Resonance

A wake up alarm goes off. Images of his dream flash in and out. Someone was hugging him from behind. It was warm. He latches onto the feeling and falls back into the dream, as if time is frozen. What an incredible feeling, he thinks, to be held, to be comforted. “Do you work today?” a soft voice comes out. It’s close. “Hey. Your alarm.” “Oh shit.” He startles awake and reaches for his phone in his pocket. It starts to ring louder as he fumbles the lock screen but he manages to turn it off. He rolls his neck from side to side as it cracks. Falling asleep sitting up was hard on his neck. He squints at the television, a laugh track plays during a commercial. The image on the screen gets clearer as he blinks a few times. He feels a foot against the side of his thigh. Without looking away, he instinctively reaches for it but stops as turns his head and sees the blanket move. “No tickling… not so early…” her voice trails off as she drops her head back on the pillow against the armrest. Her golden hair lays out like a cascade of sun kissed silk. The warm sunlight shines through the blinds and lands on her neck. He had forgotten she spent the night. He can feel her toes stretch out and then the warmth leaves his side as she curls up. He rubs his eyes to clear them of the heavy sleepiness. “Sorry, I always forget to turn off my alarms for the weekend.” He lays his head back and stretches carefully to not disturb her. She doesn’t reply, only nuzzling her face into the rough pillow. He looks again and sees that she looks peaceful, almost angelic, innocent. He stares for a moment, imprinting the look of her relaxed eye brows, how her lips look with her cheek pressed against the pillow, and how her small hands lay on it. Her bracelets are up on her forearm and her choker is twisted to the side. He slowly lifts the blanket to get up. After he sets it back, tucked around her feet, he heads into the bathroom. He leans against the counter, staring at himself in the mirror. His eyes are puffy. There’s a definite haziness to his thoughts. There's no doubt in his mind, he was higher than he expected last night. He desperately needs coffee to wake up. With some well practiced movements, he dumps out the old coffee grinds and washes the carafe. He fills it with cold water and pours it into the back of the coffee machine. His hands are still waking up as he tries to pick out a single coffee filter. After a few scoops of coffee grinds, he flips the switch. He pulls out two mugs, a plain black one, and one with a cartoon character. The brightly colored mug was a gift from his friends in college. Although it's been the one he used in the mornings, he decides it's best to hide it for now. He carefully puts it to the back of the cabinet and pulls out a second plain black mug. Alex slowly approaches from the living room, wearing the blanket with it tightly wrapped around her shoulders, dragging the rest of the length along the carpet. “Did you sleep alright?” he asks while watching her yawn, patiently, to judge her reaction. “Not bad for a couch. You’d be surprised where I’ve found myself sleeping just fine. I fell asleep pretty quickly, hope you didn’t mind.” She smells the air as she gets closer. “That coffee smells incredible.” She blinks strongly a few times, her brows furrowing. He can’t help but notice how soft and cute she is. This morning is a drastic contrast to seeing her at the party. The calm and collected Alex, now bundled up in his blanket in his kitchen. “No worries, I think I fell asleep at the same time.” He replies as she steps in front of him. Their feet are nearly touching as she looks up at him, making his heart skip a beat. “Do you always make coffee for girls that spend the night?” She smirks softly as her lower lids flex, expressing an allure that he’s never seen before. His hands search for the counter behind him as he steps back nervously. He nearly knocks the mugs over. “Nah not really. I mean I don’t have girls over, often.” he replies. There's a lump in his throat that forces him to clear it. “Oh so I must be pretty special.” She turns around, pivoting on her toes to take a closer look at the coffee brewing. He quickly grabs the mugs and places them next to the coffee maker. “Yeah. I mean, I always have coffee in the morning. A little ritual you know?” He goes to the fridge to grab some creamer. As he leans in, he blinks his eyes and squeezes him shut, trying to focus. He brings out the creamer and sets it down. “How do you like your coffee?” “Black like my soul.” She jokes, her eyes slowly looking at the creamer. He quickly puts it back in the fridge and chuckles. “Ha me too. I just have it there just in case.” He says as the coffee machine buzzes to life and fills the top with hot water. The coffee streams into the stained pot with a bloom of steam and aroma. “Riiight.