Anyway, Here's the latest story I've revised. I'm really happy with how it's turned out! Let me know what you think!
Want
I
sat staring at my phone intently as if willing it to ring with my mind. It was just so like Andrew to avoid a
problem so long as it wasn’t his.
I picked it up off the table and pushed the button to illuminate the
screen. The empty status bar only
seemed to mock me. I slammed it
back down on the table and looked out the window of the restaurant.
“That’s no way to treat a phone,” said a familiar
voice as it approached. I looked
up and saw Jack.
I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t call C.P.P.S. on me,” I replied.
“C.P.P.S.?” he asked.
“Cell Phone Protective Services.”
Jack laughed assuring me, “Don’t worry, I
won’t...this time. Just try to be
nicer in the future. Mind if I
have a seat?”
Before I could answer he was directly in front of
me, inside my private booth next to the restaurant’s kitchen. I liked sitting there because it was
never hard to get a servers’ attention since they HAD to eventually go back there
for something. And I could make
sure they didn’t do any funny stuff to my food. I worked in a kitchen once and I knew all about doing funny
stuff to people’s food.
“So, what’s up, mama?” Jack asked. I couldn’t believe the sheer audacity
of this man. We had broken up a
year ago, but his larger-than-life ego couldn’t grasp the fact that a smart,
attractive girl in this world no longer wanted to be with him. He acted as if he were the one who
broke up with me. It was kind of
cute and pathetic, really. “Wait,
let me guess,” he said. “Your
subordinate is being insubordinate.”
Annoyed, I answered, “It’s really none of your
business, Jack.”
“Fine, fine.
Have it your way, Nikki.
You just looked like you might need a friend and I thought maybe I still
fell into that category.” He
started to get up. “I’ll see you
around, I guess.”
Rolling my eyes for the second time I said, “Wait,
Jack. I’ll talk.” He settled back into the booth. “It’s just hard you know.”
He nodded.
“I know, so tell me about it.”
I exhaled loudly before saying, “Where to
begin? Okay, so I met this guy
Andrew at work months ago and we really hit it off.”
“Sounds familiar...” said Jack.
“And it’s like we have this explosive chemistry
that seemed to come out of nowhere.”
“Also very familiar...”
“Nevermind.
You’re my ex, Jack. I
shouldn’t even be talking to you about this. It’s weird.”
“No it’s not.
Please, continue. You met
months ago and...”
“And we hit it off great. I mean, we have absolutely nothing in common except for
where we work and the city we live in, but the’s intensely sharp and makes me
laugh more than---.” I stopped
myself there.
“...more than me?” Jack asked looking wounded for
the first time since the conversation started.
“Well, more than anyone ever,” I answered.
“Okay, stop.
I can’t continue to sit here and listen to how great this guy is, Nik. Just tell me what the problem is.”
I nodded.
“The problem is I think he’s interested in someone else now. It’s this new girl Sylvie.”
“Yikes.”
“Right?
I mean, who since 1955 is named Sylvie anyway?” We both laughed, but then I stopped and
looked at him. “I’m scared,
Jack. I’ve never seen him act this
way around anyone since...since...”
“You.”
“Yeah.”
I picked up my phone knowing full well no one had tried to contact me,
just some nervous tick.
“Have you tried talking to him?”
“Ha!” I scoffed. “You know I can’t do that shit.”
Jack shook his head in disapproval. “That’s something I never got about
you.”
“What is?”
“You never tell people how you feel. Instead you wait for them to guess no
matter how many times they may guess wrong.”
Suddenly I knew we weren’t talking about Andrew and
I anymore.
“Hey, I tell people how I feel,” I said in my
defense.
“No you don’t, Nikki. What you do is tiptoe around how you feel until someone is
forced to drag it out of you.”
“Look, if you have something say, Jack, just say
it.” I was surprised at how heated
this had become. Jack stood up.
“The only thing I have to say is, tell this guy how
you feel. If he’s everything you
say he is, he’ll be flattered.”
Jack paused before adding, “Just for once stop being afraid to make a
mess, Nik. Messes can be nice to
clean up with another person if they’re willing.”
Just as quickly as Jack had appeared he was
gone. I knew he was right. I was afraid to make a mess with Andrew
or anyone I really liked and I didn’t know why. I think it had something to do with not wanting to be
vulnerable. Lord knows that’s
never worked out in my favor before.
I looked at my phone, surrendering to the fact that Andrew simply wasn’t
going to call no matter how hard I stared at it.
“Just give it up,” I said out loud to no one.
I wanted to be mad at Andrew and that skank
Sylvie. I picked up the phone to
call him, but stopped myself.
Instead I took a deep breath and pulled out a few dollar bills from my
purse to leave on the table. I
resolved that I would call Andrew eventually when I knew exactly what I wanted
from him and how best I could ask him for those things. If he was everything I wanted him to
be, he would listen.
