FicWad

After leaving the coffee shop I walked home lost in all of my thoughts. Was I ready to leave my comfort zone with Jack? I mean was it even really comfortable with Jack or was I just with him for the sake of being with someone? If I was that sort of makes me horrible. Maybe this is fate maybe it is time for me to let go of Jack and finally let him find who he’s supposed to be with. Some one who will actually love him.

I’m. A. Jackass.

But this has to be done and it has to be done face to face.
Once I’m in my apartment I head to my bedroom to find my phone. After I punch in a few numbers I hear the ringing.

“Hey ba- I uh mean Rachel.”
I smiled.
“Hey Jack, we need to talk, can you come over please?”
I heard him sigh heavily. “I’ll be over in ten.”

It had seemed like I just hung up the phone when I heard a knock at the door. I walked over to it slowly and opened it.

“Hello Jack”
He didn’t even answer me he just walked into the apartment and sat down on the couch. I walked into the living room. I couldn’t even sit I had to say this before I chickened out.

“Jack this isn’t working out and I think you know that as much as I do” I blurted out.
He looked down and smiled. “I know.”
“I’m sorry”
He stood up off the couch and walked over to me. He stood right in front of me and looked me in the eye. “I know”
With that he was out of the door and out of my life. I took a deep breath and sat down on the couch. That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I know he’s better off.

As I was drowning in my thoughts I heard the faint alert beep on my phone. A text message.

Gerard: Lunch tomorrow? Oneish?
I smiled
Rachel: Sure, where?
Gerard: Meet me at the comic store and we can go together.
Rachel: Okay. Tomorrow, Oneish, at the comic book store.
Gerard: Yes. See you then.

I closed my phone and took another deep breath.
What am I going to wear?

I woke up to the sun streaming into my room. Crap what time is it? I thought to myself. I looked over to my alarm clock. It said 11:45. Damn, that’s late for me I thought as I stretched my body out from last nights awkward sleeping position.
I got half way to the kitchen before I realized that I still didn’t have any coffee. I’ll have to stop again. I turned back around and got into the shower and really started to consider what I would wear later.

By the time it was time for me to head out to meet Gerard I was dressed in light wash skinny jeans cuffed to about mid calf. A black tank top with lace trim covered by a black and white Queen band tee and my black flats. I wore my dirty blond hair down and stick straight that way it’s about mid back. I lined my brown eyes with black liner, threw on mascara, and some chap stick. Grabbed my sunglasses, purse, and keys and was out the door.

Gerard was standing in front of the store sporting the same starbucks coffee cup and dark sunglasses as I was. He was leaning against the side of the building people watching while he was waiting for me. I took a minute to look at him. His long legs were stretched out in front of him covered in black jeans. His body leaned against the brick wall and he was wearing an Iron maiden tee. I smiled and made my way over to him.

I stepped up next to him.
“Hey there” I said and then took a sip of my coffee. What I great combination.
“Hey yourself pretty girl”
Butterflies.
I smiled up at him “So where are we going?” I asked as he pushed himself of the wall.
“I thought I would take you to this little pizzeria my friends and I like to go to. It’s a little hole in the wall I think you’ll like it.” He said as he began to lead the way.
“I mean you do like pizza right?” He asked.
I laughed “I do like pizza. I went to college too you know!”
He looked over at me “Where did you go?” he asked.
“I went to Boston University for teaching”
“Are you working as a teacher now?”
“Yep I teach Kindergarten” I said smiling.
“I bet you’re great at it.”
“I sure hope so!” I said with a laugh.
“I can see it in your eyes. When we were at the coffee shop they danced with a childlike wonder as you were taking it all in. I bet you’re great with kids.”
I thought for a minute. Do people actually say stuff like that? No one has ever given be compliment like that. I seriously will be pissed if I wake up and this is a dream.
“Thanks now stop you’re making me blush.”
We both laughed.
Before I even knew it we were walking down this back street and into a dimly lit pizzeria.
“A table for two?” the hostess asked
“Yes please” Gerard answered
“Right this way”
The women let us to a corner booth in the back and left us with two menus and some water.
“So I have established you like pizza. Now what do you like on top of it?”
“Pepperoni”
“Sounds perfect”
We pushed the menus aside and waited for our waiter to come over. I leaned back on the cushioned seat and folded one leg under the other and reached over for my glass of water. I sipped slightly on the straw and felt the cold rush as the water hit my mouth. Then I looked over at Gerard.

“So what did you go to school for” I asked
“Art. I do comic book art.”
And then it clicked in my brain.
“The ones I bought yesterday?” I asked him eyes dancing wildly over his face.
“Uh, yeah” he answered bringing his hand to the back of his head and scratching it while looking down at the table.
“Are you blushing!?” I blurted out almost laughing.
“No, no way.” He said still not looking at me.
“Yes you are! Pay back is a bitch huh?” I said. Then we both broke out in laughter.

Fifteen minutes later we have a huge pizza and two diet cokes sitting in front of us and I can not believe my eyes.

“Gerard…this is huge.” I said. I couldn’t believe the size of this pizza.
“I told you you’d like this place.” He said looking at me with that crocked smile on his face.
“This could easily feed six of us!”
“Why do you think we like this place so much?”
“Good point.”

After a few minutes of silent eating I could feel Gerard looking at me.

“Okay Gerard I know you’ve been itching to ask so let’s get on with it.” I said looking him dead on.
“Okay,” he drawled out slowly “What did you decide?”
“Well I called Jack last night and he came over.”
“And?”
“Well I told him that we just weren’t working out” I said and looked down at my gigantic slice of pizza. It was quiet at the other side of the table for a minute and I could have sworn I heard a sigh.

“It’s not that I like that someone had to get their feelings hurt, but I’m glad you decided to jump in at the deep end with this.”
“Me too, I hope it’s the right choice.” Oh shit, did I just say that out loud? “I mean it’s-”
Gerard cut me off. “I understand were you’re coming from. I feel the same way.”
I looked at him in his face. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Yes.” He answered slowly.
“Excuse me? Mr. you can’t have your cake and eat it too!” I said a little bit stung by this new information. We just sat there for a minute before he answered.
“I know I should have told you this yesterday but everything just seemed way too good to be true and I didn’t want this to slip through my fingers.”
“Well I can tell you right now I’m not going to be the ‘other girl’ if you can catch my drift”
“Rachel,” that brought my eyes back to attention to his face “that is not what I want. I just need to do things face to face, like you did with Jack.”
“Is she here in New York with you?”
“No”
“Gerard what have we gotten ourselves into?” I asked him bringing my eyes back down to the table.
“I’m not sure. But that’s the best part of diving into the deep end.”