Here is part 2. As always, comments and feedback are welcomed. I hope you enjoy the continuation of the story. More parts to follow soon. Cheers!
*****
Trish wasn't too sure about the weather. It was overcast and a bit windy and as she drove to her spot at the ICW it began to rain a little. She had hoped to catch Todd after work at his usual fishing spot. But there was no sign of him and with the weather growing worse she didn't blame him for not being out in this.
She drove back home and rushed to her door as the rain began to come down harder. Her glasses steamed and the drops distorted her vision as she fumbled to line the door key up with the lock. She opened the door and then spotted the sticky note over her peephole. She glanced at it and pulled it off of the door then quickly went inside and closed the door.
The note was wet and the ink had bled a bit. But even so she could make out what it said.
"Hey Trish, tried to stop by but you were out. I hope you are doing errands and not out looking for super genius men in the rain. At least it will be raining soon. Duh! Anyway I'm not fishing today but since you're not home I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Hope you had a good day? See ya later. Tell Barney I said hello okay? - Todd"
She cursed softly under her breath. She'd missed him. Of course he wouldn't be out in weather like this. What was she thinking? She looked at the note. It was both sweet and annoying. A reminder of just how poor her sense of dating and social interactions was.
Any normal girl would have known better she told herself. Only you get so goofy and boy obsessed that your brain freezes up like this. She shook her head and put the sticky note on her counter. Then she thought of the first sticky note.
She had Todd's number. She should call him. She pulled out her phone and brought up his phone number. All she had to do was hit the green call button. She started to move her index finger toward it but got nervous. Should I call him so soon after just missing him? What was the social protocol for this sort of thing? She had no idea.
Maybe I'll seem clingy or desperate if I call him like that? Guys hate clingy girl smothering them didn't they? She didn't want to be seen as needy or insecure of inexperienced. She laughed to herself in a moment of realization.
"I'm all three of those things! Needy, insecure, and Inexperienced." She grumbled inwardly. She shook her head and set her phone down on the counter. She started to take off her wet top and jeans. Then stared at the phone with her top pulled halfway up her chest.
What if the note is a hint since he doesn't have my number yet? Maybe he's being subtle? She walked closer to the phone with her hands and shirt still frozen in place. She looked at the phone as if willing it to come to life and share the secrets of the universe and romance with her.
She lowered her shirt and picked the phone up again. Then set it down.
Calling back so soon was probably wrong. Perhaps she should call back in the evening? She started again to pull up her wet rain soaked shirt. It was over her head and her arms were still in it when she looked back nervously at the phone.
Was she being silly? Why was this so tough to figure out?
She paused and stared again at the phone. Then started to turn away from the thing and looked out of her window. Across the grassy landing in the opposite building an old man was staring at her through his window. Until his wife stepped in between him and the window and then turned in annoyance to see Trish standing there like an idiot with her shirt up over her head, arms held up, and just her bra covering her breasts.
The old woman from across the way scowled at her hatefully and closed the blinds to her window. Trish gasped as she suddenly realized that she was flashing her top and her bra to neighbors. She pulled off her top quickly and closed her own blinds feeling embarrassed for flashing the other apartment while debating what to do about calling Todd.
So she walked to her bedroom and changed out of her wet clothes and into a T-shirt and shorts. She sat down in the living room and glanced at her aquarium. Her phone was now an accursed item that she both craved and feared. Should she leave it where she had set it down or should she get it and commit to calling Todd?
In the aquarium her original seahorse had shifted from Burgundy to a strong blood red with small pinkish bands appearing on his back and tail. The other sea horses were growing lighter and one of her pipefish was in view. She stared at the whole set up in fascination, but it kept reminding her that Todd was able to be contacted and had visited and she could initiate a call if she chose to.
She thought about it and decided to call her friend Duncan. He was a big time nerd and computer geek, but she had known him for ages. Surely he had some insight that would help. He could at least point her in the right direction. She got up and retrieved the phone and then dialed Duncan's number.
His voice was kind of gangly and wimpy. She liked that though. He was easy to relate to and easy to confide in.
"What up Trish?" He said and she could hear sounds of a video game in the background.
"Not too much. Whatcha doin' flake?"
"Kicking ass in World of Warcraft ya tart!" He bragged as she listened to the computer game fight in the background noises.
"Hey are you really wrapped up in your WOW or can we talk a moment?"
"We're talking right now Trish. I can talk and play at the same time girl."
She wanted his undivided attention.
"C'mon flake! I really need to talk to you. It's important and I need your feedback!" She was frustrated and a bit annoyed that his game was such a priority.
"What's so serious that you want to make me stop a WOW game and hear you rant on about?"
"I met a guy and we hit it off and we had sex. So I wanted to get some ideas from you on something that's bugging me okay?"
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Uh Trish when you say you had sex, cyber sex don't really count girl! You know that right?"
"Yeah I do you douche bag! I'm being serious Duncan. It wasn't cyber sex either we made love right here on my sofa!'
Most silence followed.
"You had sex with a partner on your sofa? When?"
"Yesterday!"
"Did you video tape it?"
"No! You're such a pervert!"
He laughed.
"Okay tell me everything? I want details Trish?"
She took a deep breath and then began.
"I met him a short time ago and we sorta hit it off. He was fishing and cast netted a seahorse which he gave to me for my aquarium."
"Whoa!, hang on a sec Trish. Do you mean that empty tank in your living room? What's it been like three years with no water?"
"Oh please! It's only been a few months that I had the tank sitting there empty."
"Try nine months Trish! We were all betting you were gonna start raising spiders in the damn thing. So you got a seahorse eh? And you haven't killed it?"
"No I haven't killed it ya butthead! But I know somebody who might get killed if he keeps on talking like that." She jokingly threatened.
"Ouh I'm scared. Anyway, continue. When do we get to the good part?"
She shook her head and wondered if she should be talking to Duncan about this. He was one of her best friends, but he was sometimes goofy or obnoxious in his poor attempts to be witty and humorous.
"So anyway, he helped me set up the aquarium. Both his parents are marine biologists and he knows a lot about fish and aquariums and stuff like that. He's a really fun guy and I really like him a lot. He has the most amazing eyes too."
"Uh Trish, get to the part where he bangs you on the sofa okay? I'm living vicariously through you girl." He laughed.
She held her middle finger to the phone and spoke to him again.
