With Me Tonight

I jumped awake at the sound of something shattering in my stupid neighbors apartment. I let out a groan and rolled onto my side, realizing I must have fallen asleep on the couch.


My body was a little stiff, so I swung my legs off the couch and put my hands above my head, stretching out. I heard my back crack a few times, leaving me satisfied.


I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and stood up, dragging my feet into my bedroom and plopping on the bed. It was Gus's weekend to work the store, so I was going to let my laziness get the best of me this morning.


I curled up into my fluffy comforter and found my phone hidden inside it. I pulled it out and checked the time; 11:30. Geeze, I must have been really tired.


The morning sun was already out and streaking into my room, ruining the chances of me falling back asleep, so I slid the lock on my phone and opened up my Doodle Jump app. I rolled over so I was on my back and holding my phone up in the air while I played the game with the little alien guy.


It took me a few tries to get back into the swing of the game, but soon enough I was getting higher and higher with my score.


My phone vibrated in my hands, shocking me and making me drop my phone onto my face. I let out an agitated groan in pain and annoyance that I lost my game, but felt a little giddy when I saw my text.


Norman: Morning babe x


I tried not to smile, but I felt almost like a giddy teenager again. I just looked at the text for a little while and took a deep breath before I responded;


Me: You made me lose my game of doodle jump!


This would be the first time I had actually responded to one of his texts and I impatiently tapped the side of my phone as I waited for his response.


Norman: sorry hun, how bout I make it up to you with lunch today? :)


My thumbs danced in a weird circular motion over the key board, debating what to say to him back. I decided to suck up my fears like he had somehow convinced me to do;


Me: sure, i'm starving.


I guess it would be healthy to take a day off and break my habit of eating lucky charms every morning.


Norman: great, i'll be over in an hour?


Me: sounds good.


There goes being lazy.


Norman: See ya then x


I let out a sigh and clicked my phone off. I ran my hands through my hair and over my face, feeling a little nervous. Was this a date? Am I actually going on a date?


I let out a groan and shot up from bed, slowly making my way into my bathroom. I turned on some music, swaying my hips a little to one of my favorite songs. I loved how music always seemed to almost understand me and calm me down.


I turned on the shower, making sure the water was warm enough and then stripped down. I glanced at myself in the mirror and sighed when I saw my big, ugly scar on my leg stick out to the nude eye. God I hated that damn scar, it grossed me out sometimes and reminded me of bad shit, but I guess its better than not having a leg.


I shut of the subconscious part of my mind as the chorus of the song played, making me smile and jump into the shower. I stood under the stream of water for a little, soaking in the warmth before I quickly got all washed up and stepped out.


I dried off and wrapped the towel around me after turning off the water and leaving the bathroom. I walked over to my closet and just looked at it. "Fuck it." I said out loud to myself. I had already agreed to this "date" so they're was no backing out now. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and go all in.


I slid on my undergarments, a pair of light skinny jeans and my navy, 3/4 sleeved buttoned down shirt that was fit around my curves. I wanted to look at least semi-decent, judging that the last time I saw Norman I was in sweats.


I fixed my necklace that I probably should get a new chain for, because the one now was getting old and rusty. This necklace was pretty old, but it's also rarely left my neck. A symbol of my brother, you could say.


I sighed and brushed through my long hair before finishing getting ready and leaving my room, shutting the lights off behind me. I checked the time on my phone and saw it was 12:15, Norman should be coming anytime now.


I started to get a little anxious, letting my anxiety of getting to know people, especially Norman, get the best of me. I started to tap my foot as I went and sat on my bar stool and leaned my elbows on the counter, continuing my game of Doodle Jump.


I kept checking the time every two seconds, but it seemed to take forever for each minute to pass by. My phone eventually vibrated and I was expecting it to be Norman, but instead it was Gus calling me. "Hey." I answered.


"Hey, Belle, did you know that Xavier gets more attention than me? I'm bored." He whined.


I rolled my eyes even though I know he can't see me. "You'll survive, Gus, you always do."


"Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I'm just checkin up on ya since Victoria won't answer her phone, still sleeping like a dog." He chuckled to himself.


"She must be exhausted, but keep bugging her because I can't talk for long." I said back, checking the time again to see it was almost 12:30.


"Is that because you have something to do with hmm... whats his name? Norman Reedus!?"


I was a little confused on how Gus seemed to know his name, but then again Gus was always a little weird, "maybe..." I teased him.


"ATTENTION WORLD BELLE IS GOING ON A DATE, WE MUST CELEBRATE!" He cheered and chuckled to him self. "Good for you, Belle, maybe you can get laid again."


I heard a knock on the door, making me jump a little, but then blush for some reason "Shut up. I gotta go, he's here, bye!"


"USE PROTECTION!" He called out before I hung up, blushing still. This wasn't about getting laid, at least not for me.


