“So—”
“Hey Ed—”
We both laughed.
“Go ahead,” I said to him.
“I was going to ask you to tell me something about yourself,” he said removing his glasses for the first time.
“Well, I’m twenty three and I’ve been at the video game store since I was sixteen. Liora has been my best friend since I was thirteen and she helped me get the job there when she discovered my love for video games. I like to read a lot and I’m a huge fan of amusement parks, animals, tattoos, rock music, and history,” I replied, ticking the items off on my fingers.
He smiled.
“How about you, Australia. Tell me more about yourself,” I replied, taking the straw between my lips and sipping my soda.
“I’m twenty eight. I’ve been doing computer work now for about ten years. My dad would let me sit with him when I was a kid and watch him work on things of that nature and it just kind of stuck I guess. I like all kinds of music myself. I like to travel too. I’ve been to Peru, Cambodia, Germany, and Russia, to name a few places. Do you travel much Eden?” he asked.
“Nope. I’ve never left the States,” I replied.
“Do you have a passport?” he asked.
“No.”
“That’s your problem then,” he said as if though he had just solved a puzzle. “You don’t have any intention of going anywhere so you don’t think about it. Get a passport, and go see the world!”
I stared at him for a moment.
“Well, I was saving up to go to Hawaii actually. I don’t need a passport for that one.”
“Never been there,” he said mostly to himself. “When did you plan on going?”
“I’m about three hundred dollars short right now, so I haven’t booked it yet,” I confessed.
He nodded and our waitress appeared before we could further delve into my povertous situation. I mean I loved my job at the gaming store but it wasn’t like I was bringing home the big bucks. As it was, I lived in a one bedroom apartment and was struggling to make ends meet.
Come to think of it. How much money do I have in my account?
I did some quick mental calculations and deduced that as long as we didn’t order anything else, I would be able to pay for our lunch and tip the waitress.
We kept polite conversation going while we ate. Simon told me about his travels, and I tried not to reach over and put my finger in his deep dimples every time he smiled.
The bill finally came and the waitress took our dirty plates and glasses. I reached for my bag, which I had placed on the chair next to me, but Simon took the bill in his hand and put one hundred dollars on top of it.
“Wait, how much was it?” I asked him in confusion.
“Doesn’t matter. It’s my treat. For getting me the afternoon off,” he said, leaning across the table with a grin.
“Thank you and you’re welcome,” I replied with a grin of my own.
The girl came to our table to take the money, “I’ll be back with your change, sir.”
Simon waved his hand as he put his glasses back on, “I don’t need any change. Have a good day, huh?”
The girl looked as shocked as I did. The bill couldn’t have been more than thirty five dollars which means she just received a sixty five dollar tip; give or take a few dollars.
“That was generous of you,” I said as we walked out.
“She was nice,” he replied with a shrug.
Simon followed me to my car. I opened the door to the driver’s side and I saw him hovering by the passenger door.
“I can see why Li did this,” he said, before he got in.
“Did what?” I asked him.
He looked a bit embarrassed before he spoke.
“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m a bit shy when it comes to women. Liora pulled me into her office today for a meeting, after it was over she told me about her friend Eden who might be able to help me. She said that you are fun-loving, outgoing, and a blast to be around. She thought you might be able to help me.”
Well, at least this wasn’t a setup.
“Sure. But did Li also tell you that I suck with relationships? So if you need any advice in that department, I suggest you find a seasoned veteran.”
Simon laughed.
I smiled.
“Should I drop you off at work?”
“No, I walked today. Can we go back to your place? The sooner I start learning what to do the better.”
Did I clean up before I left?
“Sure,” I chirped.
I drove down Main Street before I turned onto Cedar Lane. I could see my apartment building from where we were and suddenly felt a little hostile. If this man could afford to toss sixty five dollars on a tip, no way in hell would he want to be caught dead in my place.
I pulled into the parking lot, sighed, and turned the car off. When we got out, I watched Simon block the sun with his hands and glance up with a smile.
