If you haven’t seen it yet, Kevin has the first chapter of his new story up at his site. Give him a visit, it’s quite amusing.
I think my dendrites were firing a little more effectively for this chapter. You can be the judge.
Two different musicians performed. The first was a young guy with a guitar. He was entertaining and upbeat, and the crowd loved him. The second was a woman on a keyboard. She was mellow, and much more laid back than stuff Mike usually listened to. Considering his situation though, Mike had found it a little romantic.
When the music was over, most of the crowd slowly made their way out.
“I think we’re gonna bail,” Marly said, “but we should do this again sometime.” Adam reached across the table to high five Mike.
As Marly and Adam began their exit, Jen stood up too.
“Hey Mike, don’t you leave really close to Monica?” Jen asked.
“Yeah, just a couple doors down…”
“You mind taking Monica home? I’m running a little late. The last thing I need is my dad on my case.”
Mike shrugged. “I guess, as long as Monica is OK with…”
“Awesome! Thanks Mike!”
Monica scowled at Jen. Her plan was obvious, but it had worked. Jen smiled proudly and waved as she left.
Monica turned back to Mike and gave an embarrassed smile. “I think we’ve been setup.”
“I think so,” Mike agreed, watching the others leave in the parking lot. “Hope it’s not a problem.”
“No, it’s fine,” Monica assured him. “Besides, I know where you live.” She winked playfully.
Mike smiled. He exhaled for what seemed like the first time all night.
Monica and Mike left The Coffee Hut and stepped out into the frigid night air. Up above a thousand stars were watching them.
Mike motioned to his car. Conversations with his dad crept out of his subconscious and guided him. Mike had heard the story of how his dad wooed his mom a hundred times, and they were always full of “woman” advice.
He approached the passenger side door and opened it first. Monica smiled in approval and got in.
As Mike got in the other side he realized just how sad his car was. It was well past its prime, but it was reliable. Mike turned the key and glanced over at his gorgeous cargo. He had never realized how ugly his car was until this moment. The sheer beauty of Monica Callaway put the rest of his car to shame. It’s like an art class where you think your painting looks decent, until you put it next to a good one. Monica was so perfect it made his car look like a Pinto. Mike’s dejected Honda Civic pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.
“At least you know where I live,” Monica said looking on the bright side of their setup.
“True, you don’t have to worry about.”
“What do I need to worry about then?” Monica teased. Simply being in Monica’s presence made him uncomfortable enough. Questions like that only compounded his uneasiness.
You need to worry that I’ll do something stupid like try and kiss you. Don’t hot girls know what they should be worried about?
“Nothing of course. Except I might not have any CDs you like.”
Monica reached down and found his wallet full of CDs. She thumbed through the contents with great interest, like they were a small glimpse into who this stranger Mike Donovan really was. The last CD struck her as an odd choice.
“Why do you have ‘N Sync?” she asked.
Mike had forgot about that CD. He moved into damage control mode. “Well, I got it for free, but I guess it’s a little catchy.” Mike gave a half smile and looked at Monica to see what she thought.
Monica smiled and leaned over to him. Mike suddenly found it much more difficult to concentrate on driving.
In a whisper Monica said “It can be our little secret.” Both of them couldn’t help but laugh at this. Monica pulled the CD out and put it in. The sound of high pitched male voices filled the car.
As Mike turned down their street he was snapped back into panic. He’d been having so much fun on the ride home he had done zero strategizing. His dad always stressed how important the end of a date was. “You can charm her the whole night,” he lectured, “but screw up the end and that’s all she’ll remember.”
Whatever you do, don’t screw it up!
It seemed weird parking the car a few doors down from his own house. The myriad of choices Mike now had to make were daunting.
If I leave the car running, it looks like I’m eager to get rid of her.
If I turn the car off, it looks like I’m expecting a long talk when she probably just wants to leave.
If I walk her to the door then it looks like I want a goodnight kiss.
Mike’s hand rested on the keys as he tried to come to a decision.
Monica had thoroughly enjoyed their evening at the coffee shop. Adam and Marly were both a lot of fun, and she was beginning to realize that Mike Donovan was an all around good guy. When she found the ‘N Sync CD, most guys she knew would have puffed up their chest and put on a tough face. She was tired of people pretending to be someone they weren’t. Not only did Mike stay true to himself, but he didn’t seem to care what other people thought. Monica had not been immediately attracted to Mike physically, but his personality was quickly changing the way she saw him. She realized this and felt a surge of nerves shoot through her spine.
“Guess I better go!” she piped up. “But we should do this again, it was fun.”
“Yeah, it was.” Mike said. “Thanks for asking me.”
“Anytime,” Monica added as she got out of the car. “See you around neighbor.” Mike could see her white teeth shine in the moonlight. She shut the door and all Mike could do was wave.
He waited until she was all the way inside. Mike leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He felt like a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It was like finals week had drawn to a close. For a whole week you stressed out and drove yourself nuts, but at the end it was almost euphoric. Mike had survived the entire date without saying anything overly stupid or revolting. She even left with a smile.
Mike looked in his rear-view mirror, and put the car in reverse.
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