After I agreed to have lunch with him, Nathan and I exchanged numbers. I had to help him punch my number into his contacts because he was still getting the hang of using his new cell. He didn't know much about apps, settings, or even ringtones. It was sort of...cute. We began texting that same night after we met at the shelter. We talked about movies and possibly going to watch one after grabbing a bite. I ended up choosing a horror movie that had just premiered a few nights ago. The more we chatted, the more I started to like him
Eventually, the day of our date arrived (except we didn't call it that, we called it hanging out). I had to work that day, so the hours seemed to drag on forever. As soon as three o'clock hit, I punched out and changed into some jeans and a t-shirt before making my way outside. I looked around but I didn't see him, so I leaned against the wall next to the shelter doors. I took my time to look up at the sky, it was clear.
"Took you long enough." His voice startled me.
"Hey! I didn't see you. Where were you?"
"I was waiting by that tree over there." He said as he pointed to the far end of the parking lot.
"I'm sorry I took a while, I had a lot of work to finish." I admitted sheepishly. "Were you waiting long?" Nathan shook his head.
"No, I just got here a few minutes ago as well. Ready to go find some lunch?" He asked with a smile.
"Sure!" I agreed as we took off walking.
The animal shelter was a big and wide building that stood alone in a neighborhood filled with old factories. It had two, large double-doors that opened automatically when patients walked in. Although it wasn't in a dangerous area, the animal control officers were constantly on the lookout for coyotes that liked to stumble across our parking-lot. The shelter was in the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles, where the hills rose and became barren. There was a large bridge that took you over the highway, it was tall and wide, and made of solid concrete. I glanced at Nathan and noticed that he was intrigued as we crossed the bridge. He kept peering over the edge like a kid.
"Hey, is that the 251?" He asked, squinting his eyes to get a look at the orange vehicle approaching the bus stop we were headed to.
"Aw shit. I think it is. We won't make it." I told him as I stared at the bench across the street.
"Like hell we won't." He said seriously as he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pulled me forward into a sprint. A few cars honked as we weaved through stopped traffic. My heart lurched forward along with the rest of my torso. Not because I was afraid to get caught jaywalking, but because this scene replayed so familiarly in my mind. Croy would drag me along too...
We made it into the bus just before the doors closed. It was a tight squeeze. The afternoon rush was starting. People were just getting out of work, crowding the bus. I nearly fell over when some dude in front of me backed up and shoved his bag into my face.
"You okay?" Nathan asked as he steadied my stumble with his free hand. A chill ran down my spine as his breath fanned over my neck. That was when I realized how close together we were standing. My back was pressed against the front of his torso.
"Yeah...I'm fine." I muttered, grateful that he couldn't see the blush that had crept up to my cheeks. It took nearly thirty minutes to reach our destination. Once we were at our stop, we had to squeeze out the back so more people could pile into the front again.
"Oh god. I hate rush hour. It sucks!" He complained as he stretched out his back. "I swear some old geezer was grabbing my butt." He told me in a whisper, causing me to snicker.
"And I bet you liked every second of it." I teased as I brushed past him.
"Hey! A little attention is nice every now and then." He protested as he caught up and matched my strides. I laughed, which only caused him to laugh too. Soon we looked like a pair of unstable goofs laughing at nothing as we walked towards the shopping center. It was...odd. The way he matched my steps perfectly gave me an uneasy feeling. It all felt too...comfortable. Only one other person had ever made me feel like that.
We arrived at the movie theater early. The doors for the showing wouldn't be opening for a good thirty minutes. We decided to eat afterwards, giving our appetite a chance to grow.
"So what now?" Nathan asked as he leaned against one of the pillars that held up the theater entrance.
"We can always go explore the videogame section at that appliance store. They have this really cool set-up where you can try out a few of their latest releases." I suggested, not even sure if he liked videogames.
"That sounds awesome! Let's go!" He enthused as he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down the concrete steps and towards the store that stood just across the street. "Woah!" I heard Nathan enthuse the moment we stepped into the Curacao doors. "I've never been to a store like this before!" He mused as he eagerly looked around. "Yea, it's actually pretty big, but try not to linger. This is the perfume department, we should hurry before we'reâ"
"Hello! Would you like to try our new fragrance for men?" A friendly voice interrupted. Nathan blinked as the lady pulled him aside and sprayed him with a bit of the aromatic liquid. "It's nice but not really my style." He protested, trying to blow her off in the kindest way possible. "I should probably get going. I don't want to entertain you too much." He reasoned as he tried to pull away.
"Nonsense! Try this one instead!" The lady urged and sprayed him with a different fragrance. Within minutes, he was bathed from head to toe with a cocktail of colognes that clashed with each other.
"Look at the positive side, if we go to a flower shop, you'll fit right in!" I teased once we'd finally managed to slip away.
"Ha-ha, very funny." He muttered as we made our way through the electronics and towards the videogames.
"Seriously, you're the only person who makes eye-contact in the perfume section of a store. You were kind of asking for it." I chuckled, my remark made Nathan rolled his eyes.
"So I don't have much experience dealing with tactical perfume ladies. Sue me." He griped as we turned the corner into the next aisle.
"There she is. The new console that just came out this year. Isn't she beautiful?" I asked as I peered through the acrylic display that it was encased in. Two electronic guitars were hooked up to the remote ports.