“Looks cozy from out here,” he remarked.
“Yeah. Cozy. Anyway, follow me,” I said, walking around to the front.
I pushed cringed when I saw the now all too familiar note taped to my door. I was late on the rent, half of it anyway, and this was a note telling me to pay up or move out.
I grabbed it and tried to tuck into my back pocket before Simon could see, but I missed and it fluttered to the ground.
“How much are you missing?” he asked, as he handed it back to me after glancing at it.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll have it by the end of the week,” I replied.
“How much?” he asked again.
“Two hundred dollars,” I sighed.
“Done.”
“What? I wasn’t asking you for money. I don’t
want
your money,” I replied glaring at him.
“Easy there lady,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender and laughing. “I figure it’s a down payment for the lessons you’ll be teaching me.”
“Simon, I wasn’t going to charge you,” I said.
“I know. But I couldn’t figure out how to pay you back and now I can,” he said with a smile.
I weighed my options. I really didn’t want to take any money from him for this, but I could really use the halfsies right now.
“Just this once, okay?” I said softly.
Simon smiled and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, presenting me with two one hundred dollar bills.
“Eden!”
Just in time too.
I turned around and saw my landlord, mad as hell, making his way toward us.
“Where’s the rest of my money?” he barked.
“Here,” I said handing it to him.
“I’m not taking next month late. If you’re gonna be late, just save it and move out. I’m tired of this,” he said, sticking a finger in my face.
“Um, excuse me,” Simon said, “she gave you the money, there’s no need to point fingers and shout.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” my landlord spat at him.
“No, you were yelling at my friend. Who just gave you the money. How much is due for next month, then?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“She pays four hundred fifteen dollars every month.”
“You’ll have next month tomorrow. But only if you leave now and stop pointing fingers in her face,” Simon said calmly.
My landlord stood there for a moment, glaring at him, but then turned and walked back to his car and left.
“No,” I said to Simon.
“Too late! Deal’s been made. Let’s go inside then,” he said cheerfully.
“You’re going to be a pain in my ass, aren’t you?” I asked, unlocking the front door.
He just smiled and walked in through the open door. I laughed and walked in behind him, tossing my bag onto the couch and putting my hands on my hips.
“It may not be much, but it’s definitely home,” I said cheerfully.
“I like it very much, actually.”
“Thanks. Well let’s get down to business. That door right there? That one is off limits. That’s my bedroom and if you don’t know how to do that ... I can’t help you,” I said.
Simon threw back his head and laughed.
“I can assure you that I will not be requiring assistance in that aspect. I’m fine there; it’s just
getting
the ladies there that seems to be the problem.”
“Do you want something to drink?” I asked Simon as he settled onto the couch.
“No, thank you. I like that picture of you and Liora, though,” he said, nodding his head toward the picture I had on top of my media center.
It was a great picture.
Li was so much taller than me, that she would always shrink down to my height for pictures. This one was different though. I had convinced her to stay standing to her full height and we were mugging at each other. I was holding up my fists in a faux boxing motion and she was balancing herself on top of my head with her arm and grinning down at me.
Yeah. It was definitely one of my favorites.
“She can be a goofball given the right motivation,” I said, sitting down across from him. “Mind if I smoke by the way?” I asked reaching for my cigarettes.
“Not at all. It is your apartment after all.”
I lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. The look on Simon’s face was odd; disapproving but smiling. I could tell it was gross to him that I smoked, so I grabbed my ashtray and headed toward the window in the kitchen and opened it up, settling myself onto the pane.
“Okay, so rule number one; don’t ever get that look on your face again. I felt like a total tool just now because of it,” I said to him with a laugh.
“Was it that obvious?” he asked.
I inhaled and nodded, “Yep.”
“I’ll work on that then,” he said, as he came into the kitchen with me.
I looked Simon up and down. I really could do something great here, but I wasn’t sure if he would let me.
Only one way to find out.
“Simon, do you want to go out tonight? There’s an awesome club around the corner that we can go to,” I said.
