A Chicago Summer

First Encounters (Ricky)

Coconut brown hair. Dazzling gray eyes. Hands in pockets with a distant stare. Walking right towards me.

The stranger that was about to sit next to me on my summer flight to Boston, Connecticut could be described like that and more. The closer he got, the more I could make out such as his cloud white teeth and perfect smile. I felt my head tilt to the side as I began to day dream. Nothing out of the ordinary came when I daydreamt about him but I could feel the daydream as though it had already occurred. Walks along the beach. Dinner at a tiny local café. Pecks on the check. Cuddling on a fuzzy red couch while watching a scary movie, his arm around me and me laying my head against his chest. I swear I could feel the muffled beats of his heart . . . and that’s when I had realized the handsome stranger was trying to figure out if the seat next to me was 16B. My eyes flung open. I hadn’t even realized I had closed my eyes. He must have thought I was sleeping until I had my eyes had suddenly all but bulged out of my head.

“I’m sorry. I must have, um, dozed off for a bit. Did you ask me a question?” I said trying to play it cool. To top it off I even pulled out my month old iPhone and began to text my best friend Tia.

“Yeah. Um is that seat next to you 16B?” He said as he pulled out his ticket and looked at it quizzically. His nosed scrunched together creating a little crinkle on the bridge of his nose and I nearly fainted. Instead, I felt chills go up and down my caramel colored arms.

I knew that if I didn’t stop taking him in, I would never check so I whipped out my ticket as well. Yes!  I thought as I saw 16A. About to do a little happy dance, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. The stranger had stooped down to pick something off the floor and came up with . . . my phone! Whipping out my ticket must have made me drop my phone. I could feel my ears begin to redden.

“Th-th-thank you and yes the seat next to me is 16B.” If I could have, I would have tried to smashed myself into my purse but instead I buried my head into my phone, touched the iPod app and stuck my earphones deep into my ears. 1983 by the Neon Trees blared into my body and filled me with relief. His knee nudged mine as he sat in the last seat in the airplane.

I felt another soft tap on my shoulder and looked up at the stranger. Guess I hadn’t made a complete fool of myself.

“Hi,” he offered his hand and I shook it, quickly pulling my hand back from his rough and warm hands, “Any chance you might share one with me. That’s my favorite song.” His hands gestured to my right earphone. I fumbled to take both earphones off at once and out of my phone completely.

“How can I share with a mysterious stranger like you?” I said flirtatiously and leaned forward a bit so he would look in my light brown eyes. By that time the flight attendants had begun to walk down the narrow aisle and explained how to buckle your seat belt and bunch of other stuff I couldn’t concentrate on.

“How about I tell you my-”

I’m ticking ticking like a time bomb baby, baby.

When you told me to forget you I went crazy.

But now I’m here and I doubt you’ll see me standing still.

Cuz I’m waiting for the time,

To let it go.

And then: T-a En-gal

The ringtone Tia had set on my phone for herself blared followed by the announcement of who exactly was calling. My phone said her name so funny I sputtered out a quick laugh before ignoring her call and texting her that I was in ‘hawt’ company and that I was about to lift off. About five seconds in counting after, Tia responded “Ricky keep me posted!!!!” but I just turned off my phone and turned back to the stranger expectedly. He laughed under his breath.

“My name is Zeke. I guess your name is Ricky.” He chuckled again and pointed at my phone and expected me to figure it out for myself.

“You were looking over my shoulder weren’t you?! You! Your breath is really hot.” I couldn’t have felt more dumbfounded then I had then. He had probably read all of my text messages to Tia. Even the one where I had told her about the horrible cramp I had two days before today.

“Not as h-a-w-t as me.” Zeke said as he spelled ‘hot’ the way I had to Tia. There was a small smirk set on his face. I gave him a flirty and toothy smile as I felt my ears redden again.

“Whatever. You can’t blame me.” I said as I pushed him a little.

“Yeah I guess I can’t. So,” Zeke said as he pushed me back “you think I’m hot.” He said it as though it were more of a statement then a question. At the moment I could decipher what its label was.

“Just take the earphone. Zeke.” I said and shoved my right earphone into his face. 

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I hope everyone liked this! This is the third story I ever wrote so it's special to me. <3 SO please comment about what you think. I would like constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!

-CrazedWriter