So Two Years Ago
Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen:
((Andy’s POV))
“Who were you talking to?” Joe asked after I hung up my phone.
“Tessa,” I replied, simply.
“I thought she was having dinner with her boss?”
“Yea, she was. Until he started making moves on her.”
“Whoa! He did what?” Pete exclaimed, joining the conversation with Patrick following behind him, his jaw dropped.
“She sent me a text to say her boss was hitting on her and to ask for help.”
“Weird…,” Joe began. “Hitting on her, how? Like, ‘hey baby, let’s go back to my place’ hitting on her, or ‘you’ve got such a beautiful smile’ hitting on her?”
“Uh, she didn’t really specify,” I replied with a raised brow.
“Just wondering,” he shrugged. “Is she coming over here?”
“Yea, she’s on her way right now.”
Not too much later, there came a knock at the door. I glanced toward Patrick, expecting him to answer it, considering we were at his house. “Aren’t you gonna get that, man?”
“I thought you would. She’s your lady, after all,” he said with a snicker, Joe and Pete giggling with him.
“Whatever. She’s not my ‘lady,’ as you put it.” They continued snickering as I approached the door. “Jesus, you guys are retarded, sometimes.”
I glanced at my reflection in a framed picture hanging on the wall and found myself running my fingers through my hair before opening the door. I caught myself, though, and immediately dropped my arm back at my side, reminding myself of what I’d just said.
I could see her through a small window to the right of the door, and she grinned and waved as I reached for the door knob. “Hey, come in,” I welcomed her.
“Thanks for your help, Andy,” she said without a hello.
“Don’t mention it.”
She was taking a step into the house when a set of headlights beamed towards us. Tessa and I glanced toward the street with raised brows as the car stopped in front of the house, and a girl stepped out. “Gwen,” Tessa said out loud.
“Is Pete inside?” She asked me on her way up the sidewalk.
“Uh, yea. Right in there,” I pointed into the living room.
“Excuse me,” Gwen huffed, pushing past Tessa on her way inside.
Once she was out of earshot, Tess said with a grumble, “And silly me, I thought she and I were actually making progress.”
“Don’t tell me you’re gonna leave now.”
“I guess not. I did just get here.” She glanced hesitantly into the house.
“How about we hang out out here…?” I suggested, hoping to spend some time with her without having to deal with Gwen’s never-ending bullshit.
After a moment of consideration, she replied with a smile, “Sure.”
We decided to take a walk around the block while we chatted. “I didn’t know she was coming over tonight,” I said, in regards to Gwen.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s just making me a more patient person,” she shrugged, although I doubted that she was really that ok with it. “At least, that’s what I tell myself to keep from slapping her.”
“Yea, that’s what I thought,” I said with a chuckle. “I think Pete’s really trying to get some sense into her, so she’s at least cordial when you’re around.”
“Yea,” she scoffed. “Good luck with that.”
“So, uh, what did your boss say when you told him you were leaving?”
“Well, he didn’t seem suspicious.”
“That’s good.”
“Yea, I don’t think I’ll be getting fired for ditching him or anything, thank God.”
“Hey, you had a legitimate-sounding excuse: a sick friend.”
“Yea…,” she began, suddenly hesitant and sort of anxious. I decided not to question it, though, and she continued. “About that. I didn’t exactly tell him that I had to tend to my sick friend.”
“Well, what did you say, then?”
“For some reason, I told him that I needed to go home to, uh… to my sick boyfriend.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but her nervous behavior had me wanting her to continue. “You told him that I was your boyfriend?”
“Well, not exactly. I didn’t use your name….” She kept her eyes away from my sight and her hands were fidgeting, but she looked like she had more to say, so I kept my mouth shut. “But, I mean, I was referring to you. In my own head, at least.”
“Oh,” I repeated. I wasn’t sure what to say, but I hoped she would notice the grin creeping over my lips.
Suddenly, she expelled a tried chuckle. “Kinda funny, I guess.”
“Uh, yea. Funny.” The comment sort of got me down, but I knew that she didn’t mean it. She’d said that about me for a reason. A reason that, to be honest, I didn’t mind. “Uh, Tess?”
“Yea?”
“Do you think that-- I dunno-- maybe I could, um… actually be your boyfriend?”
My nerves started going haywire. This felt so strange, to be asking out a girl who I’d known for less than a week. But, part of me felt like fate had some hand in our meeting.
As I argued with myself over what answer to expect from her, I noticed the corners of her mouth curl into a coy smile. “I think you could.”
