gabbie
pulling on a sweatshirt, i was suddenly anxious about going over to liza's. she clearly didn't want to be friends. maybe she had her reasons. maybe i shouldn't have pressured her to hang out. i was going over to her place, so it would be harder for her to get rid of me. i hoped i wasn't pushing past my boundaries. i genuinely wanted to get to know her, and i didn't have ill intentions. taking a quick breath, i straightened up and tried to convince myself it would be fine.
i took an uber to the address she sent me. i was slightly relieved when the location was actually an apartment building. from what i could tell, i wouldn't put it past liza to give me a fake address. i thanked the driver and got out. walking up the stairs, i trailed my fingers along the beige walls of the hallway, looking for the number she said she lived at. when i arrived at 3C, i stopped to compose myself before knocking on the door.
the door flew open, and liza stood before me with a goofy grin on her face. "it's not much. i'm not very materialistic," she said, welcoming me into her small studio apartment. "the rent isn't too bad, though, and i won't be here much longer." "oh, are you moving?" i asked. she shrugged. "you could say that." i decided to drop the subject.
everything was sort of tense for a little while. we sat down at a table she had, and she offered me a drink. we talked for a little while with some awkward pauses in between topics. i was starting to regret coming. but slowly, the ice melted away, and i found a genuine, kind person below the frost. her company was very enjoyable. we talked about everything from politics to cotton candy. she seemed happy, and i wasn't getting that same vibe earlier today.
eventually, friends came up. "so, why aren't you hanging out with someone else on this fine monday night?" she asked. i giggled. "wow, you really don't get out much, do you?" i laughed. "not anymore," she said. "well, i'm not exactly what you would call... even remotely cool? i'm just focusing on my studies and begging for companionship wherever i can find it," i laughed. she grinned.
"what do you mean 'not anymore'? did miss liza used to enjoy socializing?" she smiled but it wasn't as genuine as before. it looked plastered on to hide pain that was deeper inside. "yeah, but i sort of pushed everyone away. isolated myself, if you know what i mean," she said, running her finger along the rim of her glass. "why?" i asked. she shrugged. straightening back up, she changed the topic.
"where did you live before l.a.?" we talked for about another hour, and the lively yet cynical personality came back. something made us decide we both wanted froyo, yet neither of us wanted to pay for or wait for an uber. so we found ourselves walking about three miles to the nearest froyo shop.
the activity didn't kill the conversation at all. we walked lightheartedly down a main road, looking at different shops we passed. at times we would gently brush against each other as we walked, laughing at the dumb jokes each other made. if you were outside the situation, it appeared we'd known each other for years.
after my feet were killing me, and i was regretting the vans i decided to wear, we entered the yogurt store. filling up the little cups with cold desert, we laughed and poked fun at the toppings each other picked out. "hey, it's not my fault you're insane, and you like the little cheesecakes!" liza laughed, scooping oreo crumbs into her cup. "they're good! what do you mean!" i said defensively.
trying to annoy her, i picked up one of the little cheesecake bites and tossed it into her cup. "hey!" she said kind of loudly. someone else looked up from their conversation, and we got quiet, laughing to each other about the scene we were causing. she threw some m&ms into my cup as revenge. "don't go around putting gross things into my froyo! also, we pay by the weight, and your stupid little cheesecake is gonna add two cents to my bill, ma'am" she joked, raising her eyebrows. i smiled smugly, standing beside her as she set her froyo onto the scale.
suddenly, i decided to stick mine onto the scale as well. "hey!" liza started to say. "calm yourself. my treat. i forced you into this," i said, offering to buy her froyo. she smiled at me. "thank you," she said, sounding so genuine. it made me feel s0ft inside to think something so small could impact someone.
we ate and walked to get back to her apartment, deciding it would be too late by the time we got home if we stayed to eat. i felt so at ease in her presence. i felt like i'd found somewhere i belonged and that my reputation didn't matter with her. when we finally got back to her place, i was starting to get tired, and we both decided to call it a night. throwing the cups away, i called an uber, and liza let me wait inside for it to come.
"thank you for letting me come over, liza. i know you didn't want to, but i enjoyed being around you," i said, giving her a tight-lipped smile. she smiled back. "yeah, it was fun." my uber texted to say he was here. "well, i'll see you around, liza," i said, walking towards the door. "yeah, i enjoyed tonight," she said, smiling before shutting the door behind me.
