Falling For Mr. Sundae | ✔

09. Pink Panties

I checked my phone for the fifth time within the last ten minutes. Adam said seven and it was almost eight. He hadn't replied to my texts, answered my calls or tried to contact me in anyway. For his sake I hoped he was lying up in a hospital somewhere.

Just a few days ago he was promising to do better. Whatever you want to do we'll do it, he said. Now that it was time to make good on that he was nowhere to be found. The time I spent getting ready was wasted. I went out and bought a new dress just for tonight and he didn't have the decency to show up.

Sinking into the couch I continued flipping through the endless stream of channels. I clicked the button so fast that the images on the screen started to blur together or maybe it was eyes that were blurry.

My was tight, tears pooling in my eyes. I hated crying. It always brought the most painful case of hiccups. I swallowed hard. My eyeliner wasn't water proof and I wasn't going to walk around looking like a raccoon the rest if the night. I also didn't plan on sitting around and waiting for a call that might never come.

I scrolled through my contacts, looking for anyone who was still in town and who I could actually stand. Ariel's name stood out the most. It might weird, me latching onto their friend group like this, but she did say we should get together again. So I sent her a message.

Anything fun happing tonight?

Her reply came a few minutes later, just as I settled on watching a rerun of American Dad.

Just a movie at Mel's
You should come. You said you hadn't seen IT right? That's what we're watching

A scary movie sounded a lot better than this nightmare I was currently living in.

You sure it won't be a problem?

Nah, Mel's cool
I'll send the address

In all honesty I expected Melanie to live east of the freeway, like the rest of them. According to the address Ariel sent me she lived a few streets over. 

I opted to walk to Melanie's house. Summer after dark was the only part of the season I actually enjoyed. The nights were usually quiet and cool. Aside from the bugs it was perfect.

When I got to Melanie's street a familiar looking car with duct tape on the headlight pulled up to curb in front of her house. Julian got out, his head down as he looked at his phone. A smile eased on my face as I watched him.

"Hey," I called out as I got closer.

"Hey," he said back, distracted and barely looking up from his phone. Then he did a double take, the dim yellow glow of the street lights not allowing me to make out the expression on his face.

The bad lighting wasn't enough to hide when he tripped, stumbling but not falling.

"There's a curb there," I pointed out, now standing in front of him, a teasing grin tugging at my lips.

"Yeah," he laughed, scratching the back of his neck as he glanced at it. "Don't know how I missed that."

He unlatched the white gate, letting me go in a head of him. We walked side by side along the walkway, which was long and lined with small pathway lights.

"You look--" I eyed him, almost daring him to finish that sentence. "--dressed up."

Was it weird that I was slightly disappointed by that. I was expecting a compliment. That was just an observation. On a par with saying the sky was blue or the grass was green.

"Yeah," I said, smoothing a hand over the white fabric of my dress, stopping just above the knee. "I had dinner plans. They sort of fell through."

Julian rang the doorbell once we got to the door. His eyes flickered over to me, curious as he examined my face, which I tried to keep as neutral as possible.