To Hands Between Legs

It was her voice that he fell in love with first. Her smooth-like-satin voice singing along to the Fleetwood Mac song on the speakers. Ryan, and Pete, and Patrick stood in front of the podium of the diner’s. Her back was turned against them, curly blonde hair in a ponytail. Patrick nudged Ryan, making a coughing gesture. Ryan rolled his eyes at the shorter guy and mouthed ‘wimps.’

She turned around, cheeks barely turning pink. She apologized quickly and brought them to their table.

Slowly, he fell in love with her looks. Her sharp chin, a childlike pout that reminded him of a “Bratz” doll that he would see little girls play with. Her curly, golden hair reminded him of a lion. He felt the sudden urge to know her.

“Definitely an upgrade from the old hags they usually hire,” Pete chuckled to himself.

Patrick gave him a slight smile.

Across the diner’s table, their friend Ryan nodded with careful eyes. “Seriously,” he agreed. “I should go talk to her.”

Pete rolled his eyes. “Don’t. You’ll look desperate,”

“What?” Ryan argued while taking a sip of his chocolate shake. “How else are people supposed to meet? I’m not going to watch her from a distance and hope she looks my way like you two freaks.”

Patrick sunk back in the booth next to Pete. He didn’t want Ryan to talk to her. He wanted anybody but Ryan to talk to her. All he’d do is use and throw away. She looked too precious to be a casual fuck. She looked like someone you’d take out on a nice date, maybe pick a movie from the Blockbuster down the road and talk about her future.

Ryan and Pete argued for a minute more before Ryan scoffed and slid out of the booth. “Whatever,” he said in his usual tone. “I’m talking to her.”

Both Patrick and Pete watched as he turned on his heel and walked towards the hostess.

“He’s going to bang her and boast,” Pete said as the girl put her hand to her mouth to cover her giggles caused by Ryan. “We should warn her.”

“We could tell her Ryan’s a registered child predator,” Patrick suggested, tone not suggesting any joking around.

Pete considered it. “Yeah, but we want Ryan to get married. We don’t want him trying to seduce our future wives.”

Patrick watched closely as Ryan scribbled something (his number, most likely) down and handed it to her. She nodded and stuffed it in the pocket on her shirt. With a wink, he came back to the table and sat back down.

“Didn’t take you long, huh?” Patrick asked.

“No. She seems easy.”

“Glad we’re rating her willingness as video game levels,” Pete rolled his eyes.

“Oh,” Ryan scoffed. “Come on.”

“You’re using her for your liking,” Pete said, narrowing his eyes.

“Because you haven’t ever slept with someone to get off!” the younger boy raised his voice in defense.

Patrick kicked him from under the table. “Be quiet. You’ll ruin your chance of even seeing her boobs if you keep that up.”

Ryan rolled his eyes so far they looked as if they’d see the other side inside his skull. Patrick secretly wished they’d fall out.

“Whatever. I’m leaving,” Ryan said, going in the pocket on his tight jeans and pulling out a five. “That should cover your hypocritical-ness.” His brown, puppy-like eyes shot between the two.

“Wait,” Pete stopped him. “You’re coming tomorrow night, right?”

“How could I miss it?” Ryan muttered.

Again, he watched Ryan get up, only this time to leave.

When he was gone, Pete turned to Patrick and said: “He’s going to show up with her to piss us off.”

The next night, Patrick was at Pete’s big 25th birthday party. He was leaned against the wall, watching everyone packed in Pete’s house in Chicago. Brendon, his once nerdy friend, was next to him, talking his ear off about how excited he was to go back to college. He hated summer because he hated having to work at the awful smoothie shop. Once he got his degree, in music, he planned on opening his own music shop.

As annoying as Brendon was to Patrick at the moment, Brendon was also one of Patrick’s best friends. The two met from Ryan a couple years ago when Brendon was still a senior in high school. Ever since then, the two just got along. Almost better than Patrick and Ryan (Patrick did like Brendon better but he’d never admit it out loud). But at times like this, with the alcohol in the nineteen-year-old’s system, it wasn’t a good thing Brendon was like a hyper Chihuahua.

“Meet a girl yet?” Patrick cut him off from talking about something stupid. Raising a brow, he hesitated and slightly cocked his head. “Or a boy?”

“First of all, you cut me off. That’s rude. Second of all, I like girls. But no. I’m waiting for the special girl,” Brendon paused, looking straight ahead. “Though I just might have found her.”

Patrick looked in the direction Brendon was staring at. First, he saw Ryan. Next, he knew he brought the girl from the diner. His throat worked up a groan.

“I gotta go find Pete,” Patrick ducked away quickly to avoid Ryan seeing him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see the waitress, it was just that he didn’t want to see Ryan. He knew what he’d do.

He was almost safely out of the crowded living room when he heard the voice he was dreading.
“Hey, Patrick,”

He winced, trying to at least put a small smile on his face. He turned slowly, letting out a “Heeeey.”

Ryan had his arm around the golden haired girl. “Just wanted to introduce you to Grace.” He smirked.

“Hi, Grace,”

She gave Patrick a warm smile. “Hi.”

“I think,” Ryan started, like he was trying to think, pointing at Patrick. “Yeah! Patrick and our other friend were at the diner last night. You remember Grace, don’t you?”

Patrick rubbed his chin. “I don’t know.”

“Sure you do. You and Pete couldn’t sto-”

“You know what? I do remember!” Patrick quickly said, eyes turning into slits at Ryan’s direction.

Grace only held her hands behind her back and grinned like a fool who found gold.

He wished instead of gold, it was him that she found.