“ She smiles while lightly rolling her eyes. She stands up straight and hops onto the counter next to the coffee machine. Her feet sway as she watches him wait. He notices her gaze and immediately remembers how she looked in Santiago’s kitchen. He can’t stand the silence so he jumps to action, taking the coffee pot before it’s full to fill the mugs. The coffee drips a few times onto the hot pad with a hiss. He returns the pot as she lets out some soft laughter. “You really are like this all the time aren’t you?” She asks while smiling. “Like what?” He hands her a mug of hot coffee. She brings it to her face and takes in the smell, her hands still in the blanket. “Sweet, kind. Nevermind.” She looks at him over the mug, then takes a careful sip. She lets out a content sigh and leans back, her hair falling off her shoulder. He takes a sip as well and immediately notices how bitter it is without creamer or sugar. He sets it down and leans against the counter opposite her. “I should get going after this.” she says, looking over at the television. “You seem the type to keep busy so I won’t get in your way.” “Oh no, I don’t have anything going on. Actually, I was thinking we go out for breakfast or something. You know, if you want to.” He avoids looking at her, but does anyway. She reveals her hands to hold the mug with both hands. “So eager for me to stick around. With that kind of thoughtfulness, you can get a lot of things to go your way. But can we do a raincheck? I don’t have any cash on me.” She looks at him once more, taking another sip. “Oh don’t worry about it, my treat. I want to know more about you anyway.” He says, earnestly. She sets the mug aside and hops off the counter after a few moments. “That’s what I’m talking about, you really know how to treat a girl, huh? I should change out of this shirt first.” She gathers the blanket and tosses it onto the couch and walks into his bedroom. “Hey what are you doing? It’s messy in there!” His plea is heard but she continues. He puts his coffee down and follows her in. She glances at the rest of the room briefly before turning to the closet. “There’s barely anything here to even be messy. Don’t worry so much Ricky. Anyone ever call you Dick?” She starts to peruse through some of his clothes that are neatly hung up. She carefully picks out a t-shirt and holds it against herself as she looks at herself in the mirror against the wall. “No, that's a weird name. What are you doing?” He asks as she tosses the shirt aside. He goes to straighten out the shirt on the bed as she pulls out another shirt. It’s a polo from work, one that he got during an anniversary event. “Yeah Dick doesn’t really suit you. What do your parents call you? Richard? Rick? I’m just seeing if you have anything interesting here for me.” She asks while her focus is on the clothing. She tosses the polo to him. He catches it and sets it down gently. “Well my dad calls me Rich. My mom used to call me Richie.” He thinks for a moment, remembering his mom. She would’ve liked for him to know a girl like Alex. His personality is more like his dad’s, a simple man with simple goals to work well and have a home and family. But Ricky was never one to want kids. His mom was more of a go getter, the type to call people out on their bullshit. “Richie is cute. She doesn’t call you that anymore?” She asks as she turns around with a hoodie held up, then switches back and forth with a thin denim shirt. “What do you think? I think I can pull off the blue collar look, yeah?” “Well my mom died when I was young.” “Oh.” She sighs, her hands holding into the two tops drop to her sides. “I’m sorry.” He sees her change in tone and looks up from the clothing. She’s got a kind smile at a time like this. “Oh, thanks, but it’s alright. It was a long time ago. I never really wore that jean shirt. Kinda small on me.” He says. She hangs up the hoodie instead of throwing it onto the bed. She takes the shirt off the hanger and tries it on. It’s almost comical how it's so big on her. She takes it back off then lifts the hem of her t-shirt to take it off as well. He instinctively looks away. “You can look, I don’t mind.” She says confidently. He turns slowly to see her in a white camisole. She’s slim, and some of her stomach is exposed. He swallows as he diverts his eyes to the jean shirt that she’s now manipulating. She throws it on gracefully and buttons up the middle buttons. With the sleeves rolled up roughly, she looks at herself in the mirror, then tucks the front of the shirt. “Wow, that looks better on you than it ever did on me.” “I know. You’ve got some nice shirts.” She looks through the closet and spots some belts. She takes one out and loops it through her skinny jeans, buckling it loosely. She turns from side to side while checking out