Weeping Angels

Part X: Timidity At It's Best, Or Worst.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Ben asked as he turned down the radio, which was blaring some hair metal song, but Kettu was too preoccupied to notice.

“I have no idea.” He admitted, still looking at the painting. It seemed like such a perfect gift, but he worried about her reaction.

“So, you’re just going to make it up as you go along?” Ben raised an eyebrow at his friend.

“That’s the plan.” Kettu took a deep breath.

“So are you going to ask her out?” Ben asked bluntly, resting both of his hands on the steering wheel.

“I’m still not even sure how I feel about her, so it’d be a waste of time if I find that I don’t really care about her, wouldn’t it?” Kettu replied. He knew he was lying. He had a crush on her, but it was one that was born out of the feeling of being indebted to her. Once this painting was delivered, those ties would be cut, and he could go on with his life without the distraction of longing emotions.

“Why not just take the chance, Big K?” Ben rolled his eyes, shaking an outstretched open hand at him, “So what if you find out it was a mistake? We all make mistakes, you’re no exception! On the upside, it’ll give you something to focus on that’s not related to self-mutilation or death.”

Kettu shot Ben a look that silenced him, and the van came to a stop and Ben looked over at Kettu again,

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Ben asked concernedly.

“Will you stop trying to psyche me out?” Kettu growled, “I’m going to have a cup of coffee and give a girl a painting, you‘re making it out to be far more complicated than it actually is..”

“Maybe so,” Ben clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “But when you get home, give me a call and let me know how it goes, okay, buddy?”

“It’ll be a short phone call.” Kettu nodded, undoing his seat belt.

“Somehow, I doubt that.” Ben said.

Kettu stepped into the coffee shop, the painting tucked under his arm. The familiar atmosphere, the smells of coffee brewing, and the earthy tones of the walls was somehow comforting, like he imagined what the feeling of home must feel to others.

“Hey, mister wolf!” Matilda waved from behind the bar, “Welcome back, can I get you something?”

“No thanks, I’m just going to wait for Nina to get here before I order anything.”

“Oh, you’re still seeing Nina?” Matilda asked, leaning across the counter, intrigue sparkling in her dark brown eyes.

“We’re not ‘seeing each other’ in the way you imply.” Kettu said, sitting down, “We’re simply friends.”

“Oh, my boy,” Matilda shook her head sadly, “It’s sad, you two would make such a cute couple.”

“Somehow, I get the feeling that I’m not exactly her type.”

“What makes you think that?”

“She’s a smart, beautiful college student who is into art and genuinely cares about the human race. I’m one bad gig away from being homeless, not really into art, unless it comes in the musical form, and I’m an avid misanthrope.” Kettu lowered his gaze, he wasn’t happy about his latest observation. He really wasn’t Nina’s type.

But after this debt was paid back, he wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

“If you’re not into art, what are you doing with that?” Matilda asked, pointing at the painting.

“I bought it for Nina, as a way of saying thank you for all that she’s done.”

“What did you buy me?” Nina’s voice chimed from the door behind him.

Kettu felt a lump of fear jump into his throat, how long had she been standing there? He swallowed hard and turned around, offering a meek smile to Nina, who was dressed in a red halter top, overlapped with a black leather jacket, tight black jeans and black leather shoes. Her hair was left flowing down her shoulders, cascading in beautiful, if somewhat messy tresses. He wasn’t used to seeing her like this, normally she was covered in paint, but not today.

Damn it, she had to come here looking gorgeous. Kettu cursed in his head as he offered up the painting to her. His heart felt like it was trying to break out of his ribcage. The sooner he could get this over with, the better.

“Oh, wow…” Nina said, taking the painting, her eyes wide with surprise. Kettu clenched his jaw. Wow could mean a lot of things, wow, I love it, Wow, this is awful, wow, you’re an idiot, all were possibilities right now, and Kettu was growing anxious. “This is so thoughtful, Kettu, but why?”

“I wanted to thank you for what you did for me back at the bridge.” Kettu offered the brief explanation, as he vainly tried to control his heartbeat.

“Oh, Kettu, you didn’t need to do that,” Nina smiled warmly, as Kettu started to feel some sense of relief. The debt repaid, he could go on with his life without worrying about some debt-born infatuation that his own guilt had created.

“But thank you, I love it.” She said before leaning in and softly kissing his cheek.

Kettu could immediately feel himself blushing, his heartbeat picking up again.

So much for that idea.

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Sorry for the short 10th part, and the cliffhanger ending. There will be more to come in the near future!