Page 14 of Kisses
“Yeah, you have it worse than me.”
“Damn straight, I do.”
Both of us laugh. We both have jobs that require us to work with a lot of people. The summer months are our slow months and only deal with a handful of individuals. Todd and I went to undergrad and then on to graduate school while working full-time. Some would say, we have a common law marriage. We have been living with each other since we were nineteen. Neither of us ever thought about getting our own place. To be honest, we both like the cheapness of sharing an apartment. It works for us. Todd is like a brother to me. He keeps my mind sound when I get frustrated with deadlines and individuals annoying me.
Now, it’s time to get started on researching my next project - The Life of a Demented mind - a silent killer.
***
After working for a few hours my body decides it needs food before continuing on any further.
As I am raiding our pantry and freezer for said food, Todd yells from the hallway, “Hey, fucker. Let’s go get some lunch. I’m starving.”
“All right!! Let me change and we will head out,” I answer.
I change into a t-shirt and jeans and head out. Our apartment is not far from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. There are a lot of great places to eat within blocks of our place and the university. One of our favorite places is a sports bar with great burgers. Unfortunately, with school starting, the place is going to be packed with students. Most of them having one last hoorah before classes start up. We won’t be there long.
When we arrive at the sports bar, a cute, petite redhead greets us at the door. I nudge Todd, signaling I like what I see. He nods in agreement.
Wiggling her tight, little ass, she leads us to a high-top table. She smiles, “Cami will be serving you today.”
We say thanks and look at the menu on the table. I don’t know why I even bother looking. I get the same thing every time I am here - peanut butter burger with jalapeno jelly. It sounds like an unusual combo, but it is good. Our waitress comes over and we order our burgers and a few beers.
We both skim the bar. Todd laughs, “They have no idea.”
I chuckle, “We were all oblivious in college.”
He looks at me and says, “Some more than others.”
“What? I wasn’t oblivious. I was enthusiastic. College was fun.”
“While I was studying my ass off, you were partying.”
“College was not a challenge for me.”
“Your major was easy.”
“Fuck you!”
Before Todd can make a comeback, the waitress brings our draft beers. The conversation stops and we both sip our beers. In college, Todd was an engineering major. I have to agree, you have to be really educated and determined to pursue that major. He was studying a lot. Myself on the other hand, I was a journalism major with a minor in English. It was easy for me. My parents had tenure at the university. My father is actually the head of the Criminal Justice department at the university. My mother is currently working part-time as an English professor. Basically, I was gifted with my parents’ combination of smarts. I have been very fortunate with my journalism career. I started off as an investigative reporter and soon moved up the ladder, which led me to my current passion – true crime and serial killers. I am actually considered an expert in my field. However, I work all the time. I wear multiple hats.
Distracting my thought process, Todd snaps his fingers at me.
I blink and ask, “What?”
He laughs, “Food is here.”
The smell of melted peanut butter mixed with sweet jelly on chargrilled burger overwhelms my taste buds and my mouth starts to water. I cannot wait to dig into this massive burger with a side of sweet potato fries that I won’t touch because I am full. Todd and I start chowing down on our burgers. All of sudden, Todd drops his burger on his plate and says, “Holy, shit.”
I set my burger down and question, “What’s up?”
“She’s here,” he replies quietly.
Being a smart ass, I whisper, “Who's here?”
His eyes focus on whomever he is looking at. He states, “Kandace!”
I turn my head and there she is, walking through the bar. This time, I focus on her. My mind is questioning if her sexy ass friend is with her. How I hope she is. I want that ass again.