“About that, dad, we need to –”
My phone buzzed with a text message, and I pulled it away from my ear far enough that I could check it.
Hey Malcolm. This is Casey. Can we talk?
Maybe I wasn't as far off as I thought after all. Maybe, after having a night to sleep on it, Casey had a change of heart.
“Malcolm?” my father asked. “Are you still there?”
“Yes, dad. Listen, I have to go. We'll talk later,” I said.
I hung up before he had a chance to answer and texted Casey back. I’d nearly forgotten that I’d given her my number before leaving the diner that night.
Of course. Give me a time and a place, I'll be there.
She responded almost right away.
I'm at The Grove right now. Think you can meet me here?
I was out of my seat, cell phone in hand, before I even had a chance to respond. The Grove wasn't too far from our offices, I could walk there. That wouldn't be a problem at all. My heart raced as I typed out my message to her.
I'm on my way. See you in ten minutes.
~ooo000ooo~
The Grove was iconic in Los Angeles. People flocked from all over to shop at a number of high-end and luxury retailers, or eat at overpriced restaurants, hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two along the way. As a local, I avoided The Grove at all costs, if I could. Too many tourists for me, and I'd never been a big fan of shopping to begin with.
I told Casey to meet me by the dancing fountain, and perhaps that had been a mistake. As I approached the landmark, I saw that it was surrounded by people and I wasn't sure if I'd find Casey among the throng of tourists.
“Malcolm, over here,” I heard her voice calling to me and looked around, seeing nothing but tourists everywhere.
I heard her call me name again and looked toward where I thought the voice was coming from.I saw that there was an arm in the air, waving for me. Once a bald, overweight man stepped out of the way, I saw Casey standing there with the fountain behind her. Her long hair was pulled back in a high ponytail with side bangs. She was wearing a pencil skirt and a button up shirt that accentuated the amazing curves of her breasts.
My breath catching in my throat, I made my way over to her.
“Good thing you're tall,” she laughed.
For the first time, I realized her eyes were not just brown, but hazel. Flecks of gold and green mingled in with the light brown of her irises and sparkled as the sunlight reflecting off them. Her makeup was very tasteful and light, almost like she wasn't wearing any at all. She didn't really have to, she was naturally very beautiful.
“I wasn't sure you'd see me standing here,” she said. “I guess there's an event going on or something.”
She looked around, wide-eyed at the mass of people, shaking her head. Yeah, I wasn't a big fan of crowds, either. I knew exactly how she felt being trapped in amongst a mob.
“I don't normally come out here,” she said. “In fact, I usually tend to avoid places like this.”
“Then, what brings you out here today?” I asked, slipping my hands into my pockets.
She reached into the backpack sitting on the ground beside her and handed me the jacket I'd put on her the other night.
“I had it dry cleaned, I hope it's okay,” she said. “I hope they got any bloodstains out of the fabric.”
“Casey, you didn't – ”
“My mom works for a dry cleaner, it didn't cost me a thing,” she said, raising her hand to stop my protest.
“You came all this way to give me my jacket back?”
“Not just for that reason,” she said, shaking her head. “I'm also applying for jobs around here. I thought maybe some of the higher-end restaurants might pay well, but so far, nobody's hiring.”