Mackenzie
"So, what do I want?" I asked as I sat down at the bar counter the next night.
Thalia lazily raised her eyes from the book she read, seeing as tonight had literally two customers. "What?"
"You said I want something. What do I want?" I repeated, my elbows sat on the counter and palms at my cheeks.
The woman's right cheek popped out as her tongue pushed against it. "How should I know?"
"Because you said so." I mumbled and squinted my eyes at her. "Can I have a mountain dew, please?"
Thalia got me my drink and placed the glass on a coaster. "Anything else?"
"Straw, please." I smiled, face still held by my hands.
Brown eyes narrowed in on me. "They're right next to you."
"I don't see them." I fibbed.
"To your left Kenzie. You just have to reach out." She gritted, annoyance visible.
I huffed. "I'm a paying customer." I could see her eyes glaring at me so I chuckled and behaved. "I'm kidding, sorry."
"You weird human." Thalia muttered and went back to her book.
I grabbed a straw and tore off the paper, rolling it into a tiny ball. "What are you reading?" I put the straw in the glass and sipped.
"The Alchemist." She quietly answered.
"I've never read it." I sipped again. "I love mountain dew. Do you?"
"No." She replied shortly.
"What do you like then? To drink?"
The brunette sighed. "Tea." She muttered then added, "and silence."
I shut my mouth and left her to read then. Tapping my fingers to my glass and feeling the coldness on my skin, I casually sang softly. I looked up to the screen mounted to the wall and smiled when I saw Scooby-Doo showing. I leaned back and linked my hands behind my head as I watched.
"Scooby dooby doo, where are you? We got some work to do now. Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you? We need some help from you now. Come on Scooby Doo, I see you, pretending you got a sliver. But you're not fooling me, 'cause I can see
The way you shake and shiver." I rocked my head to the song, enjoying the beat and shaking my body a little.
I halted when a sound made me freeze. I moved my gaze to see Thalia with her hand over her mouth, eyes quickly moving down on her book. But the crinkles at the corner of her eyes told me I didn't just imagine that soft giggle. She was still smiling beneath that hand.
"Are you smiling? Did you just giggle?" I leaned forward and slapped my hands to the bar counter, eyes wide and jaw dropped.
She cleared her throat and composed herself. "Shut up, I'm trying to read here."
I grinned smugly, whispering to myself. "Way to go, Mac."
I continuously stole glances at the mysterious woman in front of me throughout her reading and my watching the television. No more customers came in, so I had enough time to study her in silence.
Thalia was dressed in a tight top and jeans that hugged her frame. One ear held some hair away from her face, lashes brushing her cheeks and lips quietly mouthing the words she read. Her index finger skimmed the edges of the pages, elegantly dipping between them to flip onto the next page. Thalia's hair was a bit messy from her hand repeatedly finding it. It didn't run through, she'd grip a fistful and let her head rest against her fist.
I scratched my forehead and looked away, feeling like a creep for staring. But then my eyes found her again. She sighed, her bottom lip catching between her teeth. When she let it go, it was a deeper pink than before. The fist in her hair moved under her chin, eyes never once leaving her book. I could see the delicate dip of her back as she bent slightly, curving out her hips and ass.
I guess I was staring too hard because brown eyes snapped up to meet my blue ones. "What?" She muttered quietly.
I could feel my face heating up, scared I was caught perving on her. I didn't mean to, she was just right there and effortlessly alluring. "N-nothing."
Thalia stood upright and closed her book, placing her hands beside it. "Where's your side kick?"
I frowned before realizing who she meant. "Paul? He's taking his grandpa out of town to see his aunt."
She nodded, eyes looking into mine. Her face held no expression, but I assumed she was taking in something. "Your eyes are extremely blue. I've never seen eyes like that on-"
"A black person?" I blurted out.
She gave a confused look. "I was going to say I've never seen eyes like that on anyone."
"Oh. Oops?" I smiled with a shrug.
The woman softly shook her head and looked around the bar. "It's so dead tonight."
"Are you closing up later on?"
"No, the manager is in the back." She jabbed her thumb over her left shoulder towards the door in the far corner. "She usually lets us leave when it's this slow sometimes." She mumbled, shrugged and pouted out her lips in that way she does.
As if on cue, the manager walked out and called Thalia. She excused herself and I finished off my drink while waiting. I sat there for ten minutes before the shorter woman came back with her jacket on.
"All good?" I asked.
"Yep. I'm heading out." She picked her book and placed it in her purse, then came around the counter.
