The confines of the restaurant behind them, Brian and Stormy sat on the tailgate of his truck in Riverfront Park, eating pizza straight from the box as the sun dipped toward the horizon. The wooden archway of the Gateway Crossing footbridge against a backdrop of glorious pink-streaked sky was picture-perfect, but Brian found his gaze fixated on Stormy instead as she sat beside him on the tailgate, only the width of a pizza box between them. Her bare feet dangled in the open air above the pavement where her shoes currently lay, and strands of her auburn hair danced on the breeze as she finished her third slice of pizza with a moan of pure ecstasy. Brian chuckled softly.
"What?" Stormy asked, obviously unnerved to find him watching her.
"Nothing," he said. "I've just never seen anyone get quite so much pleasure from a slice of pizza, that's all."
"Mm," she murmured, averting her eyes as she wiped her mouth self-consciously with a paper napkin. "Sorry. 'Dainty' has never been my strong point."
"No, don't apologize!" he laughed. "It's good to see you so... relaxed. You look a lot better without that giant stick up your ass."
Stormy burst out laughing. "Thanks, I think!"
"You're welcome," Brian grinned, pleased that she could take a joke. "All kidding aside, though—you do seem different lately."
Stormy shrugged. "I guess maybe I am, in some ways." She took a long, pensive drink from her soda bottle. "I know it sounds dumb, but finally closing the door on the whole 'Gage Thing' really changed my perspective on a lot of things."
Brian nodded, resisting the urge to ask her exactly what 'things' she was referring to. He stared down at the pavement for a long moment, absently peeling the label from his own soda bottle as he debated his next words. Finally, he turned to face her again.
"Honestly?" he started. "You handled it a lot better than I thought you would. I figured you'd bolt again."
"No, I made that mistake once already, remember?"
Brian didn't know why his heart skipped a beat at that. Surprise, he assumed.
"You think it was a mistake leaving Aubry?" he asked, realizing that he sounded more hopeful than surprised, and praying that she wouldn't pick up on it.
"Yeah, sort of," she shrugged. "I mean, I could have saved myself ten whole years of misery if I had hung around long enough to find out what a dirtbag Gage really was!"
"Why did you take off, anyway?" Brian asked. "That never really made sense to me; you don't seem like the 'slink-off-with-your-tail-between-your-legs' type..."
He could tell right away that he'd said the wrong thing. She suddenly seemed tense and uneasy, and she studiously avoided his eyes as she gathered their garbage into a plastic bag. He watched her in silence, shaking his head when she held out the open pizza box to him. After closing the lid, she hopped down to the pavement and slipped her sandals back on as she glanced around looking for a trash can. Brian slid down and stepped in front of her, giving her no choice but to look at him. His fingers brushed hers as he gently slipped the bag from her grasp.
"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, although it was obvious that he had.
"What? No!" she said, although he wasn't convinced. "I'm just... stuffed." She offered up a feeble smile. "I guess my eyes are bigger than my stomach."
Brian knew that wasn't it, but he decided to let it go for now. He nodded his head toward the crushed stone walkway that led up to the wooden footbridge.
"It's no moonlit beach, but we could go for a walk," he offered. "Burn off some of this pizza."
She smiled, for real this time.
"Lead the way," she agreed.
Brian moved to the cab of the truck, tossing his suit jacket in through the open window and retrieving the keys from the ignition. They dropped the trash in the nearest receptacle and ambled slowly up the path. They came to the bridge and had just stepped onto the planks when they were met by an elderly couple heading back toward the parking lot. The four of them said hello and exchanged pleasantries about the weather and such, and just before they set off on their separate ways, the woman reached out with a shaky hand and squeezed Stormy's arm, the way older people tend to do.
"It's so nice to see young people in love," she said, her eyes twinkling merrily. "You two remind me of us when we were young." She turned and smiled lovingly at her husband, and he nodded in agreement.
"Oh. We're not, uh..." Stormy stammered.
"Thank you," Brian cut in graciously, signaling to Stormy with an almost imperceptible shake of his head. She got the message and replied with a slight smile and an equally furtive nod. Both couples wished each other a good evening and parted ways.
