Althea

|𝟰| 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁

Before I left Freddy B. Jones, I went into the corner store and bought him an Arizona Green tea which happened to be one of my favorite drinks. I hope he likes it. Or isn't juice intolerant if that's even a thing.

I rode my bike on the side walk like a drunk person, swiveling and bobbing my head to "Sweater Whether" by The Neighborhood.

"She knows what I think about, what I think about..." I moved my head side to side as I kept swiveling my bike to the beat, light rain sprinkling over my body.

This is such a vibe.

"Cuz it's to colddd...for you hereee...and now. So let me holddd...your hands in the holes of my sweater".

Gosh I love this song. I hummed the "Cuz it's to cold..." part over and over again.

My phone began to play "Life Goes On" by Oliver Tree (my ring tone) from where it lay in my bike basket and I had to stop myself from driving right into a pole.

I slowed my bike down and got off, leaning it against the pole I almost crashed into and taking my phone out of the basket.

The contact was labeled unknown. I answered and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

Silence.

Then heavy breathing like someone hyperventilating.

"Hello?" This is making me uncomfortable now.

"Althea?" The other person on the end of the phone said my name and I almost threw my phone at the pole and sprinted. How pray tell could this New York number know my name?

"No this is...Deborah from Louisiana who's visiting New York on a work trip but is actually cheating on her husband" I'm talking so fast as I make up this story. No way will they know it's actually me.

I hear a heavy sigh. "I know it's you Althea" the person at the other end of the phone says.

I start to panic and look around before, in a low whisper, saying "What are your demands?"

Another heavy sigh from the other end of the phone. "It's me, Enzo,"

I release the breath I was holding. "Oooooooh. Chocolate milk guy. Hi my new friend!" I smile even though he can't see me.

"Can you come over?" He says quietly, ignoring my greetings. How rude.

Stephanie would be proud of me.

"Why? Are you okay?" I'm confused since we just met. If he really needed someone he could have called his momma or something.

"I just...it's okay if you can't" his voice is shaky on the other end of the phone and his breaths are uneven as if he had been crying.

I bite my lip and look around, ignoring how the rain has gotten slightly heavier. Car alarms go off and lights turn on and off in some buildings.

Should I go? I barely know him. He could be a kidnapper. Or a drug dealer. Or worse...Steven Spielberg.