((Andy’s POV))
“Who were you talking to?” Joe asked after I hung up my phone.
“Tessa,” I replied, simply.
“I thought she was having dinner with her boss?”
“Yea, she was. Until he started making moves on her.”
“Whoa! He did what?” Pete exclaimed, joining the conversation with Patrick following behind him, his jaw dropped.
“She sent me a text to say her boss was hitting on her and to ask for help.”
“Weird…,” Joe began. “Hitting on her, how? Like, ‘hey baby, let’s go back to my place’ hitting on her, or ‘you’ve got such a beautiful smile’ hitting on her?”
“Uh, she didn’t really specify,” I replied with a raised brow.
“Just wondering,” he shrugged. “Is she coming over here?”
“Yea, she’s on her way right now.”
Not too much later, there came a knock at the door. I glanced toward Patrick, expecting him to answer it, considering we were at his house. “Aren’t you gonna get that, man?”
“I thought you would. She’s your lady, after all,” he said with a snicker, Joe and Pete giggling with him.
“Whatever. She’s not my ‘lady,’ as you put it.” They continued snickering as I approached the door. “Jesus, you guys are retarded, sometimes.”
I glanced at my reflection in a framed picture hanging on the wall and found myself running my fingers through my hair before opening the door. I caught myself, though, and immediately dropped my arm back at my side, reminding myself of what I’d just said.
I could see her through a small window to the right of the door, and she grinned and waved as I reached for the door knob. “Hey, come in,” I welcomed her.
“Thanks for your help, Andy,” she said without a hello.
“Don’t mention it.”
She was taking a step into the house when a set of headlights beamed towards us. Tessa and I glanced toward the street with raised brows as the car stopped in front of the house, and a girl stepped out. “Gwen,” Tessa said out loud.
“Is Pete inside?” She asked me on her way up the sidewalk.
“Uh, yea. Right in there,” I pointed into the living room.
“Excuse me,” Gwen huffed, pushing past Tessa on her way inside.
Once she was out of earshot, Tess said with a grumble, “And silly me, I thought she and I were actually making progress.”
“Don’t tell me you’re gonna leave now.”
“I guess not. I did just get here.” She glanced hesitantly into the house.
“How about we hang out out here…?” I suggested, hoping to spend some time with her without having to deal with Gwen’s never-ending bullshit.
After a moment of consideration, she replied with a smile, “Sure.”
We decided to take a walk around the block while we chatted. “I didn’t know she was coming over tonight,” I said, in regards to Gwen.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s just making me a more patient person,” she shrugged, although I doubted that she was really that ok with it. “At least, that’s what I tell myself to keep from slapping her.”
“Yea, that’s what I thought,” I said with a chuckle. “I think Pete’s really trying to get some sense into her, so she’s at least cordial when you’re around.”
“Yea,” she scoffed. “Good luck with that.”
“So, uh, what did your boss say when you told him you were leaving?”
“Well, he didn’t seem suspicious.”
“That’s good.”
“Yea, I don’t think I’ll be getting fired for ditching him or anything, thank God.”
“Hey, you had a legitimate-sounding excuse: a sick friend.”
“Yea…,” she began, suddenly hesitant and sort of anxious. I decided not to question it, though, and she continued. “About that. I didn’t exactly tell him that I had to tend to my sick friend.”
“Well, what did you say, then?”
“For some reason, I told him that I needed to go home to, uh… to my sick boyfriend.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but her nervous behavior had me wanting her to continue. “You told him that I was your boyfriend?”
“Well, not exactly. I didn’t use your name….” She kept her eyes away from my sight and her hands were fidgeting, but she looked like she had more to say, so I kept my mouth shut. “But, I mean, I was referring to you. In my own head, at least.”
“Oh,” I repeated. I wasn’t sure what to say, but I hoped she would notice the grin creeping over my lips.
Suddenly, she expelled a tried chuckle. “Kinda funny, I guess.”
“Uh, yea. Funny.” The comment sort of got me down, but I knew that she didn’t mean it. She’d said that about me for a reason. A reason that, to be honest, I didn’t mind. “Uh, Tess?”
“Yea?”
“Do you think that-- I dunno-- maybe I could, um… actually be your boyfriend?”
My nerves started going haywire. This felt so strange, to be asking out a girl who I’d known for less than a week. But, part of me felt like fate had some hand in our meeting.
As I argued with myself over what answer to expect from her, I noticed the corners of her mouth curl into a coy smile. “I think you could.”