Fight or Flight: Top Gun Maverick

Chapter 9 - A game of Monopoly

I stood awkwardly on Bob's doorstep, OJ in one hand, popsicles in the other. I awkwardly shifted the OJ to the hand with the popsicles, trying to knock on the door. Bob opened it almost immediately.
"Hi..." I start saying but he's at my side in a split second, grabbing the jug of OJ which was slipping.
"I got the game set up already" he said over his shoulder, leading the way into his house. It smelled of the sea with a hint of fresh linens. A clean, crisp smell. I looked around his house as he led the way to the kitchen. It was a small, cozy place. Books about planes and aircrafts lined a small shelf in the living room. The place was lightly decorated but with many pictures of his family. I bumped into him, having been looking around instead of in front of me. Bob had stopped to open the fridge. I stumbled backwards, rubbing my nose.
"Oh my gosh..." he stammered, right beside me in an instant. "Are you okay!" he asked, panicked and concerned. I laugh
"Im alright Bob, just wasn't looking where I was going." relief washed over his face as he takes the popsicles from me and puts them in the freezer. Turning around, he smiled his lopsided smile at me.
"Monopoly time" he grins. I laugh,
"Bob, knowing you, you probably have some great strategy to win". He just smiled knowingly before leading me to the kitchen table. "I've noticed..." I start, debating whether I should finish the sentence. I had already started though so I might as well finish it. "I've noticed that you're a little more confident when the other guys or Rooster isn't around". I finish, taking my seat across from him. The game was already set up and money dealt out. Bob had worked quickly in the short amount of time it had taken me to grab OJ and popsicles. He nodded in response to my question, thinking. I could see the thought flashing across his face.
"Im sorry..." I stammer, recognizing his slight shyness and nervous demeanor beginning to come back out. I had noticed that he became a little more relaxed when they weren't around. Almost like they made him feel shy, awkward and nervous when actually he was just a nerdy, cool dude. Don't get me wrong, he was definitely cute when he was flustered or awkwardly standing there, he just seemed a little uncomfortable almost.
"I didn't mean to like...I can tell your nervous and me saying that didn't help...." I finish. "I...I didn't mean it in a bad way...its just something that I noticed...But if your worried, im sure nobody else notices...". I stumble my way through the rest of my sentences. What I was thinking was very hard to put into words and it kinda came out all jumbled.
"Its okay" he said quietly, looking down.
"Nooooo Bobbbb, I didn't mean anything rude by it. I think it's cute when you're less nervous and more nerdy and goofy..." I trail off, realizing what had just come out of my mouth. I had been so focused on trying to say what I was thinking that I actually ended up saying EXACTLY what I was thinking. I sat there, eyes wide. He looked back up from where his gaze had rested on his hands.
"Shit....." I mumbled. "Im just probably making things worse by rambling" I laughed nervously.
"I think it's cute when you're flustered" he chuckled lightly. My heart was racing in my chest, beating against my ribcage like a butterfly, trapped in a cage. My cheeks grew a rosy shade of red as I looked anywhere but at Bob.
"I think it's your turn" I managed, my voice much higher than normal. He just pushed his glasses further up on his face, a slight tint to his cheeks too. He rolled, getting a 7.

The game continued like that for a while, us randomly goofing off or saying some weird pun. I could tell that he was relaxing again, his goofy side showing more. I got up from the table, heading to the fridge for some more orange juice.
"Bob would you like some more too". I asked, grabbing the jug from the fridge and heading back towards the table.
"Yes please" he answered, draining what was left in his cup and placing it closer to me so I could pour him some more.

The game became more and more humorous as I grew tired, it got late and Bob cracked more and more jokes. I had just landed on the "GO" space and he was taking his turn when he began to speak again. I grabbed my OJ to take a sip as he randomly said,
"You know, the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Women should marry archaeologists because, the older she gets, the more he'll love her." I snorted, orange juice spilling down my shirt.
"Oh my lord Robert" I manage through my laughter. "Why is that totally something I can see you thinking about extensively". The spilt orange juice soaked into my shirt, leaving a dark, sticky spot. I looked down at my front, and then back up at Bob who was grinning.
"This is getting kinda sticky" I say tentatively as I touch my wet shirt.
"Shoot, your shirt is probably gonna be pretty stained and sticky..." he said. I set my half split, orange juice glass on the table. Thankfully my monopoly money had escaped the waterfall of orange juice.
"You can borrow one of my shirts for the night". He said, pusing his chair back from the table.
"Oh it'll be..." I trailed off as he just ignored my words and made his way down the hall to his bedroom anyways. He came back a minute later with a maroon, science pun tee-shirt that read "All the chemistry jokes Argon". I facepalmed, smiling at his dorkiness.
"Lordy this man is growing on me by the minute" I thought. He came up to me and handed me the shirt, smiling his lopsided grin.
"Bathrooms down the hall, second door to the right" he said, rounding the table and taking his seat. I got up and walked down the hall. My mind panicked. I hateddddd searching for bathrooms in peoples houses. Not to mention I always forgot the directions like a millisecond after they were spoken. I found it nonetheless and and threw off my orange juice shirt, putting on the one Bob handed to me. It smelt of clean laundry and detergent but also of another smell I couldn't quite describe. It just....smelt like Bob.
I stepped out of the bathroom and made my way back down the hall to the dining room, where Bob was sitting at the table, counting his monopoly money.
"Sorry it's a little big..." he started before I cut him off.
"Its fine, I like when they're a little big anyways" I smiled, sitting down again and looking over the board and my properties.

We finished the game, Bob winning, obviously. I rolled my eyes at him when he made me bankrupt plus some.
"All those calculations and strategies paid off" he chuckled, following me out the door, a popsicle in one hand, a cup or orange juice in the other. I turned around, smiling at him and his dual wielding.
"Thanks for inviting me over Bob, that was really fun".
"Your welcome anytime!" he replied.
"Just wait until we play Uno" I grinned, "I will kick your butt!". He chuckled and continued behind me, walking me to my car.
"Thank you for coming". He said, his voice soft and serious. "I don't have many friends that want to hang out with me. They mostly want me to just tag along with them." I smiled at him again. I stood on my tip toes and hugged him lightly. I pulled away, knowing that it probably made him nervous.
"Your welcome". I replied. He kinda stood there, almost as if he didnt believe that I just hugged him. I smiled to myself as I turned to my car, opening the door and sliding in. He just stood there as I pulled out and waved as I began to drive off. "What a dork" I murmured to myself. This guy was growing on me and fast.

🌻——————————————🌻
Hey y'all, kinda just a fun, chill chapter. I'm kinda trying to balance out the stressful mission with nice, normal things people do in their free time. Plus it just makes for a more diverse story (:

This week I'll try to keep up with posting but our county fair is going on and since I show animals in it, I will be really really busy all day.

Anyways, hope y'all like the chapter ❤️

🌻———————————————🌻