Straighter than Parallel Parking

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{ Chapter Thirteen: A Bird Without Wings but With Pizza is Tamed }

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JANICE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SHE'D EXPECTED, but a quaint little pizza parlor decorated with red banners and petite, glass windows just wasn't one of the small options she'd imagined up of for this evening. James and her had been arguing about one thing or the other their entire ride, but it was a playful type of banter that would send the other one reeling with laughter (or make them shoot lethal glares across the seat). Janice found that she really enjoyed having conversations with the idiot, even if he had some really empty, kind of crazy points. If you asked James, he'd say something more or less around those lines, too.

You see, when you're having a heated discussion about whether Shakespeare was truly gay (because, please, like all those love poems were about just his wife? Old geezer's sense of testosterone made him the biggest phuckboy there is) at around 65mph, you know you're in too deep.

"Robin's uncle owns this place," James said, cutting the engine to the car and walking up to where Janice is standing. At her questioning look, he clarifies that Robin is one of the people inside right now. "We usually come here since everything's on the house. And it doesn't hurt that it's delicious. Still. Free food."

Janice, who's still taking in the gorgeous interior and loving the retro vibe about it all, leans against the outside of the car, letting out a low whistle. "I feel like I've been transported to the fifties or something. This is amazing."

Bright, blinking letters flashing "Vertigo", the pizzaria's name, illuminates the street. The roads seem empty in comparison to the parlour, a gorgeous two story building with funky streamers hanging around the entrance, tables strewn across the area in small groups, and had tiles that met at the front of the gate, which Janice and James are parked in front of.  A huge pizza symbol flickered, blinding in contrast to the night sky in the back.

"If you mentioned food the first time, I'm pretty sure I would've ditched work and came here straight away," Janice said, partially serious.

James just shook his head, a rumbling laugh echoing through him as his Adam's apple rose up and down. "Glad I had enough common sense and didn't. Now, c'mon, I'm starving and you seriously need to meet everyone. They've been dying to meet you."

"Really?" Janice asked, genuinely interested in knowing if he actually meant it.

"Really." James said, before walking over to the large doors and holding it open for Janice, who was a little humbled.

She cocked an eyebrow at the gesture, letting it speak for itself.

"Why are you looking at me like you've never seen me before? I told you! I'm a gentleman!"

Janice just smirked, before she walked in with James behind her. The instant she walked in, she felt the rush of insecurity she'd been trying to suppress the entire day. Grinding her teeth, she let James lead the way, thankful that his large body mostly obscured her from first glance. She did happen to like the two new girls she'd met in the parking lot, and she had a weird truce with Tiffany, but that didn't mean that she wasn't nervous about the rest of the party.

It's really only natural, she guesses, even if it sucks that I keep going through this vicious cycle of angst. God, I feel like a fangirl who just found our their favorite TV show got cancelled.

"James!"

Her thoughts are diverted when she hears a shout, her eyes darting to a short, beautiful South Asian looking girl, a headscarf wrapped around her head, waving her hands to catch their attention. "Dude, over here!"