How Sweet It Is

See You Soon

"Change of plans." Debbie says walking down the staircase, I stand up as she makes her way down but Lou remains seated as she flips through a magazine on the couch. "I'm going to go meet Amita downtown."

"Okay, so i'll just come with you?" I offer but she shakes her head, walking over and standing beside me.

"Nope, sorry. Have to go alone."

"Well, she can't come with me." Lou says closing the magazine in a huff and standing up. "Sorry, kid."

"Don't call me kid. What am I supposed to do then? The show isn't until this afternoon."

We all sit in silence for a minute, but the two of them already came to their conclusion while I was still thinking. Looking between the two of them, who wore similiar smirks on their face.

"No way." I say with a bitter laugh, sitting down on the couch and crossing my legs and arms in an act of defiance. "No, i'm not doing that by myself. Nope. Not happening."

"I cannot believe i'm fucking doing this by myself." I say as I peak my head up to the top of the garage and look through the window to the crowded shelves.

Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I dialed the familiar number I had grown to know by heart.

It rang twice before she answered. "Clarke, what are you doing? It's the middle of the da-"

"I'm outside." I say cutting her off, pulling the garage door closed behind me.

"What?"

"I'm in your garage." I say walking further with genuine interest through the crowded shelves. She has a lot of random shit. "See you soon, Tam."

Hearing footsteps come closer from inside the house walls, I grew anxious thinking about how it would feel to see Tammy after all these years.

"Clarke?" She called into the garage. Her footsteps swung through the shelves looking for me. "Clarke?" She called again.

"Over here." She turned the final corner and stood facing me with an unreadable expression on her face. "Hey Tam. Thought you retired?" I ask motioning around to the stocked shelves.

"Uh, I did." She answers her eyes staying glued to me, like she couldn't believe I was really standing there or she was scared I would disappear if she looked away. It was endearing, honestly.

"Oh, yeah okay. So you're not hijacking cars that are smuggling dishwashers from Canada anymore?" I ask stepping forward only to have her take an equal step backwards.

I was challenging her and she was feeling it.

"Nope, not anymore." I look all around the room, my hand coming up and scanning the bikes hung up on the wall.

"Oh, really? But you were so good at it."

"Thank you."

"So, all of these are just for personal use then?"

"What do you want?" She asks, clasping her hands in front of her and standing firm in her place.

I don't answer for a moment, and look up into her eyes only to have her blink and look away. "Just wanted to reconnect."

I say as we continue to move this conversation backwards.

"Oh, yeah? Just reconnect?" She asks.

"Yeah, you're not bored out here TamTam?" I ask as she finally backs up against some boxes stacked behind her.

"No, i'm not bored." She answers almost defensively.

"Really? Because I have a really big job and could really use some help."

"No, I told you I don't do that anymore."

"Let me tell you how big this job is." She goes to protest but I lean closely into her ear and whisper the same exact number Debbie had told me that day in the park.

And when I pull away, I can tell by the look in her eyes...she's in.

Just then the garage door swings open, and she grabs me by the shoulder pulling me out of the aisle and view of the person in the doorway.

"Honey, i'm heading out soon." Her husband calls into the garage, she flips her head out into the light.

"Okay, i'll be right in i'm just- uh doing some ogranazing." He reluctantly leaves after a few more lines of awkward back and forth, I honestly made a conscious effort not to listen to the married couple speak.

Thinking of Tammy being married to someone was proving strangely difficult to me. I mean I guess I figured she was married or in a committed relationship but I guess I never imagined i'd be sitting in her garage and listening to them converse.

It was a strange feeling. Maybe jealousy? Maybe lust? I really don't know. But I didn't like it.

I go to peak around the corner just as he ducks out of the room so I could get a look at his face but she pushes me back and I just laugh.

"Be quiet." She says with a hint of a smile on her lips as her hand covers my mouth. The man leaves and he closes the door behind him, she sends me a look just as the door shuts.

"What?"

"Proud of yourself?"

"Yeah, kinda." I say stepping forward and standing in front of her where I was before, we both wear small matching smiles. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." She answers back genuinely. "I will uh, be in contact. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Can I take a printer?"

She sighs. "Yes, you can take a printer."

I lean forward and press a quick kiss to her cheek before turning on my heels and heading towards the back of the garage. "You're the best Tam, see you soon."

"Yeah, Clarke. See you soon."

Authors Note:

I'm baaaaaaaackkkk :))