So Two Years Ago
Six
Chapter Six:
It was awfully surreal, the entire situation. Wandering aimlessly through a new city was strange in itself; add into that a head-on collision with a stranger who I happened to know by name, plus a now much less unnerving stroll through Chicago and a bit of friendly conversation, and you’ve got the recipe for some sort of bizarre dream come true.
We began to walk, and I told him what I could remember about the surrounding area of the parking garage, which wasn’t much. “Well… there was an apartment building across the street-- well, kind of down the street and then across. And, um, I remember a news stand very close to it. And a drug store on the corner of the street… but I dunno what it was called.” I blushed as I told him what little I could.
“Apartments, a news stand and a drug store, you say?” He smirked as though he was trying his hardest to keep from laughing.
“Yea…,” I chuckled at myself. “I really need to invest in a map…. Sorry.”
“Nah, it’s alright. Although, I suppose you’re right about the map,” he said with a playful grin.
“I swear, I’m not always this directionally impaired.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”
I put on a false pout that could only hold back a giggle for a few seconds.
“Ya know what I just realized?” he asked as we waited for the little green man to light up on the cross walk signal.
“What?”
“I haven’t introduced myself.” As if you need to. “I’m Andy Hurley.” He extended his hand and I accepted it with a smile.
“Tessa Lane.”
“Nice to meet you-- err, run you over, I guess.”
The big red hand went dark and it was safe for us to cross.
“You, too…. Not to sound creepy, but I know who you are.”
“Wow, that did sound creepy.”
“Yea, I know. That could’ve come out a lot better. I’m not that creepy, usually--”
“Hey. Tessa. Calm down, I was only joking,” he interrupted me with a chuckle.
“Oh… right,” I blushed, grinning at myself.
“I know what you mean.”
“I actually saw you-- well, your band a couple of years ago, back home in Philly.”
“Home in Philly? So you’re just visiting Chicago?”
“Oh, no. I just moved here. Well, Glenview, actually. Still in the middle of unpacking.”
“But you’re from Philadelphia, you said?”
I nodded, confused as to why he’d be so interested in where I was from and where I lived now.
“I feel like I remember you… from that show. We spoke about you moving to Chicago, didn’t we?”
He remembered?? “You remember that?”
“Yea! Now I remember! You’re gonna make movies, right?”
“Geez, I can’t even remember where I parked my car, and you remember details from a three minutes conversation that took place two years ago.”
“Yea, that is weird. Especially since everything else from that show just kind of blurs together with all the others.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s just you.”
Maybe it’s just me? I swooned a little inside at the thought. I’d really stuck out in his mind like that? I sighed out loud, but caught myself halfway through, turning the sound into a suspiciously fake cough. He didn’t question it, thank God, and we soon approached a distantly familiar building.
“Well,” he began. “This is where I parked, so maybe we could take my car around the city to find yours--”
“No, no, wait! Those are the apartments! And the news stand!”
“You mean that bus stop?”
“News stand, bus stop, my memory apparently sees no difference.” We shared a snicker and continued into the garage.
Three spaces down from a new-looking black car that turned out to be his sat my little silver car, kind of shabby looking compared to his.
“That’s convenient.”
“Very.” I grinned, until I realized that this meant our short reunion was coming to an end. “Well, this was fun while it lasted.” I said with a sigh. “But, uh, thanks for your help. I’d probably still be wandering around lost if I hadn’t run into you… literally.”
“No problem.”
I grabbed my keys from inside of my purse and unlock the driver’s side door, setting my bag in the back seat. “Maybe I’ll see you around again. I’ll buy a map just in case I don’t, though.”
“Yea. Well, uh, see you around, then.” He leaned in to give me a short hug and waved as he turned and walked toward his own car.
I tossed my purse into the passenger seat and sat down, all the while keeping a longing eye on him. I reached my hand out for the car door, but hesitated when he stopped in his tracks and turned back toward me.
“Hey, Tessa!”
I eagerly stepped out of the car. “Yea?”
“Do you wanna come hang out with me and a few friends in Wilmette?”
“In Wilmette?” I had a feeling I knew what friends he meant, but tried not to lead on that I did. Tried not to sound or look too excited to have the opportunity to hang out with the band whose CD happened to be in my car’s stereo at the moment.
“I mean, if you’re still busy unpacking, that’s cool. Maybe some other tim--”
“No, it’s fine! That sounds great, actually.”
He smiled with a look of relief, “Cool. Uh, just follow me, I guess.”
I did my best not to squeal once I’d gotten back into my car and closed the door. I even turned down the CD player, as though he might actually be able to hear it. If I’d tried my damnedest, though, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my lips as I maneuvered my car behind his, following the signs out of the city and into the suburbs.
