Pretty Burning

Drinks after work?

You work when you’re not on tour?

Sometimes I give private bass lessons, but I actually meant after you get off work

Haha, I get off at 6.

Do you just wanna meet somewhere or can I pick you up?

Are you planning on kidnapping me?

Uhhhh no

I guuuesss you can pick me up then.

Teddy grinned down at her phone. She was on her lunch break, a small meal set out in front of her in the hospital cafeteria. Johnny had waited one whole day to text her, and she had to admit that she had been thinking about him for most of that time.

Cleo had teased her a bit when she had told her about giving her number to him, but Teddy quickly reminded her of just who had been making bedroom eyes at a certain guitarist the whole evening that they had spent with the group. After lunch, Teddy retreated back to her wing of the hospital. She still had a few hours left in her day and had no idea how she was going to get through them without being distracted the entire time. A few more texts were exchanged, what time and where. The hands of the clock shifted, and though Teddy couldn’t get rid of her smile, she didn’t make any mistakes for the rest of her shift, and when the time came to leave, she practically sprinted to her jeep.

At the apartment, she made quick work of a shower and doing her hair. She made sure to pull it out of her face; she had gotten many compliments on her eyes, though she wasn’t sure why since they were a dark brown. After applying makeup in a “natural” look, Teddy stood in her closet for a few minutes trying to decide what to wear. She couldn’t dress up too much. This wasn’t even a date. This was… Hanging out, making a new friend, having a drink, and the dress code for that was definitely casual. She settled for a sleeveless button up, distressed jeans, and her favorite dark green cardigan. Looking in the mirror, she nodded to herself. Definitely not trying too hard, but my boobs look great, so that’s something. She put on her usual jewelry—a moon ring, bangles, and a simple, single-stoned necklace.

Teddy was slipping her feet into her shoes when Johnny knocked on her door. He stood in the hallway in a plain black shirt, blue jeans, and Chuck Taylors. His hair, though still clearly a mowhawk, was not styled upright and instead laid flat on his head. If Teddy was being honest, he was adorable, a look he probably hadn't been going for when he had gotten dressed but that he achieved anyway.

"Nice to see you again," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Likewise," Teddy smiled. She stepped out and locked the apartment door behind her, and the two made their way down the hall to the nearest staircase. "So, you said this was more of a restaurant than a bar?" In his texts, Johnny had described their destination as pub-like but with better food and more variation of it.

"Yeah, I mean, they have wings and finger foods like that, but they also have, like, chicken fried chicken and baked macaroni."

"Weird."

"Give the people what they want, I guess," he said with a laugh.

In the parking lot, Johnny led her to a shiny blue Dodge Challenger, and though she wasn't exactly a muscle car type of girl, she could appreciate it, and after opening her door for her, she noted that it was just as clean on the inside as it was on the outside.

Once in the driver's seat, Johnny started the engine then promptly hooked his phone up to the radio. After a few seconds, a vaguely familiar song began pumping through his speakers. He bobbed his head as he pulled out of the parking spot, and then they were on their way.

Teddy didn't know exactly how to start a conversation or what to say. It had been a while since she actually made plans with someone with the intent on getting to really know them. Sure, she saw patients every day and made small talk or listened to their issues, but she was rusty when it came to any type of deep conversation unless it was with Cleo or her immediate family.

Johnny cleared his throat, seeming to have the same problem, but eventually he asked her how she was liking southern California since she had moved.

"It's really nice," she nodded. "Having seventy-degree weather pretty often is nice, something I'm still not quite used to. It's weird, I always walk outside during the summer expecting to just be punched in the face with heat and ninety percent humidity, and then it just... doesn't happen."

"And that's a bad thing? Ninety percent humidity is awful. We play in Houston, and it's hot every fucking time. Whether it's July or fucking October, it is somehow always hot. Feels like I'm swimming on stage."

Teddy grinned, her heart aching just a tad. "Sounds like my city. Don't get me wrong, it sucks going outside and feeling like your drowning, but I miss it some days. You just learn to adapt, I guess. Now I get cold whenever the temperature is under, like, sixty-eight."

"Are you one of those girls that just stays wrapped up in a blanket?"

The blonde laughed and nodded, "When I'm at home yes, but out in public I usually just keep my jacket or cardigan on. And I bring one. Everywhere."

They drove for a while longer before Johnny pulled into a small, unevenly paved parking lot. He situated the car in an empty space, then got out and walked around the car to get Teddy's door once again. The gesture was cute and one that she hadn't experienced since she lived at home and ran errands with her father. "Thank you. That's very gentlemanly of you," she told him as she stood.

He shrugged. "I've seen girls get treated like garbage or like they're invisible or some shit. I just never wanted to be that guy."

The thought made Teddy smile. Wouldn't it be nice to have a man like that? And yet, part of her didn't believe Johnny. It had to be some kind of front. She couldn't trust those actions.

Inside the small restaurant was chilly, just as Teddy had prepared for. They found a booth in the corner and got comfortable across from one another then grabbed the menu. After skimming for about a minute, Teddy's eyes landed on a club sandwich and her mind was made up before the waitress even got there. When she did, Johnny ordered a Heineken and sliders and Teddy asked for a sweet tea and her sandwich.

"Man, you're a walking stereotype, aren't you?" Johnny laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the y'all and the sweet tea and temperature problems."

The girl smiled and stuck her tongue out between her teeth. "I also love Whataburger and wear cowboy boots on occasion."

