TIFFIN

46

Hey everyone. I thought this song had a good beat to it (:
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When Monday had rolled around, my classes seemed to fly by. I hadn't seen or heard from Hero. I wondered if Josephine really had taken me seriously and had said something to him that made him stray away.

The rest of the week went just as fast, the thought of going on dates with different people strong in my mind. It was nearing Friday and I had no idea how I was going to go about it. 

I wasn't one for making small talk. Whenever I walked near any boy in school, they'd squawk at me or call me rude names. I couldn't just go up to any guy and ask him to dinner. 

It had to be someone I knew. Better yet, the boy had to ask me out. 

Thursday night, I relaxed back on my bed, looking through a tattered magazine I'd found in the library. It had been all the way from the fifties, explaining what true beauty was. 

As I thought about the thousands of things Hero had said about my choice of clothing, I knew some of the women- even back then- should have known a thing or two about fashion. 

As I turned a page, I saw a lovely blonde woman, lounging on a chair and posing seductively. When I took a peek at the title of the shoot, I noticed that had been indeed Marilyn Monroe. 

I laughed. My mother had always looked up to her and her crazy trends. Starting with her insane pointy bras and messing around with JFK. 

Was that the standard I should have been living up to? 

A sudden knock sounded on the door, startling both Josephine and I out of our stupor. 

Josephine snorted, having just come out of a deep sleep. 

"Coming!" She shouted, bounding off her four-poster.

When she opened the door I saw exactly who was on the other end. 

"Oh, Chad!" Josephine exclaimed. "Please. Come in."

As Chad stepped in, he looked a bit more comfortable in a knit sweater and demin jeans. His hair was styled in a fancy slick making him look years younger.

"Hi, Kristina," Chad grinned, waving at me, "it's nice to see you again."

I blushed already feeling unnerved by his determination to stare into my very soul. 

"What are you doing here?" Josephine asked. "Not that I'm not glad to see you. I would have been prepared-"

Chad raised a hand, halting his sister. "It's alright, Josie. Mom told me where you were. Thought I'd come and visit before I go back to work."

I raised an eyebrow. Didn't his mother say he was in the military? 

Josephine nodded. "Oh, sure. I just have to take a shower. Kristina?"

I snapped my head up, immediately shaken out of my reverie. "Y-yes?"

"You want to come with?" 

I cleared my throat, gesturing to my magazine. "I'll head over in a bit. I have to finish this."

"Alright." 

Without another word, Josephine gathered her bathroom totes, and hurried out the room leaving Chad and I alone. Already feeling nervous, I began flipping through pages, not even looking at the models. 

"Guess it's just you and me, huh?" Chad said, making my heart beat frantically. 

"Um, yeah." I replied not quite knowing what else to say. 

"So," Chad went on, going to lean against the wall, "how are things going between you and Hero?" 

"It's not." I snapped, earning a confused look. 

I sighed, knowing I didn't want to elaborate much more than that. 

"I mean... whatever it was between us, I broke it off. Believed it was for the best."

Chad looked down at his feet. "I'm so sorry. What are your plans now? A break-up isn't easy."

"Um..."

I trailed off, wanting to tell him I didn't really know. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to move on and find an actual boyfriend. It just wasn't that easy. I couldn't simply go up to some boy and-

I looked up, suddenly inspired. A sudden thought popped in my head. Maybe it didn't necessarily need to be any boy. Perhaps, someone more manly....

I eyed Chad, smiling. 

"Yes?" He asked. 

"Do you work Saturday?" I said. 

Chad nodded. "Early in the morning, yes."

I grinned, already knowing what I wanted to ask. "Are you into parties?"

Chad paused as if considering this proposition. "I suppose I'm always open to something new."

"Would you like to be my date?" I blurted out without thinking about the repercussions. 

Chad looked at me with a mystified expression.

Thank you all for 2k!!