He struggled for a minute, or five, shoving his giant, smelly hockey bag into my car’s small trunk.
When he finally sat down in my passenger seat, his large frame looked completely out of place. He made my car look like a toy car. He tried to mess around with the controls on the side of the seat to lower it, but after what felt like a full minute, his head still grazed the top of the car, and his knees practically hit the dashboard in front of him.
l eased my car into drive and cleared my throat before asking what I’d been afraid to: “So where are you sleeping tonight? Where am I drivingyou?”
He shifted in my shotgun seat uncomfortably before answering. “Well, that’s the thing…”
I snuck a glance at him. “What’s the thing?”
“I don’t really have a place tostay.”
I gripped my steering wheel, trying to harness in the astronomical amount of frustration radiating off my body. “Are you kidding me with this? So you just invited yourself to my place? What if I say no?” I shouted at my windshield because I was too afraid to take my eyes fully off theroad.
“Woah, woah, I was just gonna ask nicely, no need to bite my head off,” he said in a much calmer tone than mine. I hated him for it.
“Don’t placate me,” I bit back.
“Please, Ellie? I’ve got no place to go,” hebegged.
“If you’re sticking your bottom lip out right now, so help me God, I will kick your fake ass to the curb so hard,” I warned. I thought through multiple situations in my head but couldn’t come up with a different viable solution. I blamed what I said next on the fact that it was so late, and I was extremely tired from working all day. “You can come back to my place, but only if my roommate says it’s okay. And you’re sleeping on the couch,” I added for goodmeasure.
14. TJ
I didn’t say it, but when I first saw her in the car wearing that light green dress, it made my day even better- and this was quite possibly already the best day of my life. The color really did match her eyes perfectly, and it was completely stunning on her. I felt elated that I could do something nice for her and she actually accepted it. She knew I bought it for her, and she still wore it. She had to have thought of me when she put it on, right? I’d buy a hundred more for her if she wanted me to.
After we discussed the sleeping arrangements, which, let’s be real, I could get a hotel room if I really had to, she turned up her music so I couldn’t talk anymore. That was alright, I was trying to take my time with her.
I wanted to slowly edge myself into her world. I took my trade to Detroit as a sign from the universe that we were meant to be together, now I just needed to put in the work to show her that. I needed to play the long game with her. I needed patience.
After about ten minutes of driving, we pulled up to a beachy light blue apartment structure that was a little bit past downtown. It probably only housed about four units. I smiled looking up at it because I could totally picture her picking this place out.
She sighed before opening her car door, and her voice dripped with disdain as she said, “Let’s go, Hockey boy.”
Again, totally ok, because she would’ve kicked me to the curb already if she truly wanted to, and I knew deep down that wasn’t what she wanted. I felt a certain possibility when I looked at her, possibility for fun, for genuine friendship, for love; and she must’ve felt that with me too, even if she was trying to squash it down.
When we got to the door, she quickly opened it with one hand, and I noticed her other hand was gripping a small tube which had to have been pepper spray.
“Dangerous neighborhoods around these parts, eh?” I joked, because it most definitely was not.
Her bottom jaw angled to the side, clueing me in that what I said was out of line.
I threw my hands up in innocence. “Sorry, you doyou.”
She crossed the threshold into her place, and I followed suit. I closed the door quickly behind me and studied the lock situation- which was decked out with three- and began doing them up for her. She was definitely into safety, and it was definitely not something I could make fun of her for, so I had to show her I’d take it seriously as well.
“Thank you,” she said quietly when I turned back around.
I nodded and looked around at her place, not at all surprised by how clean, organized, and beautiful it looked.
The all-white kitchenette to the left had a tiny two-person table pushed to the side, and the living room area to the right was decked out in white shiplap with a circular mirror hanging over top of it. It was neatly furnished with a small couch, a white treasure chest coffee table, and a tv stand.
I studied the couch and internally cringed. It was totally the kind of couch a five-foot-flat girl would buy: all for fashion and not considering taller people trying to sleep on it. About a foot of me would end up hanging off it. But that was alright, because this was an investment into my future… Into future possibilities with her.
“Nikki! … We have… a surprise,” she called, looking at me with an arched eyebrow.
I walked to the couch and pushed away about five or six small throw pillows to make room for myself. I really never understood their concept. Like, they were pillows, but you weren’t allowed to sit on them or sleep on them… but they took up room on your coach…? Whatever. Girls were weird about them.
I plopped down on her couch to rip off my shoes. She still stood in her high heels, staring down at me, and looking a bit envious of my shoe situation. What I wouldn’t have given to take those high heels off for her… and maybe take some other thingsoff-
