"Yes! Let's do it!" She bounces in her seat. "This is so crazy! We have no idea where we're going."
"The stops are listed right there." I point to the bus line map above our heads.
"Yeah, but who knows what we'll find when we get there? I've never been to that part of town."
I've been there. It's nothing great, but they have places to eat and a park where we could walk around. I'm not going to tell her that. She's having too much fun thinking this is an adventure into the great unknown.
"Here?" she says as we approach the stop. "You sure?"
"This is it. Let's go."
We get off the bus and I almost grab her hand. Why the hell would I even think to do that? Holding her hand is something a boyfriend would do, which is why I never hold hands with a girl.
"Now what?" she asks.
"We pick a street to walk down, hopefully one that has food. I'm starving. How about you?"
"Yeah, I missed lunch. I didn't want to be late getting to your house."
"You could've been late. Jake wouldn't have cared."
"How about this one?" she asks, pointing to the street to our right.
"It's up to you. We could turn or keep walking."
She stops and looks around. "I think we should turn. I'm getting a good feeling about this street."
I laugh. "Not sure what that means, but okay."
We go down the street, passing little shops and restaurants that look like they'd be way more than I could afford. When I was here a couple years ago, they had a diner and some burger places but they've been replaced by fancy restaurants. And the people walking around look rich. I look up and see a new building going up. The sign says it's going to be luxury condos.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else," Brook says. "I like the buildings and the cute little shops but the restaurants look really expensive."
"We could try a different street."
"How about that place over there?" She points to some people waiting in line in front of an order window. It's right on the street with some tables set up. It can't be that expensive if you order at a window.
"Yeah, let's do it."
"Brook?" someone says.
We look over and see a girl walking toward us. She's a pretty brunette, wearing a sleeveless pink dress with a silky scarf tied around her neck.
"Fiona," Brook says, sounding nervous. "What are you doing here?"
"Just a little shopping," she says, tossing her hair back. "Did you find anything?"
"Oh, um, I'm not here to shop. We're just grabbing dinner."
The girl looks at me, her eyes moving over my body as she smiles. "And who is this?"
"Dean." Brook takes a step away from me. "He's a friend. I'm tutoring his brother."
Brook still sounds nervous, and out of breath. She's acting like she got caught doing something she shouldn't. Is it me? Does she think her friend will go tell her boyfriend she was out with another guy? If so, she shouldn't care. She's breaking up with him.
"Nice to meet you," I say, putting my hand out.
"You too." She winks at me as she shakes my hand. "Let me guess...football?"
