At Chubbie's, Shawn and Zoey were sitting at their usual table as they watched Blake on a date with another girl. A few booths over, Angela on a date with another boy.
"I got to tell him." Zoey insisted.
"Blake told us not to interfere with his personal life." Shawn reminded her.
"No, he told you not to interfere with his personal life." Zoey corrected. "Shawnie, this is the woman of his dreams, okay? The woman he could spend the rest of his life with. I don't consider that personal, plus I'm his sister." She stood and walked over to where Blake was kissing his date. "Blake, Blake, let the nice lady breathe. I need to talk to you about Angela."
Blake stood and moved away from the booth before staring at his sister. "This better be important."
"Do you consider the purse girl important?" Zoey wondered.
"Yes." Blake replied quickly.
"Everything that was in the purse, okay? The books of poetry, the Vivaldi, the Van Damme ticket stub, it was all her." She explained.
"Who?" He asked.
"Angela. All the stuff belongs to Angela." She told him.
"The purse belonged to Beth." Blake corrected her, not allowing himself to believe her words.
"No." Shawn said he joined them. "Angela borrowed Beth's purse. But that's none of our business now, is it, Zo?"
"No, it's not our business at all." Zoey replied as she continued staring at her brother. "What are going to about it?"
"Nothing." Blake replied. "Angela and I went out for two weeks. If I was in love with her, you don't think I'd know it?"
"Blake, listen. Angela's everything you've ever wanted in a girl, okay? But you don't know it because you haven't looked into her eyes. Look into her eyes." Zoey insisted.
Blake sighed and made his way over to Angela's booth but noticed the novel that was beside her.
"Is this... is this a book of sonnets?" He wondered.
"Yeah." Angela replied. Blake paused for a moment before he began giggling. "Why are you giggling?"
"Am I?" He questioned.
"What's the matter with you?" She asked with concern.
Blake turned away from her to look at Shawn and Zoey, smiling like crazy.
Zoey nodded to him. "Look into her eyes."
Blake face her again and did was he was told.
Angela tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Blake, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because I never have before." Blake replied softly. He turned around and walked back to the couple. "It's Angela."
••••
Blake met up with Zoey the next day at school on his free period, he needed to talk to her now, as he successfully avoided Angela through the halls.
"Hey, Blake's in loves. You call her?" She asked her brother.
Blake shook his head. "No. I'm way too nervous. I wouldn't know where to start."
"Well, how about starting by saying hello?" Zoey suggested.
"That's way too risky, Zo." Blake told her. "It would probably come out 'I want to have your children'!"
"You know, Shawn actually told me the same thing when I got my hair fixed up." Zoey pointed out with a chuckle. "I just can't believe this is my brother, a man of a thousands dates, and he's afraid to call a girl."
Blake narrowed his eyes at her. "How dare you? I fear nothing!"
Zoey looked over Blake's shoulder and smirked. "Good. Here she comes."
Blake's eyes widened. "What?!"
Blake immediately ran into the janitor closet as Angela approached.
"Hi, Angela." Zoey greeted as she moved in front of the door.
Angela smiled. "Hi, Zoey."
"Uh, Blake's in the closet." Zoey informed.
Angela smirked as she stood in front of the janitor closet. "Hey, Blake."
"Angela! You smell nice!" Blake called from his hiding place.
Shawn walked around the corner and met up with his girlfriend. He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips. Zoey leaned up and smiled into it, her lips puckered as they pulled away.
"Hey, I made us reservations at, uh, Barelli's for our anniversary." Shawn informed.
Zoey narrowed her eyes. "Wasn't it our anniversary last month?"
"No, no, no we were just having dinner with everyone else." Shawn explained.
"So, when's our anniversary?" Zoey asked.
"It's Wednesday!" Blake answered from the closet.
"How come Janitor Bud knows our anniversary?" Shawn wondered.
"Oh, no, that's Blake." Zoey explained as her brother walked out of the closet. "He'd hiding from Angela."
"It's like everything I've ever known about girls has been completely erased form my brain." Blake said, as a girl passed by. "Hello, Sir." He turned back to his sister. "See? I know that was wrong."
"Blake, you got to pull yourself together." Zoey told him.
"All my life, I have never worried about whether a girl likes me or not. But with Angela, it matters. I really want her to like me." Blake said.
"Well, here she comes again." Zoey announced. "Why don't you talk to her?"
