sry." I smile, and he puts an arm on my shoulder. Like a friend would do, elbow bent on one shoulder and this arm at an angle back to himself. Just one shoulder. I look over to him and he looks at the screen. It's the scene where Lucifer reveals Linda's true intentions towards him. Sry awkwardly puts his arm on his lap.

  I get pretty tired and lean on his arm, starting to doze off. He lifts my head off him, and I wonder if I went too far. Then he scoots both of us down and he puts my head on his chest. I feel his quick heartbeat and his jagged breaths. I pull my knees up a bit and curl up into his side, nuzzling his chest. I've got issues with moving too quick, I can agree, but if it works, it works. Plus, it's not like I'm in a private stripper room or something.

  He puts an arm around me to keep me close, and turns the volume down a bit. I doze off and feel one last breath before I go into dream world.