"I figured it was easier than trying to explain the concept of a Practice Date to them," Brian said, by way of explanation.
"True," she agreed. "Wait a minute, I thought we were done with the Practice Date!"
"Oh, it's not over," Brian corrected. "The location's just changed, that's all."
"That's not fair!" Stormy insisted. "If I had known we were still 'on', I would have been giving you my A-game!" She twirled in a graceful arc and leaned back against the railing, resting her elbows on the wood plank and arching her back as she shook her hair down over the length of her back. Then she licked her lips and tossed him a flirtatious grin.
He couldn't breathe. Literally.
"Looking like that, all you'd need to do is show up," he somehow managed, hoping his voice didn't sound as strangled as it felt.
Apparently not, because she just laughed and resumed their stroll. He followed half a step behind, watching as her slender fingers trailed delicately over the railing. They sauntered along at a leisurely pace, pausing occasionally to gaze out over the river or admire the sunset sky. As they neared the end of the bridge, Stormy stopped and leaned against the railing, looking down at the rocks that covered the sloped riverbank below.
"So how is it that your sister hasn't married you off to some cute little nurse or something by now?" she ventured.
Brian groaned. "Trust me, it's not for lack of effort on her part!" he said, absently twirling the keys in his hand. "At one point, it got so bad that we didn't speak for almost a month, until she finally agreed to never fix me up again!"
"Come on, it can't be that bad!" Stormy laughed. "I'm sure she means well..."
"Good, next time she gets the matchmaking bug, I'll send her your way!" Brian countered, falling in beside her at the railing. He leaned out over the edge and studied the riverbank below.
"I'll pass, thanks," Stormy declined.
"Why, worried that nobody else will quite measure up to Gage?" he teased.
Stormy elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up," she murmured, holding back a smile. "And for your information, I've dated some since Gage!"
"Define 'dated'," Brian said. "Is that like Dinner-and-A-Movie dated or Drunken-One-Night-Stand dated?"
Stormy's mouth dropped open, and her eyes flew open wide. "I won't even dignify that with a response!" she gasped in false indignation.
"That's what I thought," he said knowingly. "Drunken one-night-stand."
"Shut up!" Stormy laughed, shoving him hard enough to knock him off balance.
His arms flailed out, and he managed to grab onto the railing and keep himself from falling, but not without losing hold of his keys. Time seemed to move in slow motion, both of them frozen in place as they watched the key ring arc through the air, pause for a brief moment, and then plummet from sight. The seemingly endless silence that followed was broken by a faint clink. They leaned out over the railing simultaneously, peering down at the keys just barely visible on the rocks below.
"Well, at least it wasn't a 'splash'," Stormy snickered.
Brian turned his head and cocked an eyebrow at her.
"This is funny to you?" he asked, his tone comically threatening. He sprang at her suddenly, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her legs up toward the railing. "How about you go get them, then?"
"Brian, no!" Stormy shrieked, laughing. "Don't you dare!"
Brian set her down, laughing himself.
"Wait here," he said. "I'll be right back."
He walked the few yards to the end of the bridge and started down the rocky embankment. Stormy leaned out over the railing, watching his descent from above.
"Hey, do you think there are river rats down there?" she called down innocently.
"You're not helping," he said dryly, looking up at her from the shadows. She was grinning down at him, and he couldn't help but smile.
He picked his way carefully down over the rocks, the smooth leather soles of his black dress shoes making the trip a treacherous one. He finally reached the spot where the keys had fallen, and Stormy began clapping and cheering wildly on the bridge above him. He gave her the finger, and she roared with laughter.
Damn, she's weird! he thought, shaking his head.
He snatched up the keys and stuffed them deep into his pocket before beginning the climb up over the steep slope. As he neared the top, he turned and grinned up at Stormy, intending to say something brilliantly witty, but his words were cut short as the rock beneath his feet gave way. He felt his legs come out from underneath him, and the last thing he heard before he tumbled backwards down the slope was Stormy's scream.