I ran over to the door and unlocked it before I opened it, revealing a very handsome Norman, as usual. I wouldn't mind getting laid with him...
I smacked myself mentally for the dirty thoughts and gave him a slight smile as he did me. "Hey babe." His voice was a little huskier than normal, making me blush, yet again, under his gaze. "Hey." Was all I simply said back.


He gave me a mind washing smirk and I quickly spun around and slid on my short black boots, lacing them up, and then throwing on my light jacket. "Ready?" He asked and I nodded, pocketing my phone.


We walked out of the apartment building, me being a little wary of Karen coming out, but she never did and we made it outside easily. It was early fall, so it wasn't too cold, but it definitely wasn't hot either, especially when it was windy. "What's for lunch?" I asked, looking up at him as we walked down the streets.


"Pizza," he smirked, making me smile and start to get comfortable. Pizza sounded so damn good right now. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he slid on his ray bands and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad?


We walked a little further and arrived at a small little pizza place, making my mouth water when we walked inside. "It smells so good," I groaned out, making Norman chuckle at me. We went over to the counter and ordered our pizza and drinks.


We went over and found a small table for two, so we sat in the seats and waited, chatting while we did. Somehow we started to play some weird game of 20 questions. It was currently my turn to ask him questions and I was finding out random, but interesting things about him. Like his favorite color, food, animal, sport, movie, or TV show, and even though its not the most valuable information, I enjoyed knowing more about him.


"Your cat's name is Eye In The Dark?" I giggled a little and he smirked.


"Yeah, you can thank my son for that one." He rubbed his chin, smiling to himself.


"I'm more of a dog person.. Cats always seem like they are trying to take over the world." I told him.


"Right?! I swear Eye is plotting some evil plan to kill me, I can see it in his eyes." We both chuckled. "But, I still love his big fat ass."


I smiled and rolled my eyes at him, enjoying our pointless conversation that made me feel at ease. The chef was done cooking our pizza so Norman quickly got up and grabbed it, putting the trey with two slices of pizza and water bottles in front of us. My mouth dropped a little at the size of the slice of pizza, it was as big as my head! "Oh my god." I said, causing Norman to chuckle at me, "it's huge isn't it?" He asked.


"That's what she said." I blurted out before I could stop myself. He started laughing at me and I joined right in with him, his laugh was contagious. "Sorry," I giggled and picked up my huge piece of pizza.


"Alright, my turn to ask the questions," Norman stated as I took a bite of the delicious pizza and raised an eyebrow at him. "Favorite food?"


"Monkey bread."


He raised both his eyebrows at me, not knowing what I was talking about. "What? Have you really never heard of monkey bread?" I was a little shocked when he just shook his head no. "It's like the most delicious little balls of cinnamon sugar bread and my Ma makes it to die for," Norman has a slight smile on his face as he watched me explain it with my hands.


"Sounds good,"


"Very," I stated before we both took another bite of our pizzas.


"What's your least favorite food?"


"Strawberries. Well, maybe I would like them if I wasn't allergic to 'em." I shrugged and he nodded slightly.


"When's your birthday?"


"March 22nd, you?"


"January 6th.'


"Ah, new year baby," I teased.


"Yes ma'am." He took another bite of his pizza, "okay, now; what is your greatest fear?"


I honestly had to think a little about what to say to him. I wasn't going to tell him I was afraid of him or just getting close to people in general, because I'm sure that's not the answer he was looking for. "Sharks and spiders. Oh! And thunder storms can be pretty wicked." He chuckled at me, "yeah yeah, i know, I'm like a child. But, I can deal with those little spiders fine, just not the big creepy crawly ones." I added, shivering at the thought.


He laughed again, "what about sharks?"


I swallowed hard, "I actually used to think they were awesome, loved anything aquatic and loved to watch all those cool documentaries on them and what not."


"And now your afraid of them?" He questions, cocking his head to the side.


"Yep. Turns out they're not so cool when they try to take your leg off." I never really liked talking about the accident because hell, it was a traumatic experience, but something about Norman made me feel comfortable about opening up.


His eyes widened a little bit, "you've been in a shark attack?"


"Oh yeah. Scariest fucking thing ever. Nearly lost my whole leg." I took another bite of my pizza, trying to take a not-so-serious route to this conversation.


"Wow. That's insane. I can't even imagine.." He shook his head a little and it looked like he was thinking about something.


We had both finished our pizza quickly, but still sat and talked, enjoying each other's presence for a while longer. When we decided we had been here for long enough, we put our trays back and he paid for our lunch even after I tried to convince him he didn't have to pay for me. But, of course, the gentleman that he is...


We both walked out of the store, hearing the bells above the door jingle as we were greeted by the fresh air. We decided that we were going to walk around, stopping at a few stores, just to hang out, because neither of us wanted to end our time together. We went into a few random stores, just looking around and giggling at stupid things we saw, but when we passed a LEGO store, things got more serious. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the store, causing him to let out a breathy chuckle.