I stood up. "Going home?"
She stopped in front of me and looked up. "I am."
I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets and contemplated my next words. "Wanna go for a walk? Before you do, I mean. You said you like to walk and I'm bored."
I saw the amusement dance across her features as heart shaped lips forced to stay put. "I don't know..." She started. "I'm kind of hungry."
I perked up but tried not to show it. "We can go eat."
Thalia let out a small snort and headed for the door, leaving me to trail behind her. I thought we'd go to the same restaurant we usually did but she turned in another direction. I didn't mind since I wasn't up for walking three miles right now.
"When I was eight I met this girl." I decided to share while we walked. "Little me thought she was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen so, I went home and told my Ma. I wanted to impress the girl so I asked her to help me bake some cupcakes. The next day I marched up to the girl, box of cupcakes in hand and guess what happened?"
"I don't know, what?" She shrugged with a quick glance at me.
"She gives them away to the blonde boy in our class." I threw my hands up.
"Ouch." She grimaced.
"I know! The audacity." I laughed because it was funny now, but that day I went home in tears. "Straight girls have been breaking my heart all my life."
The only hummed and mumbled. "Maybe stop falling for them?"
"Geez, why didn't I think of that?" I sarcastically said. "Have you ever been in love?"
"Nope." She easily replied.
"Never, not once?" We came to a stop to cross the street.
"No." Thalia looked both ways and I followed as we walked to the hotdog stand.
She ordered first and then I, my order was larger. I tried to pay for both of us, but the glare she gave me made me shrink back. We paid separately then.
"I've had three girlfriends and the rest were flings." I gave information she didn't ask for.
Thalia smirked slightly and faced me, her hair whipping around with the cold night breeze. "You love oversharing, don't you?"
"No, I'm allowing you to get to know me." I bent to pick up a piece of paper I saw on the ground. I discarded it in a nearby bin and washed my hands in the tap provided by the vendor. "What?" I asked when I noticed Thalia's eyes on me.
She clenched her jaw and looked away.
"Here you go." The man said.
We each picked up our food and drink before walking towards a bench up ahead. I slouched down as I sat, spreading my legs to be more comfortable. Thalia sat more pleasant, legs crossed and back straight.
I started to eat quickly but slowed down when I realized I was being greedy. The woman beside me ate politely, chewing carefully and using her napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth.
I frowned and wiped my own mouth with the back of my hand, seeing the ketchup that was smudged. Shrugging, I continued to eat but with more caution.
"You never answered me. What do I want?" I asked after finishing off two hotdogs. These were quite big and I got myself three while Thalia got one.
"What do you want?" She asked and turned her body more to me, her knees touching my right leg briefly as she adjusted.
I shrugged. "I wanna be your friend."
"And that's why it's so much more complicated." She gave that fake smile. "Fucking is easy, right? It only gets difficult when everything else comes into play. Feelings, emotions, wants, needs. Things I'm not willing to give."
"Everyone needs a friend." I said and bit into my third hotdog. "I'll make you a deal." I said after chewing and swallowing."
"I'm curious enough to listen."
"Let me be your friend but at your pace. Except, I still get to bother you because then you'd never confront me if I left it to you. I'm not gonna force you to hang out, but I'll keep asking. I can be very annoying and persistent." I smirked and lightly poked her arm. "Then one day you'll be running to me."
Thalia slapped my hand away. "I don't don't see how that benefits me. Whether or not I agree, you'd still be disrupting my peace."
"You benefit by being in my presence. It's a win-win, honestly." I balled up my garbage and took Thalia's as well to throw away.
"Someone's full of herself." She mumbled when I sat back down.
With my index finger and thumb, I pinched the lapel of my leather jacket and fanned it. "With good reason."
Thalia stared at me blankly, a smile breaking free in seconds. "So weird." She whispered.
My own smile widened. "I got a giggle and a smile in one night. Man, I'm winning today."
"Whatever." My company scoffed.
"Can I walk you home?" I asked as we stood.
"Even if I say no, you'll still follow me like always." She rolled her eyes then tilted her head back to look up at me. "You're going to walk three miles to drop me off then walk back?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Or we can go get my bike? I don't live far from the bar." I pointed in the direction we came from.
"I'm not getting on that." Thalia quickly declined.
"Fine, let's walk. It's a good thing I skipped the gym today." I stretched my arms and did three jumping Jacks. "I'm ready." Six miles was nothing to me, considering my workout habits and occupation.
I was rewarded another eye roll as we set off.
-E