1.1 The Chronicles of Us - Vice & Virtue

Chapter twenty-nine

We walk through the neighborhood. Wide-eyed, I take it all in. The area seems artsy. Colorful murals are spray-painted on the sides of the apartment blocks; vibrant pictures of music legends and movie stars. The craftsmanship is amazing.

A man with a cowboy hat plays the harmonica on the corner of the street. I recognize the tune from an old western. It fades to the background as we stroll down the curb.

Tex walks next to me. His body radiates with magnetism, drawing me closer. We've held hands during the tour but now that we're on his turf, I'm not sure how he feels about doing things like that. I don't want to push him, so I lace my fingers in front of me.

His voice interrupts my thought process. "Don't do that."

I look up, confused. "What?"

"Don't create distance on purpose."

Oh, that.

"I wasn't—"

"Yes, you were." He grabs my hand and holds it in his while we walk. "You're not as subtle as you think you are."

I do my best not to explode with smiles and giggles. "Tell me about the neighborhood."

He does so, pointing at all kinds of buildings. Apparently, the locally owned grocery store has fresher produce than the big chain market two streets away and the Irish pub has expensive beer but better music. The public transportation system might take some getting used to. Faroaks basically has two bus stops and nothing else. Life in that small town was so predictable but here, in Los Angeles, anything is possible.

I take a deep, satisfying breath and then stumble when Tex suddenly halts to ask, "Are you up for burgers?"

He points his thumb at a restaurant called Beats & Burgers. I nod and follow him inside. It's a local burger bar with a music theme. I can see why he picked this place. Different music memorabilia cover the walls and—if I'm not mistaken—a Johnny Cash song comes from an old jukebox.

The busty brunette at the counter guides us to a booth in the back. She was definitely checking Tex out but he didn't even glance at her chest, which is impressive because even my eyes felt drawn to the very sizable, bouncing orbs.

Once seated, Tex observes the laminated menu. "What are you getting?"

I take a look as well. There are at least a dozen mouthwatering burgers to choose from but considering the trash we ate the last couple of days, it might be better to get something a little healthier.

"Chicken salad." My eye catches something delicious-sounding at the bottom corner. "And a banana split freak shake."

He shakes his head before signaling the waitress. "I always wondered what kinda freaky people would order something like that."

The brunette takes our order, giving me the stink eye. I don't mind her envy. I realize very well that I caught an incredibly handsome fish.  Since rush hour seems to be over, she returns shortly after with our food. It's looks great. Apart from the salad, though. The poor thing is drowning in dressing.

Slight awkwardness falls between us while we eat. Maybe it's because this could be considered an actual date. I don't want to make it more awkward, but I have some questions I need to ask.

I lay down my fork and look at him. "There's something we need to talk about it."

A crease of distress appears on his forehead. "What's that?"

What does he think I'm going to ask?

I sip my shake before saying, "I know we are just seeing how it goes but if I'm staying here for an extended period of time, I'll need more stuff. You know, clothes, shoes ... things like that."