"And yet..." Johnny motioned to her vaguely, "You're all inked up. Aren't southern girls supposed to be all white dress-wearing Christians?"

Teddy snorted, briefly thanked the waitress for delivering her tea, then addressed the question: "One, white is an unflattering color on me, and two, I grew up going to church and then just stopped believing after a while. It just never made sense to me."

"Same here. I don't usually judge people on their faith unless they're really aggressive about shoving it down my throat, but sometimes it can get difficult when people close to you believe."

"Yeah, I used to have a friend who was always trying to save my soul from eternal damnation." Teddy rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her drink.

The conversation grew easier as the evening progressed. Teddy learned some about Johnny's family—his sister and parents—and how he met his band-mates. He admitted to being kind of crazy for most of his life and had only really begun to settle down in recent years. "You've just gotta grow up some time, you know? Life can't just be getting fucked up and acting like a dick."

"I got all my partying out my first year of college. Cleo and I somehow managed to stay high 24/7, sleep our way around our group of friends, and never catch any kind of venereal disease."

Johnny nearly spit his beer back into the glass and looked at her with a crooked grin. "Oh my god, so that means you and Cleo are like--"

"Eskimo sisters, we know. We've been best friends for so long it didn't even phase us as we were fucking around. We were like eighteen," she waved off. "It was fun and dirty, but like you said: you've gotta grow up at some point."

Teddy was having a great time; she couldn't deny it. She analyzed a lot of what Johnny said, particularly when it was something kind or honest. She knew she had to get out of that mindset of distrust, but her ex had done a number on her. When Johnny briefly mentioned one of his past relationships, Teddy considered bringing hers up, but it was too early for that. He wasn't ready for her baggage. Maybe one day, though.

Once the waitress had picked up the remnants of their food, Teddy figured it was time to order a beer. She felt like it would have been wrong not to since the whole meetup was supposed to be her and Johnny going out for drinks. She ordered a short Pecan Porter, causing Johnny to roll his eyes and mutter, "Fuckin' Austin."

"Hey, for the record, I think Austin is kind of overrated, but they do make a damn good IPA."

"I guess, if you like coffee."

"Do you not?" Teddy asked, mildly horrified.

Johnny made a face and shook his head, "Honestly, I'd just rather have an energy drink."

"That's fair. I used to live off energy drinks back when I was a server. I don't have the taste for them anymore, though."

The night drew to a close at about 10 PM. The two of them paid and Teddy tipped their waitress generously for sitting at her table for almost three hours. She smiled at them as they left, and Johnny got the door for the blonde once at the exit then again to his car. The playlist for the drive back consisted mostly of classic rock bands like Pink Floyd and The Allan Parsons Project. Teddy mouthed the words to the songs she knew, having grown up listening to music like that with her parents. Johnny watched her from the corner of his eye; she could feel his small sideways gaze but tried to ignore it. A man as attractive as him couldn't be interested in her. There was no way. She was too quiet, too dumb, too fat, too-- No. She stopped that train of thought and breathed out slowly. That was Keaton talking. She wished she could forget all the horrible things he had said to her, but she just couldn't shake that voice.

"You alright?" Johnny asked. Teddy guessed he was one of those people who was good at picking up on people's vibes. Or, maybe she just looked really sad.

"Yeah," she faked a smile, suddenly ready to be back at her apartment, curled up on her couch. "The day just kind of hit me all at once, I guess."

"Tired?"

She nodded. "I've never been one of those high energy people who can just go, go, go with, like, six hours of sleep. I need at least eight to be at my best, and that usually doesn't happen."

At last, they pulled into the apartment complex. Johnny walked with her up the stairs, and Teddy felt her heart beating quicker. It was stupid; it wasn't like he didn't already know where she lived. The question that weighed heavily in her mind, though, was is he going to expect anything? He didn't come off as a creep or a jerk at all, but she still worried. People were duplicitous, and even though Johnny was cute and charming, she wasn't going to trust him just yet.

Teddy unlocked her door, then turned to Johnny. He showed a sincere smile, his brown eyes thoughtful. "Well, I had a good time tonight. Hopefully, we can do it again soon."

She didn't say anything, though the corners of her mouth quirked upward. He nodded, and Teddy could swear she saw disappointment in his face, but it wasn't until he was halfway to the staircase that she found her voice and called out to him, "Johnny!" He turned, eyebrows raised. "I had a really good time tonight, too."

It almost looked like a breathed a sigh of relief, then told her, "I'll text you," to which she nodded.

Back inside the safety of her apartment, Teddy sighed, berating herself for being so spastic. She had been chipper at the beginning, but her thoughts always had a way of running away with her and bringing her back down to her baseline low mood. It had been a nice evening, and her fears had been temporarily put to rest. Johnny was perfectly behaved. He didn't try to touch her at all, no arm around her, no attempted kissing, nothing. An extremely small part of her brain told her that she had actually wanted the affections, but it wasn't. She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore, and if Johnny really was interested in her, he would have to have the patience of a saint to put up with her. The phrase "not worth the trouble" flashed behind her eyes for a split second, and Teddy deflated as she walked into her bedroom to change into pajamas and retrieve her quilt. It was time to settle in, watch her favorite show, and wallow a bit. She had been conditioned to believe that she wasn't worth anyone's time, and even though that had been some time ago, it still rang like a loud alarm in her head.