I Once Met a Stranger...

Part 15

She reciprocated the hug, but with a lot less enthusiasm and a lot more affliction. "Robbie, What are you doing here?" she questioned as she walked carefully into the dining room/kitchen and placed the bags on the counter top.

I followed them both, trying not to meddle and listen in on their chat because the guy or, Robbie, seemed distressed, so I assumed it was about something serious. However, because he was talking loudly, I could hear what he said regardless of my distance from them.

"I didn't mind at first because you said you'd be busy filming some reshoots for your series, but then nighttime arrived, and I still hadn't heard from you then midnight came and still no updates, so I was worried." Oh, so he's the boyfriend.

"I got busy with work, and we didn't wrap until late at night, and as we were going home, the car's tires were punctured due to debris," she added, not looking at Robbie or me as she was busy putting the items from the bag onto the countertop.

"Oh, and my phone died," she said as she finished unpacking our food and turned to face the bearded man in front of her.

"And we didn't have mobile service where we stayed," she continued.

Robbie remained silent in response to the information that had just been delivered to him. Instead, his attention fell on mine, and he appeared perplexed. Lizzie took advantage of the moment to introduce us both to each other.

"Oh, Robbie, this is my friend, Y/n," she added as she motioned for me to approach her. "Y/n, this is Robbie, my  boyfriend," she continued, her voice devoid of any passion.

"Hey," I stretched out my arm for a hand shake since that's what you do when you get introduced to someone new. I waited for him to accept my hand but instead, he just gave me a nod and turned his attention on the food displayed in front of us. I awkwardly took my hand back, now becoming uncomfortable with the tension that was brought up. Lizzie seemed to noticed this the shift in my aura so she tried changing the topic to lighten up the room.

"Robbie, how about I call you later. Does that sound okay?" She asked the tall man as she helped him towards the door.

"Sure, babe. I love you." He said confusedly.

"I love you too." Lizzie replied rather quickly before closing the door on her "boyfriend." She leaned her back to the door and released a quick breath of relief.
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We were in the middle of eating our lunch. Silence and awkwardness was super apparent. I thought of things to talk about in order to make our lunch pleasant, and waited for the right timing to speak up.

I took a bite of my orange chicken then took a sip of water, wiping the corners of my mouth with a napkin then opened up a conversation.

"So, that was your boyfriend?" I asked as my eyes were fixated on the orange chicken and chow mein on my plate. I tried as hard as I could not to make my tone sound "judge-y" but I guess I couldn't control it because Lizzie reacted.

"I know. I know he's a bit of an ass but once you really get to know him, he's actually really charming and sweet." She said, or she convinced me.

"I didn't say he was an ass." I teased.

"I thought that-"

"Do you think he's an ass?" I asked.

"I don't think so. He's such a great partner." She awkwardly laughed and looked into the distance, thinking of something.

I shrugged my shoulders, smiling teasingly "Ok." and continued eating the food that's left on my plate.

"He can be a jerk at times, but after you get to know him, you'll see that he's not so bad." She stated. I'm not sure who she's trying to convince, me or her.

After we finished our lunch, I offered to clean the table and dispose of the paper bags and plastic utensils. After that, I waiting for the perfect moment to tell Lizzie I needed to leave. I swear, nothing is more awkward than waiting for the right moment to tell your friend you're leaving.

When I finally found the right time, I sincerely thank her for the meal and told her I needed to get going. "Are you leaving already?" " She inquired, a little disappointed by my leaving.

"Unfortunately, Lizard, I'm afraid I'll have to," I answer, my voice as disappointed as Lizzie's. "I have stuff to complete and I desperately need a shower and a nap," I explained, humorously pointing to the black circles beneath my eyes from not getting enough sleep.

She answered nicely, "OK, I understand, y/n." "I really appreciate it. For both yesterday and today. I had a great time. Aside from the near-death experience, of course," she joked. She led me to the front entrance of her house. I honestly want to spend more time with her because she's so cool and laid-back. But I have responsibilities too.

"Give me a call if you ever need to get away from the media or the people." As I hugged her farewell, I told her.

"I don't even have your number."

I extended my hand for her to hand over her phone so I could enter my phone number into her contacts, which she did. We said our goodbyes and I went out the door after that. I turned around to get my one last look at Lizzie before getting inside my car and driving around the corner away from her house.

I'm not sure if she'll even call but I sincerely hope she does.