Althea

|𝟰𝟱| 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀

I've been sitting in my car for a good 5 minutes now, contemplating how I should walk up to him or if I should invite him for ice cream. I'm pretty sure Althea told me he likes chocolate.

I drum my fingers against the steering wheel, puffing out a breath. I start to bounce my leg, looking out of the front windshield. I'm currently parked In the Craig street corner store parking lot, my brain jumbled and my heart racing.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

What if he says no? What if she says no? What if I mess something up?

Shit fuck shit fuck shit fuck.

Althea would definitely not like all of this cursing that's going on inside my head.

Fuck it.

I open the car door and get out, walking quickly away from my car and across the littered parking lot. I can see Freddy B. Jones sitting on the bench he always sat on. He was looking at everything with that wise gaze of his.

I wish my heart would stop beating so fucking fast.

When I got closer to him he glanced down at me and then back up as if he were expecting me. I'm not sure how he would be expecting me when I didn't even tell him I was coming.

I stand in front of him for a moment and then realize that's weird and awkward so I sit down next to him, leaving a few inches between us. My leg starts to bounce again as I rub my hands on the front of my jeans.

I stare straight down at the ground. I'm not gonna be the first one to say something. No way. Even though I'm the one that came to talk to him.

"What brings you here today?" Freddy questions into the afternoon summer air. His voice is cool and quiet.

"Oh nothing...just a question." I hesitate, looking over at him and he's still looking up at the sky.

"Oh really? And what might that question be, young man." He still doesn't look at me, his wrinkled hands folded neatly in his lap.

"Permission." I say, no hesitation this time.

He raises his eyebrows and this time he glances at me. "Permission?" He repeats.

I let out a slow trailing breath, my hands not shaky anymore because I know what I want. What I came here for.

"To ask Althea to be my wife."

Freddy looks at me and doesn't say anything but I see something in his eyes. Anger? Happiness? Relief? I have no fucking clue and it makes my head hurt.

"I'd like to marry her." I clarify.

Freddy looks back up at the sky and I look to to see what's so interesting up there. The sky is a bright blue, clouds everywhere and the sun bright but it's nothing I've never seen so I'm not sure how Freddy could sit here everyday and look at the same thing over and over again.