the mirror. Then she turns to him and does a quick spin. “Good? I might have to use more from your closet from time to time.” “Be my guest.” He replies as she takes the shirts he held onto and hangs them back to where she found them. He goes out to the kitchen to grab their coffees. He returns to see her sitting in front of the mirror, leaning in to rub the edge of her lips where there was some lipstick smearing. She runs her hands through her hair and gives it some volume then wipes the edge of her eyes. She gets her bag and steps into the bathroom for a moment. He waits patiently with the mugs. Once she comes out her eyes lock into his as he approaches her. One of the mugs clearly has a little bit of lipstick on it, and she reaches for the one without it. She takes a sip as they step back into the living room. “I think that one was mine.” He says, offering her the other mug. “I know.” She says calmly as she drinks from the mug again to finish it. He’s caught off guard once again. How could someone be so nonchalant about such things? He notices her lick the edge of the mug quickly before setting it down. He looks into the mug that’s in his hands, seeing the lipstick. He grins and thinks to himself,fuck it.He finishes the rest and sets it on the coffee table. She’s already putting her boots on. He doesn’t even give it a second thought to change shirts while he puts on his shoes. “Ready when you are. Hungry too.” She says as she stands upright, folding the blanket. He smiles at her and opens the door for her. He grabs the keys from his jacket and pauses before closing the door. “Oh, your jacket.” “Leave it. I’ll come back for it later.” She quickly replies before he can grab it. He looks back at her and she gives him a wink. He turns back to close and lock the door, hiding how happy he is to hear she wants to come back. They walk down the stairs together and out into the parking lot. He unlocks his car with his keys as she hears the beep and spots his car. They get in and he puts on his seatbelt and starts the engine. “A Nissan? I would’ve guessed for sure you’d be an all american boy with a Ford or something. She says while pulling the sun visor down to check herself in the mirror. She takes a small lipgloss out of her bag and touches up her lips. He can’t help but watch her. Before she can notice, he turns back to the steering wheel and starts to leave the parking lot. Some music starts to play on the radio and he turns it down. “Well these are a ton more reliable, and they’re practically the same price for an import. I used to have a Datsun. A 510.” “A 510? Really? Like a Bluebird?” She asks, her curiosity peaked. “How do you know about Bluebirds? Yeah it was a black ‘73.” He answers as a smile spreads across his face. “That’s crazy. No one knows Datsuns let alone Bluebirds.” “I have an uncle that was really into cars a long time ago. Santiago and I would go with him to car shows sometimes. It was a whole family affair.” “No shit, I did the same with my dad. I wonder if we ever went to the same shows.” “Maybe.” She rolls down the window and holds her hand out to feel the warm morning breeze. The drive doesn’t last very long, but he takes a larger street to get there. He floors it a few times to show off the sound of his intake. She chuckles and smiles at him whenever he speeds off from a stop. She seems to enjoy it. Before long, they arrive at the breakfast diner. They get out and he holds the door for her to go inside. The older waitress takes them to a booth. Alex orders coffee for the both of them. The waitress returns quickly with a pot of coffee and fills two mugs and takes their orders. Ricky reaches for the sugar and adds some to his coffee, but no creamer. “So, what would you like to know about me?” She asks while he takes his first careful sip. It’s searing hot but he manages to pull himself together. “Oh, right. Do you live around here? Sounds like you’ve got a lot of family around if some of them were there last night.” He takes his spoon from the silverware set to mix his coffee. “Yeah I live over by the airport. Well,” She runs her finger along the rim of the mug. “I’m staying with a friend right now.” “Oh, that’s cool that you stay with each other sometimes. I’ve got a buddy that comes around sometimes that likes to spend the night instead of driving a few hours back home.” “Yeah, so I’m kinda moving out of my apartment.” “Also cool. Makes sense with this crazy market. My place went up 100 bucks from last year.” “No, I mean..” Her hand stops and holds onto the mug as she stares into it. “I’m kinda getting kicked out.” “Like,kicked out, kicked out? That sounds like a pain.” He says while looking at her. She takes a slow drink from her mug. “Yeah. Kicked out, kicked out. To spare you from the awful sob story, I was supposed to get paid