We sat down on the little stools surrounding a small table filled with Lego's to play with, avoiding the weird looks we got. I grabbed one of the Lego bodies and searched around for the right head and hair, as well as outfit. Norman seemed to be doing the same thing, so when we finished we both held up our Lego people and laughed, realizing that we both made each other. Mine had a small smile on his face, with short-ish brown hair and a black shirt, it was Norman. His had a full smile on it's face with long hair and dressed up nicely, it was me.


"Stay here, I'm getting these." He said with a cheesy smirk and then hurried over to buy them. I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how amazing he is, my smile now turning cheesy. He came back with a small bag and stuffed it into his pocket. They only cost a dollar or so, but it seemed that maybe they would be worth so much more.


"Ready?" He asked, holding a hand down to me.


I grabbed it and he helped me up, but didn't let go of my hand when we started walking out. I blushed a little, hoping he didn't notice, as we intertwined our fingers together. He wasn't trying to rush or pressure me and it made my heart beat even harder for him. "Mind if we stop at my store real quick? I need to get some more food for my goldfish and make sure Gus isn't going crazy of boredom," I asked him as we continued to walk down the streets.


"Sure thing, babe," he gave me a light smirk and I felt my heart stutter. How many times has he called me babe now? And why was I still not getting used to it? Maybe it was his beautiful voice... I bit my lip to clear my mind of the thoughts as we made our way down to the store. "Ice cream stop?" Norman asked me in a cheery voice.


"Yes!" Who doesn't love ice cream?


We turned the corner to a small ice cream stand and even though we just ate a little while ago, my mouth completely watered at the sight. There was barely a line besides a few kids and their parents, which I smiled at, and it moved pretty fast. I ordered a superman ice cream cone, while Norman just got a vanilla one, boring. "Norman you don't have to keep paying for me, I have money," I felt bad that he kept paying for me and I wanted to do something about it.


"I don't mind," he gave me that heart melting smirk before he turned back around to pay.


"Well, thank you then," I said before I took a lick of my ice cream.


"Not a problem, hun," he turned back around and started to walk out of the line as he licked his ice cream. I let my eye linger on his tongue and lips as he ate his ice cream, but quickly snapped my eyes away, realizing I was staring. We were about to turn back around the corner when I heard something that made my heart melt. "Mommy, I dropped my ice cweam," a little girl cried.


"I'm sorry baby, mommy doesn't have anymore money on her to buy another," I turned around to see a woman, about my age, trying to make her daughter feel better.


"Hold this," I said to Norman as I held out my ice cream to him. He took it with a raised eyebrow, but before he could ask anything, I jogged over to the little girl, pulling out a few dollars from my pocket. My heart melted more at the sight of the little girls sad tears. "Ya know, I happen to have a couple dollars in my pocket that I can't find a need for," I said to the little girl, who looked up to me shyly.


"Oh, it's okay, you don't have to," the woman said, standing up from crouching down.


"It's really no problem, I don't feel right getting ice cream when this little one doesn't get to," I smiled down at the little girl, who's face lit up as she looked to her mom, hoping she'd say yes. "Mommy?" The little girl questioned shyly. The woman ran her hand through the little girls hair and sighed, "Okay, thank you so much," to my surprise the woman wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I was a little shocked, but hugged her back.


"Sorry, it's just her birthday and her dad promised her to get ice cream, but he changed plans and-and" The woman went on.


"Hey, it's really no problem," I cut her off lightly and she gave me a relived smile.


I crouched down to the little girl and looked at her cute little eyes, "what's your name, princess?"


"Missy," she said shyly, making her eyes sparkle a little as she talked.


"That's a very pretty name, Missy. I'm Belle and I hope you have a very happy birthday."


She looked up to her mom real quick, who smiled and mouthed something down to her, and then she looked back to me. "Thank you," she mumbled and her eyes got caught on my jacket. She put a finger on my pin and tilted her head at it, "I like your fishy pin."


I couldn't help the smile that took over my face. "Thank you, I actually work with fishies all day."


Her eyes widened, "really? I wove fishies."


"Thats awesome, I actually work at the fishie store down the street. You guys can stop by anytime you want, I'll be there all the time," I looked up at her mom, who had a big smile on her face, and I stood back up. "Thank you so much, Belle. I'm May."


I shook her hand and then said my goodbyes to the family before quickly making my way back to Norman who was standing there with a big smile on his face. He handed me my ice cream back and I quickly licked the dripping parts on the side while he looked down at me with raised eyebrows. "What?" I asked, a small smile playing at my lips. "I have a soft spot for kids," I shrugged. "Plus, I think I just made a new friend," I looked behind me and waved at May, who smiled sweetly and waved back.


Norman just smiled and nodded before grabbing my hand again, making my smile widen, I hadn't felt this happy in a while... did it scare me? yes. Was I going to do anything about that? no. Norman was making me happy right now, as a friend.. or whatever we were....