Wilted and Faded

“Hey Frank. Where is everyone?” I asked as I sat down beside him on the couch.

“On the phone with their girlfriends,” he said not looking away from the cartoon on the TV.

“Oh, did you already call yours?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said flatly.

“Huh,” I said, finding it strange that he would be single.

“What do you mean ‘huh’?” he said, turning to face me.

I shrugged nervously, “I just figured you would.”

“Why?” he asked.

I shrugged again, cursing my knack for starting awkward conversations.

Swallowing nervously I tucked my hair behind my ear, “Cause, you’re a nice guy and stuff.”

“And stuff?” he smiled, the late afternoon sunshine making his lip ring shine. I could tell he was enjoying seeing me squirm.

“You know. Like when you showed me the hill with the bench last night,” I replied, a smile threatening my lips as I saw a faint blush tint his cheeks.

He turned back to the TV, “Well, you were upset. I was just trying to cheer you up,” he said gruffly.

I smiled and looked down at the hem of my white tank top, “Well you did.”

“Good.”

We both sat there watching some random cartoon dog with a huge head chase an orange cat around.

“What are we watching?” I asked Frank.

“I have no idea.”