"Is this some sort of musical game?" He asked as he picked up one of the guitars and studied it.
"It's THE musical game." I enunciated as I picked up the other guitar and slung the strap over my shoulder. "Down to play a song? I promise to go easy on you." A mischievous grin stretched his lips when he heard my challenge.
"Oh, you're on. Loser buys the snacks." He upped the stakes.
"Bring it on petunia." I teased as I turned my sight back towards the screen and started the game.
"Aww man!" Nathan groaned when he missed the last note in the song, breaking his streak. We both kept our eyes glued to the flat screen as the numbers tallied up.
"Looks like we tied." I told him as I slipped the strap off my shoulder and placed that guitar back on its stand. "Wanna go half and half?" I asked as I waited for him to put his guitar back.
"Sure, I'll get the drinks." He agreed as he glanced down at his watch. "We should really get going. I like picking seats that are right in the middle." He informed as I led the way towards the exit.
"The middle is the best spot." I agreed as I glanced down at my phone for the time. Had thirty minutes really gone by so quickly? It had seemed more like ten. We walked back to the theater in silence. Luckily, the lines for the snack counter moved quickly.
Once we arrived at the front, Nathan insisted on paying for the combo, which came with one large tub of popcorn, a large soft drink of our choice and some kit-kat chocolates. I picked some cola with ice for the drink. Once we had our items, we made our way over to the counter to grab napkins and straws. My face flared crimson when I realized that there was only one drink, which meant we would have to share. "Ready?" Nathan asked once he'd added butter to the popcorn.
"Uh, yeah. Let's go." I told him with a smile, trying my best to hide the fluttering that filled my gut. I grabbed two straws; I wasn't quite ready to share the same one with Nathan. I barely knew him after all. So why was my heart racing at the thought?
"Alright! Score!" He enthused when we found the middle seats were still empty. "After you." My heart skipped as I went ahead and took a seat first. Once we were settled, I placed the soda in the holder between us and handed him his straw. "Oh thanks." He enthused as he placed the tub of popcorn between us. A few minutes after, the previews started.
Nathan and I found ourselves in a heated debate over which upcoming movies we would like to watch. Maybe we could watch them...together? My thoughts were interrupted by the final dim of lights and another silence your cell-phone reminder on the screen. "Ready?" He leaned in and asked me in half a whisper, his eyes were still glued to the screen. I shivered, his face was so...close. The movie began with a murder and a found footage type of quality. It was interesting; very captivating. Still, the movie paled in comparison to Nathan's distracting presence.
"Five bucks says the guy with the hair streak did it." He whispered, leaning his elbow on the arm rest.
"Yeah right. It's obviously the jealous jock." I whispered back, also leaning a bit towards him so that I could keep my voice low.
"You're crazy." He hissed back, holding his position.
"Me? It's obviously the other guy. He has the same tattoo." I protested, unconsciously leaning in a bit more.
"No way. You're blind. That's circumstantial!" He hissed softly.
"Is not!" I shot back, keeping my voice low. I failed to notice just how close our faces were.
"Is too."
"It is not!" We bickered, our faces mere inches apart.
"Wait..." He paused as he leaned in even closer. Lightly, he dabbed the corner of my lips with a napkin. My face burned.
"There. You had a bit of chocolate on your lips." He clarified, his gaze focused on my mouth. I swallowed. Did he...? Was he going to kiss me? My thoughts raced as I found my eyes wandering down his face and landing on his lips.
"I still think it's the streak guy." He whispered, a crooked smirk on his lips.
"You're...crazy." I protested, my eyes half lidded. Time seemed to slow as Nathan leaned in.
"Maybe..." He admitted as he brushed a strand of hair away from my face. My skin tingled where he touched. My eyes started to close as our faces neared. I could feel his warm breath brushing my face.
BANG!
A crash rang through the theater speakers and a jump scare caused people to squeal and gasp. It hadn't scared me, but it was enough to make us pull away from each other. My heart was drumming so loudly in my chest, that I was grateful for the movie volumeâ at least he couldn't hear it. The movie ended shortly after, with the killer still on the loose and it turned out to be a relative of the jock. I took that as a win though and Nathan graciously allowed it. After discarding our trash, we made our way out of the theater.
"Are you still hungry?" He asked as we walked down the stone steps.
"Honestly? No. That popcorn filled me up." I admitted sheepishly.
"Heh, same here. We can take a rain check on dinner." He suggested.
I couldn't help but smile. "I'd like that."
"Cool." He retorted, flashing me another one of those smiles. I swallowed thickly. Fuck he was cute.
"Should we start heading back?" I nodded.
"Probably, it is getting late."
The bus was much emptier at this time of night. We managed to find a pair of seats in the back with ease. The ride back to L.A was comfortable. Well, as comfortable as a bus ride could be. Nathan got off with me at my stop and walked me all the way to my apartment. I protested at first, but he wouldn't allow it. He said that I shouldn't be walking around by myself at night.
Once we made it to the foot of the stairs that led up to my room, Nathan leaned in and placed a light peck on my cheek. "Good night Princess." He whispered. My heart nearly jumping out of my chest as another memory of my time at Red Lake flashed before my eyes.
I stood there dumbfounded as he walked away. I'm not sure if it was because of the dim lighting, or if it was my conscience guilt-tripping me for having fun with another, but for that one split second, I could've sworn he looked just like...him.