Is it cringe that I feel like I want to climb this man in front of me like a tree. Girl? I caught myself on that one and sat upright. After spending most of the year trying to heal, I was literally becoming a misandrist. Not because I held any grudge against men, I loved men, if that's a general statement. But there's also a sharp sense of discernment one gets when they seriously raise their standards and just realize that most men are jerks. It makes you more prone to generalizing all men as pieces of shit.
But you're also allowed to feel attracted to them, don't shame your body for having a normal biological reaction. My inner voice was clearly my therapist through all of this, leave alone being a firstborn who'd just moved out of her parents house a year ago, when I was twenty-two. I was having a blast with my first year of actual freedom.
I had already gotten a septum piercing, a conch, an industrial, and a helix. And this was my first tattoo. As weird as that sounds yes, that's my definition of being free trying to exploit it as much as I can. So I pick my coffee and make my way out of the café before I see another eye catching gentleman I'll have the sudden urge to climb like a tree. Except immediately I turn I come to a quick halt before I bump into someone.
"Sorry," I utter quickly as I proceed to make my way out of the café. "You," The voice says. And though I have absolutely not made any effort to socialize since I've been to this town I seem to find his voice familiar. Ah, the coffee spill guy, from last week. He's not in running attire today. Attire? Who says that?
But I didn't say that.
It then occurs to me that he must be speaking to me because his lips are moving. Well of course his lips are moving when he speaks. Shit, listen!
I look up at him, he's not that tall to me considering I'm 5'10 but its still a nice feeling to have someone towering over me. Do I like that he's taller? Yeah, you don't like short men…..anyway.
"So, how are you doing?" he asks.
"I'm fine," I say eyeing his cup of coffee. "I suppose you won't spill that on me." I point at it. He chuckles "I'll try not to. Wanna have a chat?"
A chat? Why?
"It's okay if it makes you uncomfortable, it's just some small talk I guess as we take coffee."
Ow, well I suppose I can do that. I stare into thin air for a second longer before I smile and accept his offer. We settle at a corner booth, and I'm staring out the window for like a whole ten seconds before he starts. "So, what's your name?"
I stare at him again, were at eye level now that he's sitting down, he's eyes are a rich type of blue. I gaze at him for so long, mesmerized. "Hey," he says.
"Ha, ow…my name…I'm Reika. Reika Milan. What about you?"
"Reika," he smiles, like my name is something so good, so rich and worth saying it the way he pronounces it. Ha, if it were. "My name's Riveka." He says and I laugh, I don't know why. Hmm, Riveka, Kafka, sound so similar. "I'm sorry Riveka?"I say with a smile. "Damn, that's honestly a dope name, middle name?"
"That is my middle name, my first name's Reid."
"So RR," I say and smile, "Do you have siblings? Do their names also start with R, is it like RR, with all of you?"
"Yeah, actually they were copying the Kardashians with their KK thing." He says and takes a sip.
"No way, that's so…. I wanna say cool but your parents were fangirling so bad."
"Just kidding, I'm an only child, basically, our first born died a couple of years back, my parents adopted a teen recently, so maybe lets just say I'm a firstborn at the moment, I guess."
Well who'd guess he's experienced it all, firstborn, lastborn, only child. "I honestly don't know what to say to that," well you're fucking awkward, ask for his number or something, no not now, the conversation is at a weird point. What will you say. My facial features manage to come up with a smile then he looks at me weirdly. Shoot, now why the fuck are you smiling? I stop smiling and look at him straight. Not knowing what's on his mind is killing me, his face is expressionless, I'm sure he finds me weird already, I bet he can't wait to leave.
"So where are you from?" I quip.
He sets down his coffee cup, stares me in the eye. "You know you think too much."
Was that accusatory or an observation? Is that like a bad thing for him, like a for a woman type of statement?
"Reika?"
I startle and face him, he's smiling. "See what I mean." ow so it was an observation.
"What are you constantly thinking about?" He asks me soflty. Ow I'm sure he'd like to know, but how do I tell him I think of everything and nothing at the same time?
"Hmm, let me guess, constantly zoning out, always thinking...I don't have much to work with but I'd go with ADHD if I were to take a wild guess." takes another sip of his coffee, I glance down at mine, I haven't even taken a sip out of since we sat.
I gently nod in answer to his question. Observant much. "You haven't answered my question though," I say to him in almost a whisper.
"Ah, well you wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
"And what makes you think that? Mr coffee spill Riveka." a small smile plays on my face. When did we get this damn comfortable?
"Lake District," he says and I almost spit out the first sip I had taken of my coffee.
"In England?" I ask in disbelief, he has to be joking.
"Well, I haven't heard of another one so that must be it."
"But....w…you don't even have an accent."
"Been around here for a long time I guess, the accent kinda fades away."
"Can you do it.." I ask excitedly gripping my coffee with both hands, now who's fangirling? "..The accent I mean, don't mind me, I have a thing for the British accent."
"I don't. I actually get that sometimes." he says in the accent and I damn near almost melt. I quickly recollect myself and wipe off the smug smile on my face. "What about you? Where are you from?"
His eyes are boring into mine.
"No fancy places for me, just boring old Conneticut." he gasps dramatically as if its some big fancy dramatic place and I laugh. We continue chatting on about silly nonsense until we're both done with our coffee and he holds the door open for me as we head out. He's talking to me about something when someone interrupts us. "Hey Reid," the female voice says. She then takes a look at me and squints her eyes.
"Xenna?"