Love Among the Pizza Boxes

“Ta ta for now,” I say.
Sigh…
Goodbye, Riku.
Farewell.
Have fun with the doorman on your way up.
Say ‘goodnight’ to your Virginity for me.
Hehe…
I love that.
“Goodbye, Shayla,” he says back quietly.
I’ll miss you.
…
What?
…
I don’t even miss my own mother so how come I miss him already?-
And I haven’t even left.
I smile up at him. “Sweet dreams.”
Cheese-ball.
“Sleep well.” He smiles down at me.
God, I love that boy.
…
…
…
Oh, God.
My eyes widen up at him.
I blush.
Okay.
Haven’t done that in a while.
My gaze slams down to the pavement. “Well, bye,” I squeak.
He leans down to try and catch my gaze.
I look at him quickly and my breathing hitches.
Oh my God.
I said ‘love’.
I take in a huge breath and hold it.
I’m not gonna let it go.
I’m just gonna pass out now.
I breathe out.
Damn it.
I try looking at Riku again.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love-
Hush!
I look down again.
Aw, fffffluffernutter.
I look up at Riku for good now. “I really like you. A lot.” I breathe in.
Pass out…
Nope.
I breathe out.
Riku smiles his crooked smile. “I really like you, too. A lot.”
I would sing if I could.
I swear- my heart just sprouted wings and is flying me over the Caribbean islands.
It’s very pretty there.
I smile stupidly back and then I giggle a really stupid giggle.
Like the silly little girl I am.
I bite my lip and sway from side to side and giggle.
Aw, damn.
I can’t stop it!
Riku laughs good-naturedly. “What’re you doing?” he asks me, still laughing.
Loosing my cool, that’s what.
I just shrug and stop giggling. But I’m still swaying like a complete and utter idiot.
Utter sounds like udder.
Bernard has udders.
But then again, the painting only shows his face.
He snickers some more. “Alrighty. You just keep on doing that then. Whatever floats your boat.”
I stop swaying and scrunch up my nose.
Okay. I stopped. Happy?
“Happy?” I say in a more teasing manner than I had thought it.
I just can’t use a tone with you.
Oh, you.
…
Wha?
He shrugs in response, still smiling. “I wasn’t complaining.”
My face hurts.
I’ve been smiling for a long time.
I look around.
Hey- look. It’s night time.
That’s cool.
It’s been night time for a really long time, Shayla.
“…I’ve really got to go.”
I don’t wanna!
Mommy, you can’t make me!
“Yeah…” Riku says quietly.
I feel so bad.
Like I’m abandoning him.
So I just hug him real tight.
And real close so maybe he’ll take part of me with him when I leave.
He hugs me back real tight and real close.
“Do you love him?” Ethel had asked.
…
Yeah. I kinda do.
“….We suck at goodbyes,” I whisper in his ear.
“Yeah,” he whispers back in mine. “Yeah we do.”
And with that I pull away.
I’m not so warm anymore.
I smile a bit shyly at him.
Like I’m five again.
“Bye.”
I bite my lip and half wave.
I look down at my feet.
“Bye,” Riku says softly. He kind of waves.
I really don’t want to go.
So.
I slowly turn around, casting one last look at his face.
That face.
And I start to walk off into the night.
And it feels like I’m leaving forever.
For good.
But something inside me says I’m not.
I haven’t seen the last of Riku.
...Nor all of him.
But all in due time.
That makes me chuckle as I pass a street lamp.
Way to ruin a moment, Shayla.
And so I walk the rest of the way home fantasizing about the parts of Riku I haven’t seen yet.
But on the way I pass something that looks odd. So I stop.
It’s a piece of paper on the ground.
A red piece of paper that says: ‘Join the fiesta that everyone’s talking about!- Food, drinks and dancing!’
Food…?
Drinks…?
Dancing…?
Sounds like my kind of party.
I wonder if Riku will dance there?
He wouldn’t in the parking lot.
But maybe I can persuade him with my feminine charm.
Hey look- It’s on Wednesday.
That’s cool.
I have Wednesday off.
It says it’s going on between 9:00 PM through… Anytime you wanna go home.
So I stuff the paper in my pocket and go home.