Page 8 of Tailwhip
Staring at him, I ask how he has been doing. He says he has been doing well. I also ask him if I have time to freshen up before we head out to lunch and he tells me to take all the time I need, like he is not on a schedule to perform or anything! After getting refreshed, I walk into my front room, where Anthony is sitting, looking at his phone.
Going up to him, I ask, “Where do you want to go to lunch? We don’t have much to choose from up here.”
Turning around, he smiles. “I was thinking about a certain Italian Deli for sandwiches.” I know exactly where he is talking about. It is a little place in Colorado Springs that we used to eat at in high school.
“So, we are driving down to the Springs! I haven’t eaten there in a while.” I tell him thank you and he gives me a strange look, so I clarify what I mean. “Thank you for coming all this way to drive and take me for lunch. It’s one of the best surprises I’ve ever received.” This makes him smile, a beautiful, crooked smile with dimples.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing right now,” he says, making me blush as we head out. We get into the car and the music starts up, playing Pachuca Sunrise by Minus the Bear.
Excited, I turn to look at him. “You listen to Minus the Bear? They are one of my favorite bands!” Heading toward the interstate, we are both quiet for a little while into the drive.
Then, he breaks the silence. “I want to apologize for how I left in Denver. I wasn’t expecting Mika to be there, let alone jump on me like that.”
Keeping my stare straight and shaking my head, I say, “You don’t need to apologize for that. If anything, I am sorry. I heard what she said about how every tour is the same. That really bothered me. Every tour and run you do is different–from the tricks to the flow.”
Looking over at me with an almost shocked expression, he says, “You heard her say that?”
Just nodding my head yes is all I do. As we continue driving, he asks if I have been watching the tour. I get shy with this but let him know that I have been keeping up with the tour. I try to always catch him and Nick. With the smile on his face, I can tell that makes him happy.
After a couple hours of driving, we make it into the Springs. It feels just as hot down here, as it does up in the mountains. Once we park and walk inside the deli, Anthony turns to me.
“Do you want to get us a table and I will place our orders?” he asks.
I look over at him and tell him OK, but then stop and ask, “You remember what I like to eat here?”
He tells me it is kind of hard to forget when I always ordered the same thing. I am a creature of habit, even though he remembers what I order, I still remind him to make sure there’s no cheese.
“Oh, I remember you don’t like cheese–so weird. More for me, though. I will have it added to my sub!”
Smiling, I walk off to find a more private table, so we can talk without anyone around.
Once at the table, I can’t help but notice that Anthony takes the chair closest to me, and we eat our subs. It’s just as delicious as I remember, and I think Anthony agrees with how big of a bite he takes.
After we finish, we sit for a bit and just talk. Nothing has really been off limits. I know Anthony wants to ask me something, but I think he is having trouble getting the words out.
“So, are you seeing anyone?” he finally asks.
I tell him, no, that I haven’t been with anyone since my last boyfriend and that it wasn’t the best of break ups. I get up the courage to ask, “How are you and Mika doing?”
He blows out a breath, “Ah, well, we broke up back in Denver after that day I saw you, and before you even think of it, you had nothing to do with it.”
I’m a bit relieved at this, though I don’t know why I would have had something to do with it. We were having a harmless conversation.
He continues, saying, “We just weren’t together anymore for the right reasons. I think we were just comfortable.” I get that; it is harder to leave something or someone behind when you are comfortable with it.
I have my hands resting under my jaw when he reaches over and holds one of them, and I can’t help but notice how much bigger his hands are than mine!
He starts telling me, “I thought seeing you again was going to be hard and that I would just be pissed off still, but when I did finally see you in the crowd, I was just happy. I felt you before I saw you. Then you turned and left.”
I tell him, “I left because I had a lot of different feelings going on.”
Still holding my hand, rubbing his thumb across the top, he asks, “I want to get to know you again and be in your life. Would you want to be back in mine?”
I am shocked, but I instantly smile, saying, “I would like that very much!”
He raises my hand and gives me a kiss on the inside of my wrist, and I’m dead. How is it even possible that I may get a second chance here? A part of me is scared to take the jump, but I want to! I tell Anthony that I want him to be a part of my life again more than anything, but we should take it slow, and he agrees!
After we finish up lunch, we get back into the car, not sure of what the plan is.