“Um, sure,” he said looking uncomfortable.
I raised an eyebrow, “Did you have plans for tonight? If you did I can go alone and we can go out some other time. I need to see you in action to know what we have to work on.”
“No, that’s fine. I just didn’t think we’d be going out to try it so soon,” he replied.
I flicked my cigarette into my ashtray and inhaled deeply again.
Suddenly I had an idea to break him out of his insecure shell.
“Can you go into the fridge and hand me a soda please?” I said to him as I crushed out the rest of my smoke.
Simon nodded and handed me a can of Cherry Coke. I opened it and took a couple of big swigs to get the taste of nicotine out of my mouth. I hopped down off the windowsill and leaned against it.
“Kiss me, Simon,” I said.
“What?” he asked.
“Kiss me. I’m serious. I want to see what you’ve got,” I replied.
“Um, okay,” he said as he approached me awkwardly.
I stood up and waited.
Simon looked down for a second before he came over to stand in front of me. I glanced up and he leaned down, stopping a few inches away from my face.
“A tap or tongue?” he asked.
“For the love of God,” I said in exasperation. “Come here.”
I reached up and pulled him down toward me and kissed him on the lips. I knew he was shocked by the sudden movement because at first he didn’t move.
“Really?” I asked, pulling back.
“Sorry,” he replied in embarrassment.
I shrugged and sat back down on the windowsill. This was going to be a bigger job than I thought. “Eden?” Simon asked, shyly.
“Yeah?”
“Let me try it again?”
I looked up at him and sighed. I pushed myself off the sill and stood up, only this time Simon didn’t hesitate. He pulled me against him and kissed me softly at first. Then he used his tongue to gently part my lips, his mouth moving over mine. I knew this was only supposed to be a test but this had to be the best kiss I was ever a part of. I forgot that this was supposed to be a test and I reached up, putting my arms around his neck. While we stood there, wrapped up in each other’s arms and kissing like long lost lovers, I ran my hands through his messy hair, giving it gentle tugs every now and then. I almost wound up knocking his glasses off of his face, with as much as I was playing with his hair and that’s when Simon stopped the kiss. But not before biting my lower lip as he pulled away.
“How did I do?” he asked, breathing heavily.
“Not bad,” I teased, settling back on the windowsill. “I need another cigarette. Would you mind?”
Simon laughed and went to retrieve my smokes, handing me the box and lighter.
“You’re pretty good too,” he said, with a grin.
“Thanks, but we’re not here to judge me, Simon. We’re here to judge you,” I replied, shaking a fist at him. “Anyway, now you know where I live. Why don’t you go home and get cleaned up or whatever then meet me back here at eight.”
He smiled and nodded.
“Here, take my car. I’m not going anywhere,” I said, reaching into my pocket and handing him the keys.
“Thanks,” he said with a smile.
“You’re welcome. Now get the hell out so I can take a nap and get ready for later. We’re gonna be out late tonight,” I replied pointing at the door.
Simon laughed; his good-natured laughed and walked out of my apartment. I watched him from the window and saw him shaking his head, with a smile on his face still, before he turned on the car and left.
I got up from where I was sitting and dumped the ashes and butts into the garbage can. I set the crystal ashtray by the sink and walked back into the living room where I kicked off my chucks by the door and went into the bedroom, flopping myself down on my small bed, face first.
Just a short nap, then I can take the hot nerd king out and see what I have to work with.
My short nap must’ve lapsed into hours because I was woken up by the sound of knocking on the door.
“Coming!” I yelled out groggily.
I pushed myself up to my knees on the bed and stretched. I rubbed my neck, trying to work out the cramped muscle from possibly sleeping at an odd angle.
I sighed when I heard another knock and made my way out of my room toward the door.
“What?” I asked, yanking it open angrily.
Simon’s smile fell and he looked at me a bit shocked before he lips twitched. I could tell he was trying not to laugh.
“It’s eight, Eden,” he said.