It was awfully surreal, the entire situation. Wandering aimlessly through a new city was strange in itself; add into that a head-on collision with a stranger who I happened to know by name, plus a now much less unnerving stroll through Chicago and a bit of friendly conversation, and you’ve got the recipe for some sort of bizarre dream come true.
We began to walk, and I told him what I could remember about the surrounding area of the parking garage, which wasn’t much. “Well… there was an apartment building across the street-- well, kind of down the street and then across. And, um, I remember a news stand very close to it. And a drug store on the corner of the street… but I dunno what it was called.” I blushed as I told him what little I could.
“Apartments, a news stand and a drug store, you say?” He smirked as though he was trying his hardest to keep from laughing.
“Yea…,” I chuckled at myself. “I really need to invest in a map…. Sorry.”
“Nah, it’s alright. Although, I suppose you’re right about the map,” he said with a playful grin.
“I swear, I’m not always this directionally impaired.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”
I put on a false pout that could only hold back a giggle for a few seconds.
“Ya know what I just realized?” he asked as we waited for the little green man to light up on the cross walk signal.
“What?”
“I haven’t introduced myself.” As if you need to. “I’m Andy Hurley.” He extended his hand and I accepted it with a smile.
“Tessa Lane.”
“Nice to meet you-- err, run you over, I guess.”
The big red hand went dark and it was safe for us to cross.
“You, too…. Not to sound creepy, but I know who you are.”
“Wow, that did sound creepy.”
“Yea, I know. That could’ve come out a lot better. I’m not that creepy, usually--”
“Hey. Tessa. Calm down, I was only joking,” he interrupted me with a chuckle.
“Oh… right,” I blushed, grinning at myself.
“I know what you mean.”
“I actually saw you-- well, your band a couple of years ago, back home in Philly.”
“Home in Philly? So you’re just visiting Chicago?”
“Oh, no. I just moved here. Well, Glenview, actually. Still in the middle of unpacking.”
“But you’re from Philadelphia, you said?”
I nodded, confused as to why he’d be so interested in where I was from and where I lived now.
“I feel like I remember you… from that show. We spoke about you moving to Chicago, didn’t we?”
He remembered?? “You remember that?”
“Yea! Now I remember! You’re gonna make movies, right?”
“Geez, I can’t even remember where I parked my car, and you remember details from a three minutes conversation that took place two years ago.”
“Yea, that is weird. Especially since everything else from that show just kind of blurs together with all the others.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s just you.”
Maybe it’s just me? I swooned a little inside at the thought. I’d really stuck out in his mind like that? I sighed out loud, but caught myself halfway through, turning the sound into a suspiciously fake cough. He didn’t question it, thank God, and we soon approached a distantly familiar building.
“Well,” he began. “This is where I parked, so maybe we could take my car around the city to find yours--”
“No, no, wait! Those are the apartments! And the news stand!”
“You mean that bus stop?”
“News stand, bus stop, my memory apparently sees no difference.” We shared a snicker and continued into the garage.
Three spaces down from a new-looking black car that turned out to be his sat my little silver car, kind of shabby looking compared to his.
“That’s convenient.”
“Very.” I grinned, until I realized that this meant our short reunion was coming to an end. “Well, this was fun while it lasted.” I said with a sigh. “But, uh, thanks for your help. I’d probably still be wandering around lost if I hadn’t run into you… literally.”
“No problem.”
I grabbed my keys from inside of my purse and unlock the driver’s side door, setting my bag in the back seat. “Maybe I’ll see you around again. I’ll buy a map just in case I don’t, though.”
“Yea. Well, uh, see you around, then.” He leaned in to give me a short hug and waved as he turned and walked toward his own car.
I tossed my purse into the passenger seat and sat down, all the while keeping a longing eye on him. I reached my hand out for the car door, but hesitated when he stopped in his tracks and turned back toward me.
“Hey, Tessa!”
I eagerly stepped out of the car. “Yea?”
“Do you wanna come hang out with me and a few friends in Wilmette?”
“In Wilmette?” I had a feeling I knew what friends he meant, but tried not to lead on that I did. Tried not to sound or look too excited to have the opportunity to hang out with the band whose CD happened to be in my car’s stereo at the moment.
“I mean, if you’re still busy unpacking, that’s cool. Maybe some other tim--”
“No, it’s fine! That sounds great, actually.”
He smiled with a look of relief, “Cool. Uh, just follow me, I guess.”
I did my best not to squeal once I’d gotten back into my car and closed the door. I even turned down the CD player, as though he might actually be able to hear it. If I’d tried my damnedest, though, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my lips as I maneuvered my car behind his, following the signs out of the city and into the suburbs.