~3~
Randall paced nervously in front of the bus shelter, waiting for the next Route 115 to arrive. He paused to look at his watch, rechecked the bus schedule, and resumed his nervous gait. What if she doesn’t like me? What if I don’t like her? She seems like the whole package…smart, funny, beautiful from what I’ve seen in the pictures…what if I blow it? What if she breaks my heart? Whoa, man…I’m getting ahead of myself. Randall took a deep breath and tried to calm down, as he was getting wary glances from the patrons of the nearby mini-mart.
Not that the wary glances weren’t unwarranted; Randall was a very distinct young man. That is, if “distinct” were described as six feet tall with a brown Mohawk and black fingernail polish. He was unsure on the nail polish, but Kandace assured him that Anni liked the “bad boy” type. Kandace liked to assure a lot of things, though. But if half the things she said about Anni were actually true, today might be the start of something spectacular.
The distinctive hiss of the bus brakes startled Randall out of his thoughts. This is it! The usual line of people filed off of the bus, and Randall’s heart sunk. He didn’t see Anni anywhere. Maybe she caught the next bus? As he looked towards the back door of the bus, his eyes suddenly lit up.
There she was…denim cutoffs, yellow halter top, every man’s fantasy.
“Are you Randall?”
Randall struggled to find his words. “Yes, yes I am. Are you…Anni?”
“In the flesh!”
“…Kandace told me you were hot, but damn! I’m sorry…that was kind of rude, wasn’t it?”
“Not at all! So, Randall, where to?”
“I was thinking my place. I’ve got food, I’ve got some bud, my mom won’t be home for about 6 hours…and I can show you my snake!”
Slightly startled, Anni raised an eyebrow and asked, “Your snake?? Like, an actual snake, or is the next sentence going to refer to its home in your trousers?”
“I can show you both, if you like.”
Anni giggled. He certainly is charming, this one…something about that crooked smile. And the black nail polish—kinda ballsy!
“Okay, I’m in. You had me at food!” Anni was always hungry, although she couldn’t gain a pound to save her life.
Anni and Randall walked down Nellis, and the conversation between them flowed so freely that the two-mile walk seemed to take mere seconds. She felt as if she was talking to a longtime friend, not a person she’d only met an hour ago. And unlike most other conversations with the opposite sex, this one wasn’t laden with (much) innuendo. He’s actually not being a perv! Should I be worried?
The two arrived at Randall’s apartment complex, and when they got to the gate Randall looked down and noticed that sometime during the journey he’d started holding Anni’s hand. It felt so natural, I didn’t even notice doing it, Randall mused. He entered the gate code and placed Anni’s hand back in his. She didn’t object.
Anni was all smiles as they approached his apartment. But as they drew nearer, Anni noticed a girl sitting on the porch. Great. Just great. A crazy bitch ex-girlfriend. So much for a good day.
“Randall, who’s that on your front step?”
Randall sighed. “My ex, Breezy. We broke up about a week ago.”
“Um, is my presence here going to cause a conflict? I don’t do too well with conflict.”
“Let’s hope not.”
As Anni walked up to Breezy, she sincerely hoped that things with Randall weren’t about to be shot to shit. Ex-girlfriends had a habit of mucking up the works. I should just talk to her. Here goes nothing!
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