but it was late. You know how that goes…” She gets more quiet. He realizes how much tension is in the air about the topic. She continues. “Like I said, it’s whatever so we can move on.” Ricky is quiet for a moment, thinking. The waitress returns with their food. Even so, Ricky continues thinking as Alex thanks the waitress. “It sucks to have to move. I can help if you want.” “What? No, it's fine. My friend doesn’t mind the extra company. Plus I get along with her son.” She starts to cut up her eggs and dips her toast into it, taking a bite. “No I’m serious, I can help you. How much would it take to cover it? Like, couple hundred bucks?” He reaches for the ketchup and squirts some onto his hashbrowns. He mixes it up slowly and forks it up to eat. “It’s very sweet of you, but it’s ok. I’ll figure it out.” “Are you sure?” He asks. She sets down her silverware. “Not really.. Why are you being so nice?” She asks, looking directly into his eyes. “I just want to help. How much do you need?” He forks some sausages and takes a big bite. “You want something in return then don’t you? If so, I’d rather not talk about it anymore.” She says firmly as she continues eating. “No no.” He answers, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “You can consider it a gift. You’re one of the few people I feel comfortable around so helping you is the least I can do.” He takes a bite of his eggs. They’re a little more runny than he prefers but at least this place is cheap. There’s a long silence as they share a meal. The sounds of a busy kitchen begins to still as some people finish and go about their days. The family behind them finishes as well, leaving the two alone in the corner of the diner. “Two thousand…” she says quietly, almost a whisper. He stops and stares at his plate. “Ugh. I knew I shouldn’t have brought it up.” She pushes her plate away, looking over to the waitress. She’s about to raise her hand to signal the worker but he reaches out to put her hand down gently. “Hey, it’s alright. I’m just thinking. You want more than that? To help while you wait for your job to pay you back? I used to have a job where it was run by a family and they were always late to pay in full. I get it.” “I don’t think you do. I sell pot, Ricky. There’s no glamorous paycheck waiting for me to cash.” She says. Her tone is serious. After admitting her line of work, he thinks for a moment as she drinks her coffee. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. We all have to do things to make ends meet. It’s no different than working a corporate job when you think about it. I can give you 3k after this.” He finishes eating and checks his phone. He looks at his bank app and confirms a few things and sets it aside again. “I don’t mind.” “Don’t mind?” She says to herself out loud.”Are you crazy? It’s a lot of money. It’s my problem to sort out.” “It’d be one less thing for you to worry about. Are you really turning down free money?” “Nothing's free.” “Well this is. Even if you don’t come back for your jacket.” He smiles at her. She sighs and looks out the window. “Fine. But don’t expect me to suck you off for it or something ridiculous." She brings a hand up to rest her chin on it as she looks to the side at him while still facing the window. His heart nearly jumps out of his chest. “N-no way! I would never!” He exclaims as he sits up. She grins. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a blowjob rejected before. You really are different.” She chuckles softly, watching him devolve into a nervous wreck. “No, like I wouldn’t turn it down. I mean I wouldn’t make you do it. But like if you wanted to, it's fine with me.. Fuck! You know what I mean!” She places her hand onto his on the table, almost immediately settling his nerves. “Richie, I’m kidding. You’re a very kind person. I mean it. No one’s ever done something like this for me. It means a lot.” She gazes into his eyes. He feels her immense pressure. He’s never felt something like this before, never met a person that affects him so much and so often. Yet it still feels safe. He feels her thumb run over his knuckles as he looks at her hand over his. “Heh, yeah. Thanks.” He thinks for a second, wondering what happened where he’s thanking her now. In that moment, she lets go of his hand to wave for the waitress. She comes over and places the check on the table as Alex asks for a box for her leftovers. She excuses herself to the bathroom. “Don’t go anywhere.” she says teasingly. “I need your help afterall.” “I’ll be here.” he says as the waitress returns again and hands him a to-go box. He carefully packs her leftovers into the box and closes it. He looks out the window at his car, thinking about how much he enjoys Alex’s personality. She’s fun, pretty, and has a sense of humor that he can get used to. They have a few