6. “Your Best American Girl” #2
“Javi, I cry all the time,” I shared. “I’m a crier.
I saved that video about the little boy who waves at the cat sitting in the window every morning on his way to school, then the cat disappears, and the little boy is crushed.
He keeps walking by and looking up, no cat.
And he thinks the wee fur baby died. We all think the wee fur baby died.
Then one day, he looks up, and the cat is back…
”—I leaned toward him—“ with her wee kitties . I’ve seen that video, like, fifty times, and I get choked up each time. ”
Javi was dead silent after I shared this, but even in his silence, something was happening in that cab.
It felt soft, warm, cozy, intimate… miraculous .
I watched his profile as this was happening, and it was thoughtful along with its usual beautiful.
And then his rough voice came gentle when he said, “You can cry about shit like that. Your girls do not make you cry.”
“Jav—”
“Baby, no,” he whispered.
Since his voice was as sweet as the feel of the cab, and he called me baby again, I decided to shut up and stop looking at what was now his sweet, along with thoughtful and beautiful profile, and face forward.
“You eaten?” he asked.
“I had some of Lucia’s brie, ham and jalapeno croquettes a couple of hours ago.”
“Right. Better question. Are you hungry?”
I was peckish.
“Um…”
Shockingly, Javi read my “Um.”
“We’ll swing through a drive-thru, take it to your place and finally talk this shit out.”
I wasn’t sure I was up for that, but I didn’t say anything, because my hormones were beating out my emotions, and they always wanted to spend time with Javi. My stomach was assisting my hormones in this endeavor, so there was no way my emotions were going to win.
(Though, truth told, there were a goodly number of my emotions that wanted to talk stuff out with Javi too.)
“What’s your favorite fast food?” he asked.
“Culver’s,” I answered readily, then thought about it.
“Also Cane’s. And Cava, though they don’t have a drive-thru.
We’d have to go in. And if we go in, there’s also Thai Chili 2go.
They have some really yummy, spicy chicken bites and their pad thai is super delish.
I mean, for a fast-food Thai place. If you’re a Thai food aficionado, it might not suffice.
Or we could share some of Café Rio’s sweet pulled pork barbacoa nachos.
I’m a sucker for their sweet pulled pork barbacoa.
And all of those are kind of on our way home, well, give or take a few blocks. ”
“Are all of them on the table?”
“Sorry?”
“You got a taste for all of those right now?”
“Definitely.”
He hit his turn signal to get in the right lane.
“You get anything from Jinx?” he asked.
“No, except she’s not hip on going undercover on this mission.”
“No comment on that too,” he muttered.
I looked at him again. “Why no comment?”
He glanced at me before looking back at the road. “Because if I commented, I’d do it to say she’s got a brain in her head and a sharp sense of self-preservation, and you women goin’ after this shares you do not.”
I turned forward. “I’ll stick with your no comment.”
Another mutter with, “Good call.” Then, “The porn guy give you anything?”
Something hit me, so I said, “Oh my God.”
“What?” Javi asked sharply.
“I don’t know Mr. Stupidhead’s name.”
The sharp was out when he queried, “Come again?”
I turned to him. “We’ve never asked Mr. Stupidhead his name. Sure, he’s always rude to us and he stares at my breasts every time he looks at me.”
The sweet, cozy feeling in the cab dissipated immediately.
Therefore, I rushed on, “But I gave him birthday cake cupcakes tonight, and he nearly burst into tears. I don’t think he has anyone who’s ever nice to him. And it’s not nice to have an acquaintance with someone and not even know their name.”
“A man that stares at your tits doesn’t deserve you asking his name.”
“We ask him for information all the time,” I countered. “Obviously, its gross that he does that, but, I mean, you give as good as you get, and maybe we haven’t been all that nice to him either.”
“There are some people in this world who don’t deserve you bein’ nice to them, baby,” he said gently.
“I know. And I would put Mr. Stupidhead in that category before he almost started crying when I gave him cupcakes. But now I’m not so sure.”
“You say you bribe him with porn.”
“Yes, and now also cupcakes.”
“So this clown is getting before he gives. That means, you don’t owe him dick. And if you speak to a woman, you look her in the eyes, even if you don’t like her. No exceptions.”
He was right.
“You’re right,” I allowed.
“I know,” he stated.
“I still feel bad we haven’t asked his name,” I admitted.
“That’s because you’re you.”
Now what did that mean?
Last night, I was the spoiled rich girl out slumming.
Now, I’m a nice person?
I was beginning to agree with Javi.
We needed to have a conversation before I got whiplash trying to figure out what was in his head.
He took us to Thai Chili 2go, and the minute he parked, I was delighted he decided on that one, because I suddenly needed those spicy chicken bites and pad thai like I needed oxygen.
I opened my door to jump down, and my feet barely hit the asphalt before Javi was there.
He took my hand, guided me out of the door, shut it, and kept hold of my hand as we walked to the restaurant.
Oh yeah.
Holding my hand?
Serious to the seriously.
