Love Among the Pizza Boxes

It’s late morning and the weather is relatively crappy, so I’m sitting at the usual table at The Bean again. Benny and Fabio normally aren’t here in the mornings, so I’m all alone. Even Lorraine isn’t here, so I got my coffee from a not-so-chatty Cathy.
My caramel macchiato sits cooling between my palms as I watch the raindrops furiously slap against the street and the palm trees rise and bow in the whipping wind. My head droops between my arms and I cross my eyes trying to read what’s on my disposable coffee cup.
Biodegradable… Blurry… Green… Fuzzy… Recycle!...
So… Bored…
Enh.
Ding.
My head pops up.
A short someone engulfed in a rain poncho comes through the door. Her hood is blown off in a spray of blonde hair.
The door closes.
“Naminé.”
“Hi, Shayla.”

It’s been a few hours now and Nami and I are thoroughly acquainted. We’ve discussed the pros and cons of tampons and why hippos are purple in cartoons; we are familiarized with each other’s sleeping schedules and favorite colors; and we’ve just chatted about… Everything. Hopes, dreams, aspirations, books, crappy jobs… The list goes on and on.
I never talk with Zermine like this. It’s always “I’m hungry, take me out” or “Zermine, would you mind awfully if you don’t smoke pot in my bathroom, thanks”. But here with Nami it feels like I have a gal pal to talk to, converse with about life’s greatest mysteries that no one really cares about. I hadn’t realized it before, but I need some intelligent conversation with a girl who understands girl things. I mean- Riku, I love him entirely too much for my own good, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t particularly want to hear about problems he wouldn’t understand. I’m sure he’d listen… But I’m also sure that he wouldn’t be able to empathize and or say anything on the subject.
So… This is a good time.
“…Did you know that there are only three people in the world that you’re completely compatible with?” Nami asks and sips at her caramel macchiato, same as me oddly enough.
“Really?” I ask, my cheeks flushing a little.
Riku.
My face is very warm as my mind goes back to our day spent together yesterday.
“Yeah. Kinda makes you feel hopeless, yet kind of… Special at the same time, huh?”
“Mmm… Not exactly hopeless. Not for me at least.”
Riku.
“Oh really?” Nami raises her eyebrows at me.
“…Yeah.” I look down at my lap. “But, I suppose for others it might feel like a hopeless situation. I mean, what if you never met any of them? Or if they didn’t speak your language? Or they were already dead or married and there’re just so many things that could stop you from really finding even one person. So, with everything that could go wrong… I guess there’s just one in 65 billion.”
Riku.
“I suppose so. But maybe some people are the exception. What if there’s one person who could fall in love with ten people? Twenty? What if there’s someone who can’t be with anyone? Isn’t that scary? I mean, humans are so insecure. Our minds always expect we’re the worst exception. Like Murphy’s Law. So, if you’re not in love, it’s easy to imagine never being able to. It’s easy to convince ourselves that we’ll be lonely and everyone else is normal and will fall in love with someone one day. It comes with a need for individuality, but sometimes that works against us.”
I nod and we’re quiet for a while.
I think I might have found ‘the one’ which should really be ‘one of the three’, but it sure does feel like he’s ‘the one’ and not ‘one of three’ because… I can’t imagine anyone more perfect for me. When we’re together, it’s like there isn’t a question in the world that could tear away the wings of the butterflies that tickle my tummy and fill me with this bubbly happiness that rises to the surface of my skin. I feel… Good, I guess. I like me when I’m around him. It’s like Riku’s the best part of me. It’s so cheesy and typical, but it’s real. It’s different when you’re experiencing it rather than hearing about it or reading it or seeing it. When it’s happening… It’s magic. Fireworks, flames, electricity, similes, metaphors. Real, real, real. And the best part is that, it all comes with the best friend I could ever have.
I look up at Nami and realize I’m grinning. Like, major, painful grinning. I bet I look like a clown.
She looks startled. “What?”
I try and stop smiling, but it hurts not to, so I just let my heart go on smiling. “Nothing.”
“You’re in love, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I answer.
We’re quiet.
“Are you?”
“No… Not yet. I might… Soon? I’m not sure.” Nami smiles and blushes a light pink.
I waggle my eyebrows mischievously. “What’s his name?”
“Lance.”
My stomach drops to the bottom of the ocean.