Love Among the Pizza Boxes

‘Incoming Call: Riku’.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody blares.
I’m tempted to do a little dance number in my socks on the hardwood, but it’s Riku and I wanna hear his voice and, and, and I’m gonna stop this thought... Now.
“Hello, lover.” I smile and trundle onto the couch, cradling the phone to my ear.
He chuckles. “Hello, beautiful. Is it cool if I stop by?”
Yes! Do you even have to ask? “Hm… Let me check my schedule… I think that can be arranged.”
“Alrighty, I’ll see you in a few minutes then.”
“Okiley dokiley.” I grimace.
Okiley dokiley?
Okay, Ned Flanders.
“… Yup. So… Um… I love you? Um… And I’ll see you in a few? And um… I think you should hang up now.”
I put my hand to my mouth and giggle a little. “I love you too, dork. And I’ll hang up first, just for you.”
And so I hang up and spring from off of the couch and into my room.
Wardrobe! Reveal your secrets!
I start to rifle through my clothes in search of something kind of… Well… Sexy.
My legs are soft and smooth-y like a baby booty, so… Might as well show ‘em off, right?
Anyways, I’m rather satisfied when I step in front of my mirror in short shorts and stilettos.
I give myself a thumbs-up and a painful grin and I head out into the living room again.
And I’m just about to settle into the couch when a loud honk comes from outside. I scramble for the door, but stop a moment to collect myself. I open the door to hear Prince’s ‘Kiss’ and to see a shiny blue car with white racing stripes.
And inside that car is a young man with long silver hair and aviators, his forearm leaning on the passenger’s seat window. “Wanna take a spin?” Riku shouts over the music.
“Dude!” Is all I can say. I stride down my driveway, admiring the car and -I’ll admit it- the driver too.
I open the door and, standing outside of the car, place my hands on the roof, leaning into it from my perch on the curb.
My butt’s kind of sticking out.
Thaaaaat’s a little awkward.
“Hop in, Shay,” Riku says with a huge beaming smile on his face. I can tell he’s proud of his new ride.
I grin and climb into the spongy seat.
That’s what I like most about old cars. The seats give a little. It’s kind of like sitting on a trampoline.
“Nice ride.” I look around the interior of the car and then back at Riku.
“Thanks,” he says proudly.
“So.” I slap my thighs. And it kind of hurts. But no matter. “Where to?”
“Hm…” He taps his chin thoughtfully. “Good question.”
Then he just starts driving.
I laugh a little and enjoy the ride.

We just drive and drive until we end up running out of gas on the side of the road.
Riku and I just sit in the car and look around.
There’s the road.
There’s a field.
There’s the sky and the sun and that’s about it.
“Hmmmm…” I look at Riku.
Riku sighs apathetically. “Sad day,” he mumbles, sort of pouting, and his hands drop to his lap.
“Well, let’s make the best of it,” I say, climbing out of the car. I go around to the other side and open Riku’s door. I stick my hand in. “C’mon, baby cakes. Let’s have a field day.”
…
No pun intended.
Riku chuckles and takes my hand and gets out of the car.
We make our way through the soft fronds of wheat until we come upon a slightly trampled looking part. “Ah, yes…” And I flop down, Riku looking curiously down at me, his hand still in mine. Or the other way around. How do you know whose hand is in whose?
He shrugs, then plops himself down right next to me. He sighs again, this time in content. “This field is strangely comfortable.”
“Indeed.” I nod and stretch out in the sunlight that falls in slashed patterns across the little clearing.
There’s a slight pause, then Riku takes in a deep breath. “God bless America,” he belts, completely off-key.
A bubbly little giggle comes out of me embarrassingly enough, and I join in. “Land that I love!” My voice comes out strained and… Yeah, it’s not pretty.
“Stand beside her!”
“And guide… HER!”
“Through the nnnight with the lllight from a…BOVE!”
“Riku?”
He turns his head towards me real fast. “Yes.”
“…What comes next?”
“Um… I dunno. Um… And the rocket’s red glare?”
“The BOMBS bursting in air…” I continue happily along, all of it quiet except for ‘bomb’.
“God bless America! My home… sweet… home!” he shouts into the sky.
“My home… Sweeeet… HOME!” I bellow in the manliest voice I can muster.
Riku bursts out laughing.
I laugh too, my chest kind of heaving up.
Which is a weird feeling, really.
It’s like my boobs are taking a rocket ship to the moon.
…
We quiet down after a while.
Some dark clouds are rolling in, yet it’s still sunny.
The sky is stained with coffee grounds and the earth is the color of sunrise.
Ooooh, how poetic, Shay.
And then something cold hits me in the eye.
Wha…?
And then more speckle my arms.
“Riku…”
He’s squinting, trying to keep the rain from his eyes. “Yeah, Shay?”
“…Jesus is peeing on us.”
“Really? I was always told it was God,” he states matter-of-factly.
“Mmm… Well, I had a Jewish neighbor who begrudgingly blamed the rain on his least favorite prophet.”
“My grandparents think Jewish is a disease.”
“Good for them.”
“We should probably get outta this rain. Maybe find a gas station so we can get home.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I groan as I get to my feet.
The rain really isn’t so bad. It’s just sprinkling a little bit.
“Alrighty.” Riku stands, too.
And then the term ‘raining cats and dogs’ appears to be a pretty truthful statement.
Riku and I are pretty much as soaked as one can get without jumping into a swimming pool and the rain is pounding so hard I can barely hear myself think.
What was that, Shayla?
I can barely hear myself—
What?!
Never mind...
“Well,” Riku yells over the sound of the rain. “To the gas station?”
“Yes,” I shout back and grab hold of his slick hand.
We clomp out of the field, my heels getting caught in the mud a few times. When we finally get to the dirt road, there’s a big river of water whooshing past.
“Dude!” I yell.
Riku pouts at the river.
“…You ready for this?” I ask, surveying the road and removing my shoes at the same time.
He looks skeptical. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replies.
I gather my heels in one hand and clasp onto Riku’s hand with the other.
“On three! One, two—“
And we start to run.