"I can't!" Blake exclaimed. He turned to make a dash for the closet again.
Zoey stopped him. "I don't think so."
"Hey, Blake." Angela greeted. "Do you want to go out and get something to eat later?"
"I'd like that." Blake answered nervously.
"Oh, I saw this and I thought of you." Angela said as she pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Blake. "See ya."
With that, Angela walked down the hall as Blake's eyes followed after her.
"What'd she give you?" Shawn asked.
"It's a little seashell." Blake replied, looking at it in awe.
"Do you even like seashells?" Zoey wondered.
"I like this one." He replied quickly.
••••
On her way to the apartment, Zoey walked out of the elevator and went to the front door but stopped in the hallway when she saw Blake banging his head against the wall.
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Blake exclaimed repeatedly.
"Blake?" Zoey called, trying to get him to stop.
"Zo, you should have seen it. Crash and burn. Nuns should never fly planes." Blake told her. Zoey stared at him in confusion. "I'm just going back to the way things were."
Zoey shook her head. "No, no you don't okay? You can't go back."
"Look, I gave it a shot, okay? I opened myself up and I got hurt. Obviously Angela doesn't want what I want." Blake said with a frown.
"She doesn't know what she wants, okay? Here, I want to tell you a story. When Shawn arrived to Philadelphia we instantly became best friends. I knew everything about him. I knew his favourite colour. I knew his favourite food. Then when I was 14, we were in a closet together and he kissed me. My very first kiss. I mean he gave me the best kiss I've ever had. Truth was, I was seeing someone else at the time.... And now look where I am." She explained.
"I want what you have." He admitted with a frown.
"Then go get it." She insisted.
••••
On Saturday evening, Zoey stood outside of the Italian restaurant for her and Shawn's anniversary. She wore a beautiful maroon silk dress and shifted uncomfortably as she waited for her boyfriend to show up.
Shawn showed up and took a moment, taking her appearing in. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you." Zoey said gratefully. She smiled and reached up to plant a kiss on his lips.
"We should head inside." Shawn insisted as he opened the door for her before following his girlfriend inside.
"Shawn, this is really fancy." She stated.
"You think this is fancy? I don't think it's that fancy." He responded. As they were shown to their table, they passed by Blake and Angela's table. "Oh, Blake and Angela! What a surprise, huh?"
"Hey guys." Zoey greeted.
"Talk about coincidences." Shawn remarked. "Of all the restaurants in town."
"Yeah, and all the suits." Blake muttered.
Zoey and Shawn were led to their table and their first appetizer arrived - something neither of them really knew what it was. The both took a drink from their waters, which were immediately replaced by new glasses.
The waiter returned to their table. "I've come to take your order. You have not touched the pate. It's not good?"
"I really don't know what it is." Shawn admitted.
"Uh, its... uh come si dice? Um, goose liver." The waiter informed. Shawn and Zoey looked at each other in disgust. "You requested it when you telephoned this afternoon."
"When I called, did I sound like I had curly hair and was ninety?" Shawn asked.
"Si." The waiter answered before walking away.
Zoey leaned towards her boyfriend. "Shawn, we've been best friends for years. Why did you think I'd like this place?"
"Because you deserve the best. Zoey, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. So, I asked Cory a fancy place to take you for our anniversary and he suggested this place. He called and everything." Shawn explained.
"Shawn, we don't need Cory to help us with or anniversary. We should just be ourselves." Zoey said before gesturing to the restaurant. "This isn't being ourselves."
"Hey, Eduardo!" Shawn called the waiter.
The waiter walked to their table. "Si?"
"Could you get rid of this and just bring us a couple of burgers?" Shawn asked.
"You no like?" The waiter wondered.
"No." Zoey replied apologetically. "We like burgers."
"Barelli's is a place where all your dreams come true. Two burgers!" The waiter called as he lifted their pate and handed it to another server.
"Fries." Zoey added.
"Oh, yeah, and get some ketchup, too." Shawn informed. He then faced his girlfriend. "Do you mind if I take this tie off?"
Zoey reached forward and helped loosen it. "I don't mind if you dress up, but you don't have to do it for me."
The two of them looked across the restaurant to see Blake and Angela kissing.
"I love you, Zoey Francis." Shawn told her.
Zoey smiled. "I love you too, Shawn Hunter."
The couple leaned towards each other and exchanged a sweet kiss.
______________________
PUBLISHED: September 16, 2018
WORDS: 1684