“I think he’s married.”
April gave her friend Shannon a compassionate look. “Did he have a ring on his finger?”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Lots of men don’t wear rings if they’re married.”
“What about a mark?”
“None that I could see.”
“Were you even looking?” April smirked. “Or were you too busy?”
Shannon glared at April. “No, I was NOT too busy.”
“Uh huh.”
Shannon decided now would be a good time to dust something. Anything. She logged off the register and went toward the back of the department. She started to absently put things in alphabetical order.
“Hello, sweets.”
She whirled and saw him. Immediately, she melted into his deep blue eyes. She was speechless. All her doubts about him totally disappeared.
“Hi,” she said. “Bomber.”
He smiled. “Was wonderin’ if I could be seein’ you tonight when you’re done.”
“I…uh, sure.”
“We could go to the coffee shop, or the Johnny Rockets.”
Her eyes widened. “Johnny Rockets? I love that place.”
“Then Johnny Rockets it is. We can take separate vehicles.”
“You’re not riding your bike out in this weather? There’s snow on the ground.”
“I have snow tires.”
“You must be freezing!”
“I dress in layers.”
She shook her head. Men and their toys. “I’ll see you there when you get out. I’ll have a table.” Then he bent down and kissed her lips gently, his tongue tracing her lower lip before pulling away. She almost swooned. She regained consciousness as she saw his retreating back, and that tight ass encased in blue jeans. She saw April was watching him closely too, and felt a pang of jealousy.
Johnny Rockets was in the College Road section of Steel Canyon, just past the university. She was lucky to find a parking spot, as this was a usual late-night hang out for college kids. She got to the restaurant and saw him seated at a booth just two seats in from the door.
She went to sit down across from him, and the booth was too tight for her. She looked utterly embarrassed as she tried to struggle inside it, and heard chuckling from somewhere behind them. Bomber got up. “I’ll get us a table instead.”
There was one toward the back, right next to the door to the kitchen. It seated only two, and the table itself was barely big enough to hold one order. He looked around, and saw that waiters and waitresses kept walking by them, as if they didn’t exist. She looked down at the menu, wanting to just die.
Then she heard someone waiter walking by saying to another, “she couldn’t fit in the booth so they had to move.”
The reply she heard was, “She can wait, she doesn’t look starving.”
Bomber jumped out of his seat so fast that she almost didn’t see him move. The next thing she knew, he had grabbed the waiter by the scruff of his neck and shoved him through the swinging kitchen doors. She – and everyone in the place – heard the crashing of pans and something hitting a wall. Then, there was silence.
Bomber threw open the swinging doors so hard they almost flew off – one of the top hinges snapped off. He looked at Shannon, his eyes black with fury. “Let’s go,” he ordered, and stormed out of the restaurant. He shoved by someone who yelled at him, “Hey, what’s your hurry!”
Bomber soundly punched him in the face and walked on. Shannon gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. The man staggered back into the door, his nose bleeding. Bomber kept on walking. Shannon looked from the man, to Bomber’s back, and then ran out the door after Bomber.
His bike had been parked behind a closed store. She found him there, gripping the handle bar, trying to get a hold of himself. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said, not looking at her.
“It’s…It’s—” It wasn’t okay. What if he lashed out at her?
“I have a temper. I have a real bad temper. People I care about…I feel protective about them.”
“You…care about me?”
He turned around to face her. “Of course, I do.”
Her heart leapt. Did this mean…? She ran into his chest and hugged him fiercely, the smell of cold leather filling her nostrils.
“Shannon?”
She looked up at him, adoringly. At that moment, she would do anything for him.
His eyes softened. “Oh, Shannon. I’m going to hurt you, and I’m so sorry.”
Her hopes were dashed. “You are married.”
“I’m committed.”
“En…engaged?”
“Of a sort.”
She looked ready to burst into tears. He reached for her. She didn’t resist. She did cry against his chest. “Shannon, Shannon, listen to me. Listen to me.” He forcibly lifted her head so he could stare at her. “I meant what I said. I care about you. But I can’t give you what you’ll want.”
“How do you know what I want?!”
“You want a steady boyfriend.”
She sniffled. He was right. Right now, she could accept that she was just a quick lay, but she always thought in the back of her mind that they would spend a Sunday morning together, eating grapes in bed and exploring each other at the sunrise. Or go out for a ride, walk on the beach—she did want that, in the end.
“If it’ll hurt you too much, we can stop this right now.”
“Nobody – nobody ever stood up for me like you just did.” She hugged him again.
He bent his head to her. “Want me to escort you home?”
She nodded against his leather. “And stay with me for a little while.”
He kissed her hair. “A’right, sweets.”
Words: 964
Inspiration: Needed to bring Shannon back
Music: None
Comments: Apologies for crappy formatting – if any – this is coming directly from Word 2007.