things in common and can’t help but hope to see her more often, even for a little bit. He notices the shimmer of her lipgloss on her mug. His heart pounds gently in his chest.I think I like her a lot.Just then, she returns. “Boo!” She grabs onto his arm as he jumps. He holds his chest as he stands up and hands her the leftovers. “Christ! You’re sneaky.” “I know. You should work on that. You’re quite the jumpy boy.” They chuckle together as he shakes his head. He leaves cash on the table, enough for a substantial tip. Her eyes gaze at it for a moment as she takes one last sip of coffee, then they leave together. It's another short drive to the bank. He parks and asks her to stay in the car for a moment. She leans the seat back slightly and hangs her hand out of the window, then agrees. He steps into the bank and greets the teller. After a quick exchange, the teller counts out the cash in front of him, and places the bills into an envelope. He looks back to see Alex looking at her phone, her blonde hair shining like gold as always, especially in the sun. The teller thanks him for the business and Ricky takes the envelope and receipt. He crumples up the receipt and throws it in the bin at the entrance. He calmly returns to the car and hops in. After closing the door, he turns to her. “Here. All yours. No strings attached.” he says, realizing how cool he sounds. She sits up slowly, taking the envelope and opening it to count the bills. “What, you think I was lying?” He asks. “No,” She answers, setting the envelope into her bag carefully. “It’s just that I’ve never seen this amount of cash before.” She runs her hand through her hair, gathering some on one side. She plays with the ends nervously. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.” He starts the engine and puts his seatbelt on. “Don’t mention it. I’ll drop you off. Just lead the way. Hey..” He calls for her attention. She looks over at him, her eyes are wet at the corners. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing, really.” he assures. She manages to smile at him and takes his hand to squeeze it tightly. He returns her smile with one of his own. This feeling is a million times better than paying for breakfast. They drive for sometime as she occasionally points out directions to go. The breeze comes into the car as music plays quietly. They barely speak during the drive. He notices her bring her hand up to her face a few times, still looking out the window. He remains quiet and focuses on driving smoothly. He drives up to a neighborhood slowly and parks in front of a house that she pointed to. It looks like a multifamily home from what he can tell. There’s a man sitting on the steps, watching his little girl play on her tricycle. The little girl stares at the care and lazily waves at Alex. She waves back happily with a big grin on her face. She turns back to Ricky. “Would you mind stepping out with me? I want to show you something.” She asks hesitantly. “Sure.” he says as he turns the car off and steps out with her. They meet at the front of the car as he looks around. It’s a nice neighborhood. There’s trees along the street and even a small community garden. A car crosses the street at the next intersection. The subwoofers in it can be heard clearly from where they stand. The rattle of the bass fades into the distance as it drives away, only leaving the sound of some barking dogs in the neighborhood. His attention snaps back to Alex as she hugs him tightly around the waist. He hugs her back. He can feel her grip the fabric of his shirt. She turns her face up and gives him a soft kiss on the lips. His eyes close and he takes a breath though his nose deeply. Her hands come up to hold his face as the kiss grows to something more intimate. Time slows to a crawl, there's a soft buzz in his ears as he feels a rush of heat to his face. His shoulders relax as his hands move to find her hips. She tilts her head for another kiss, this time deeper and lingering. She leans into him as his world turns upside down. This unexpected affection nearly makes his knees buckle. She slowly separates from him. Her eyes are half lidded, looking back and forth between his eyes. She tugs on his shirt. The sun hits her eyes just right for them to seem like blue glass marbles. He forgets to breathe for the next moment as he’s entranced by how her irises tighten. “Thanks for the morning. I don’t think my friend is actually home.” she looks back at the house, then back to him. She’s blushing ever so slightly, her hands still playing with his shirt. “Do you want to come in? Relax with me? No strings attached.” Her voice comes out calmly, almost ethereal during his state of mind. He quietly follows as she takes his hand to lead him inside. He looks back at his car, seeing her window is down. Fuck it, who cares.