Love Among the Pizza Boxes

Ding-dong.
Ding-dong goes the bell.
Ding-dong, the witch is dead.
“You got this?” I ask Riku and I point at my unbuttoned shirt.
I really don’t feel like showing off my bra to the pizza guy.
Just my pizza guy.
…It’s a cute bra though. I like it.
It’s pink and fresh from Vicky’s Secret.
I feel kind of like a ho.
Like, hey Riku. If you buy the pizza I’ll give you a little somethin’ somethin’ for it.
No.
That’s not cool.
Tempting- But no.
“I got it,” Riku says as he grunts and gets up off the couch. Then he opens the front door. “Oh. Hi, Beth.”
At the front door stands a girl who looks about sixteen. She’s got a shaved head and a uni-brow.
“Hey, Riku. Nice to see you,” she says, and peeks over his shoulder.
Then smiles a sly grin.
And chuckles a silent chuckle.
This must look interesting.
I guess she thinks we’re havin’ a hell of a time in here.
“I thought you left work already,” Riku says as he pulls a twenty out of his pocket.
She’s still grinning. “Nah, I need the hours. Here’s your pizza.” She hands it off to Riku and he gives her the twenty. She chuckles as she looks at me one more time. “You two have fun now.”
And then she leaves.
“I believe Bethie thinks you’re sexually active too.”
My, my. Aren’t we mean today.
Riku just sorta nods once. “Well.” And then he doesn’t continue. He just sets the pizza box on the counter and flips it open.
…
Pizzas are expensive nowadays. Whatever happened to employee discounts?
…
I think I have some cash.
I fish around in my pockets and find a five dollar bill.
Cool.
So I walk over to Riku and the pizza, tuck the bill in Riku’s pants and look at the pizza.
Looks good.
They didn’t skimp on the cheese.
Riku looks down at his pants.
He exhales slowly.
Then he grabs a piece of pizza and sits down on the couch.
I follow suit.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“For?” he asks with his mouth full.
How charming.
“The pizza, silly.”
And then I take a bite.
Num.
“Oh.” He kind of laughs and nods. “No problem.”
Hey- No problema.
I like that song.
I take another bite and the cheese doesn’t want to let go of the pizza so I end up taking off pretty much all the cheese on the slice.
Om nom nom nom.
I smile at the pizza.
Then at the couch.
Then at Riku.
I like pizza.
Pizza makes me happy.
I’m a happy girl.
Riku smiles back at me.
Then he returns to his pizza.
I wonder what time it is.
I have to go to work tomorrow.
But I don’t really want to.
I kinda just want to watch the world go by while sitting next to Riku and eating pizza.
But then I’d get fat.
And I don’t wanna be a fattie.
And that would make Riku fat too I should think.
And I don’t want to make out with a tub.
…
What?
Okay.
You’re cool.
I clear my throat after swallowing my bite of pizza. And then I check my phone really quick.
And I hate doing that in front of Riku.
Because in every magazine I’ve ever read, it always says that guys are bored with the conversation or something if they do something with their phones.
And so I always think it’s the same with girls.
So checking the time is painful right now.
‘Cause I’m not bored.
I’m hungry.
It’s almost midnight.
Well shoot.
“Uhhhh…”
You sound so smart right now, Shayla.
I love you so much.
You’re great.
“’Uhhhh…’ what?”
I scratch my knee. “I kinda have to go soon. You never know what the neighbors will say if I come out of here wearing the same thing for two days straight.”
Riku nods. “Very true. Most of them are judgmental old people, so they’ll come up with all kinds of rumors.”
Fun, fun.
“The horror,” I say.
I kinda feel like I should just say, ‘Forget the neighbors, let’s screw.’
… But I don’t.
Because that would be weird.
And it would make me a bimbo.
And I’m not a bimbo, a ho, or anything else.
“Well,” Riku says after a little while.
“Well.” I finish off my piece of pizza.
I really should go soon.
But then I’d be walking home by myself because we left my car behind.
Well then.
…Now staying here sounds more appealing…-
Shut up, you.
No one’s screwing tonight.
“Well…” Riku says again.
“You wanna walk me downstairs? Ur. Elevator me downstairs?”
Oh God.
That sounds nasty for reasons unknown to me.
Riku kinda chuckles and nods – again. “Sure. I’ll, uh… Elevator you downstairs.”
Oh God.
…
That sounds kinky coming from him.
I purse my lips. “Kay. Cool. Elevator. Awesome.” I tap my fingers against my knee caps and look away.
And then I stand up. Because I’m thinking about all the things that ‘elevatoring’ can be.
And so far it seems really-
No.
Just no.
I’m not even gonna go there.
“Alrighty then. Off we go.”
Then Riku stands up, too. And he walks over to the front door and holds it open for me.
I nod my head as I walk through the door. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, and closes the door behind him.