Vegas Vacation

Teddy’s POV

I could say that when she and I locked eyes, she came over and apologized for being totally crazy earlier today. I could say that she asked if we could start over and grab some food. I could say that I forgave her and it was the beginning of a wonderful relationship.

But that would be lying.

Instead, this is what happened. When she saw me, she rolled her eyes. She was sitting next to a fountain and talking to the same girl that sat beside her on the plane. When she saw me, she scooted so her back was to me.

I saw that they were splitting a pretzel but had no drinks. That’s when it hit me! This is an opportunity to redeem myself, I thought. Even though I didn’t do anything wrong in the first place.

What I would do was get her a drink – a slushie if possible – and then all would be forgiven.

Hopefully.

So I power-walked all over the Miracle Mile to all the different food places (there wasn’t a food court, they were spread out all over the place) and NO ONE had slushies. Apparently slushies are too lame of a drink to be served in Vegas. The only thing I found remotely close to a slushie was Aromi D’Italia, which sold gelato.

Italian ice cream. Close enough.

I ordered a strawberry gelato and walked back over to the fountain, feeling pretty good about myself. So good, in fact, that I didn’t realize what was going on until I heard someone say “Can I help you?”

That’s when I realized I was standing right in front of her.

Way to go, Ted. You are one rico suave chico.

“Hi, my name is Teddy and we bumped into each other this morning at LAX and I know you must still hate me for taking the last slushie, so I thought I would make it up to you by replacing it! But there aren’t any here, so I got you some gelato. Which is just a fancy word for Italian ice cream. It’s strawberry, your favorite. Or at least I think it is. Anyway, here!”

And then I thrust the small cup of gelato into her hands and waited for her to say something. Just a ‘thank you’ or a ‘My name is…’. I’m not picky. Just something.

She looked down at the gelato and then at me.

“Thank you.” She replied.

Hey hey hey, we’re making progress here!

“You’re welcome…” I smiled but then realized something, “Um…what’s your name?”

“Roxie!” The attractive girl sitting next to her replied, “Her name is Roxie. And I’m Keri! Nice to meet you, Ted! I can call you Ted, right? Or is it short for Theodore? Hahaha Roxie, if you guys date, you could call him Theodore, like from Alvin and the Chipmunks!” Keri nudged Roxie with her elbow and then added, “Well, except he’s the total opposite of Theodore. You’re all…lanky and tall, while he was short and fat.” Keri looked me up and down.

“Uh, thanks?” I blinked. I didn’t understand all of what she said. I just caught her name and Roxie’s name, and then something about chipmunks. Sometimes girls talk too fast for me to understand anything.

Cue silence.

Keri looked at Roxie, at me, and then back at Roxie. She reached in her pocket and flipped open her phone, while Roxie was just staring down at her cup of gelato.

“Oh look at the time!” Keri pointed at her phone’s screen, “Mom told me to be back within the hour, so I guess I better be going.”

Roxie’s head snapped up, “You said your parents said you could hang out until you had to go to the Cirque du Soleil show at six.” She said.

“Oh I did? I meant…Mark just texted me and he wants me to meet him over at the M&M merchandise store!” Keri shoved her phone back in her pocket.

“But didn’t he just call ten minutes ago and tell you that he wasn’t going to be able to hang out until later tonight? Cause he had some Glee press conference thing?” Roxie squinted at Keri.

“Buh-bye, darlings!” Keri, ignoring Roxie’s words, hopped off the fountain’s ledge. “Nice to meet you, Ted!” And with that, she walked away, her leather jacket quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Roxie’s POV

Keri just left me alone with the guy who totally ruined my morning (Remind me to hurt her later). And said guy just bought me some sort of ice cream. But he got one thing right. My favorite flavor is strawberry.

“Umm, so can I sit?” Teddy, I guess his name is, asked. He nodded at the spot where Keri had just been. Normally, I would have told him to get lost. But…he bought me really expensive foreign ice cream.

And he’s kinda cute.

“Sure,” I said, trying to act nonchalant and so I just stared at the ice cream cup in my hands. Teddy hopped up next to me on the fountain’s ledge and accidentally brushed up against my arm. If he felt the same tingle that went through my arm, he didn’t let on. He just swung his feet back and forth like he was a five year old.

“You better eat that. Ya know, before it turns into…soup.” He suggested.

“I don’t have a spoon.” I said.

“So?”

“So, you need a spoon to eat ice cream.” I said, in a matter-of-fact voice.

“No you don’t. Just slurp it like it’s the leftover milk in a bowl of cereal.”

“I am NOT slurping it.”

“Do it.” He leaned closer and focused on me. It’s hard to describe it. It’s like he was daring me to eat like…bugs like they do on Fear Factor or something. I mean, I’m not a total neat freak (just take a look at my room), but I am so not slurping half melted ice cream in front of people.

“No! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Do it or I’ll…I’ll make up a song that has words that rhyme with your name.”

“You will not.”

“ROXIEEE!” He threw his head back and belted out, “SHE’S GOT ON COOL SOCKS-EEES! AND SHE DON’T HAVE NO MOUTHPIECEEE! SHE’S ROXIEEE.”

People walking by stared but then started giggling and pointing at Teddy. To say it was embarrassing would be an understatement.

“Please stop.”

“ROXIEEE, SHE’S THE…OPPOSITE OF OBEEESE, AND SHE---Dammit, your name is horrible.”

I gaped at him, “Well thanks!”

“No, no!” He apologized, “I just meant, it’s hard to rhyme with. You know. I mean, if I were ever to write an actual serious song about you, it would be hard to rhyme with.” He smiled.

“And what makes you think I would want an actual serious song?”

“I used to be called the Next John Mayer by people, so I think I know a thing or two about writing romantic songs.” He said, attempting to play footsies with me.

“Whatever.” I sighed, about to hop off so I could throw the melted Italian ice cream in the trash can near us.

“Are you going to throw it away? Don’t make me sing again.” Teddy warned me.

“Oh for the love of Thor, do NOT sing more.”

“Heeey, you could be a songwriter yourself! That rhymed!” He chuckled, and then he sucked in a huge bunch of air and started singing/screaming again, “ROX---“

“OHMYGOD, OKAY, FINE!” I put the cup up to my lips and downed about half of the strawberry soupy ice cream. “Are you happy? I had some. Can I throw it away now?”

He grinned, “Yes, you may.”

I chucked the cup in the trash can and then hopped up back next to him. I looked over at him and he was still smiling, looking at my nose to be exact.

“WHAT?” I snapped.

“You’ve…” Teddy pointed at his nose, “Well when you were drinking the ice cream, you got some on your…here, let me get it off.” He said, taking his index finger and gently wiping some ice cream off the bridge of my nose.

Which I thought was sweet.

Until he sucked it off his finger.

His lips smacked, “Delicious!” He declared.

“I’m glad you think so.” I replied sarcastically.

*Everybody is just a stranger but that’s the danger in going my own way
Guess it’s the price I have to pay*

Teddy pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the Caller ID, “Hello?” He answered, “Yeah-huh. Yeah. No. Yeah. No. No. Okay. Bye.”

“Intense conversation,” I joked as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

“Yeah, no. I gotta go. Parents want to get something to eat.”

“Oh.” I said, sort of disappointed. Because even though he just embarrassed me to the point where I thought I was going to explode, I liked being around him. “Umm, okay.”

He hopped down, “I’ll see you around?”

I nodded, “Sure.” Let’s be honest, I was sad to see him go. But he said ‘see you around’. As in ‘we’ll see each other again’. As in ‘this isn’t the end, Roxie’.

Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it.