What on earth was going on?
We stood at the menu thing as Javi perused it. Since I knew what I wanted, I pulled my hand from his and ordered.
I was down by the register getting out my wallet when Javi said, “Mine’s with hers, and I’m paying.”
I looked to him to see he was addressing the register guy.
I turned to the register guy. “This isn’t a date. I’m getting mine.”
Register guy started ringing me up.
“Mine’s with hers,” Javi repeated. “And I’m paying.”
Register guy looked to Javi.
Javi pushed me out of his way, pulling out his wallet.
“I can get my own dinner,” I told him.
He looked down at me. “I know you can. That doesn’t mean you are.”
“Okay then, I don’t want you to buy my dinner,” I returned.
Javi switched his attention to register guy. “She’s full of it because we’re fighting. This is a date and I’m buying her dinner.”
Register guy nodded and started poking at the screen while I experienced heart palpitations.
“This is not a date!” I cried.
“Yes, it is,” Javi retorted.
It was?
How?
Why?
Again, how ?
“You don’t like me,” I reminded him.
“We’ll talk about it when we get to your place,” Javi declared.
All right.
Enough.
I put my hands on my hips. “I can’t believe I need to remind you that I’ve had a rough couple of days, Javi. First, I’m on a mission you horn in on , meeting up with a conman loser to take him down, then you share your truth, then the conman gets his throat slit?—”
Register guy gurgled unhappily.
I kept ranting.
“—then my girl gang throws down, you rescue me, and although I appreciate the rescue, truly, you made yourself clear last night. I heard you. You don’t have to feel bad about it.
It’s said. It’s done. And you are not buying my dinner because we are not on a date because you told me you don’t even like me! ”
“I also told you we’ll talk about it when we get to your place,” Javi replied, then looked to register guy. “How much?”
Register guy stared up at him with a pale face then reached across and tapped the screen.
Javi pulled out some cash and gave it to him. Quick as a flash, register guy took it and started making change.
“Oh my God! You just paid!” I snapped irritably.
Javi turned to me. “You can stop bein’ cute, or you can get kissed. Your choice.”
I shut my mouth because really…
What on earth was happening?????
Javi dropped the change in the tip jar then guided me to a table where we could sit and wait for our food to be ready.
“I’m not talking to you,” I announced when I took my seat.
“Good,” Javi retorted when he took his. “Means, by the time I get you home, I can finally get a word or two in and clear this shit up.”
I had something to say to that, something along the lines of, he’d already said too much, but I’d hardly stopped him from speaking since he did. However, due to the fact I’d just proclaimed I wasn’t talking to him, I couldn’t say it.
“Yeah,” Javi said, his rich, deep voice even better than normal because it was now amused, “this is gonna work.”
I huffed.
He smiled.
I looked away because his smile was just that amazing. I couldn’t hack it.
Our number was called.
Javi got up to get our food, and I got up to rush to the door so he wouldn’t do something confusing again, like hold my hand.
When he came my way, I rushed out the door. I then rushed to the truck.
He beeped the locks.
I rushed to get in the truck.
He was there when I went to close my door. He handed me the food and closed it for me.
I remained silent.
I was able to sustain this on the drive home.
I was even able to sustain it when he parked, we both got out, I tried the rushing thing again but failed when he caught me by the back of my dress, and I had no choice but to come to an abrupt halt and do so without say, yelling at him or something.
I continued to sustain it when he took the food from me and flattened his hand against the small of my back to guide me to the gate.
Since his hands were busy, I punched the code in.
I knew we were in for it the minute I saw Martha, Linda and Patsy hanging out by the pool.
Linda and Patsy were lovely.
Martha was Martha. She wasn’t lovely, as such. She was a woman who had no filter, but when the rubber met the road, she’d be your ride or die.
Though, just like the Oasis residents that were out last night, they all took one look at us, and even though Martha’s mouth was opened to say something (per her protocol), she shut it the instant she saw Javi guiding me to my apartment.
I was me (indeed!), so I called, “Hey!”
“Uh…hey,” Linda called in return.
Patsy just started grinning madly.
Martha’s stare turned into a glare.
I hustled us to my door. I let us in. I was mildly surprised I tripped on something on the way to my tulip lamp, seeing as there was nothing in that trajectory to trip over. I hit the foot switch. Javi and I took one look at the state of my apartment.
I gasped loudly as my lungs hollowed out.
Javi growled.
He then grabbed hold of my hand and dragged me right back out of my apartment, through the courtyard, with Linda, Martha and Patsy watching, to Jacob’s apartment (Jacob was an Oasis resident first, NI&S recruited him from his contractor job to be one of their men later). Javi pounded on the door.
Jacob opened it looking like he wanted to murder somebody, which was no surprise. I’d just learned that Javi could pound on a door like no other.
But he took in Javi, me, went alert, Javi shoved me at him, Jacob caught me, and Javi ordered, “Look after her. I’ll be back.”
He dropped our bag of food in my hands then he jogged back across the courtyard.
To my ruined apartment.