A/N So, uh. Something I had in mind for awhile. I'm also American so all my bad British slang can be blamed on that. FYI, it will be somewhat of a long ride.
Oye, there he is. I sit in the park watching the ducks around the pond swimming about. The Smiths are playing in my ear buds, but I turn it down for right now so I can still hear my surroundings, not really ready for my music to be my main focus, instead just background noise. I watch as Tucker follows the rest of his siblings.
It'd been a rather short day today at work. I was enjoying my few moments of Zen before I head home and try it again tomorrow. Until then, I'll sit in my favorite park at my favorite bench looking at my favorite pond. I feel a buzz in my pocket.
Katie: Will you feed Leroy tonight? Handric is in town. X
I blink twice and let a smirk come across my face.
Emily: Sure. How is Steph these days?
Katie: Bitch. He said they're done. Gotta go.
I put my phone down and continue staring at the pond. The sun is just setting down behind it. Two cyclists ride by, and I can hear the rest of London begin to quiet down and stir up at the same time. In the distance I hear someone shouting.
"No-fuck off. And don't call me again, prick!"
I turn my head to the right and catch a glimpse of a blonde walking my way. I quickly advert my eyes back to the pond, not wanting to pay unnecessary attention to her. She begins to walk closer and I can see that her face is red with anger, and she shivers a bit from the wind. I dart my eyes back to the ducks. My eyes fall on him. He's still trying to keep up with his mum. I feel a shift in the bench and I can see out of my peripheral vision the blonde had sat next to me. I don't allow my eyes to look up right away to her face, instead I stare at her fingers that are settled into her lap. Her turquoise nail polish is chipping. She has black stockings on with a blue skirt and long black sleeve t-shirt on. It's usually a bit different when someone chooses to set next to you in a place that is full of benches. It makes you always wonder what their reasoning is. Especially because she sounded angry seconds earlier. I can feel her exhale rather loudly and I feel her looking at me, instead I look back to the pond, searching for Tucker. I can't see him and I shift up a bit to get a better view of the pond.
I hear a noise to my right, I think she had spoken to me. I pull out my right ear bud and glance over at her.
"What?" Now I realize, she's gorgeous. Her eyes are stunning and I get stuck in them for a second not before glancing down to her lips.
"Searchin' for something?" She asks.
I pause, trying to think again of what she had just said.
"Hellloooo? You deaf or what?" She asks again.
"Tucker." I state rather quietly.
"Tucker?" Her voice shows her confusion and judgment.
"Don't think I can help you with your love life, mate."
I let out a small laugh. "That's definitely not what I'm searching for." I point towards the pond. "He's a duckling."
I glance back over at her and see her smiling.
"Well, where is he?"
I squint towards the pond and as if on cue, I see a splash in the water and up pops Tucker.
"He must've heard us. He just jumped in." I point right at him, a smile pulls on my face.
Now she has a full smirk on her.
"What?" I asked somewhat embarrassed.
"Nothing, I just don't usually meet girls in the park who name the ducks."
"Do you usually go around trying to meet girls in the park?" I ask testing the waters. No harm, no foul.
I feel her giggle slightly. "Certainly not, that's what pubs are for." She says it in a matter of fact manner and it's hard to tell if she is joking or not.
"I'm Emily." I hold out my hand.
"Naomi." She shakes it quickly.
"So, do you come around here often, Emily?"
"Usually I come a couple times a week. It's on my way home from work." I motion over to the general building that I work at.
"What is it that you do?"
"I'm a photographer."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
She just smiles when I look back over at her. She's incredibly beautiful.
"So, what's your sign?" She continues.
"Scuse me?"
"Are you here with someone, or?" She continues.
She smiles wide now.
"What are you going on about?" I ask her. I turn my head towards her and meet her eyes. I can see her swallow.
"I was just testing you, ya know, see if you regularly get picked up in parks. Maybe there was a memo I had missed."
"So, you're trying to pick me up?" I ask somewhat flattered and annoyed.
"No, I, no. Sorry- " her phone begins ringing. She immediately hits the ignore button on the face of a guy named Zach.
"Trouble in paradise?" I ask now. My turn for teasing.
"That paradise has been destroyed."
I bite my lip feeling as if I had pried too much.
"Ah, so figure you oughta start a new one and where better place to start then here in the park?" Fuck it, she annoyed me earlier. Mocking me like that.
Naomi's face falters as I stare at her. Her face grew worrisome.
"No, I, I'm not even gay. I, sorry, it-it was a shit day."
I eye her carefully before I say something. "That's too bad." I stand up and begin walking away to the left, finishing my walk home. I turn up the music on my ipod. She ruined my Zen.
It's dusk now. It's not until about a minute later I hear someone walking quickly behind me. I naturally move to the left to let them pass me. Prolly another jogger. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I immediately grab the hand and turn it around quickly, holding it at an angle where I could potentially break it. Self-defense classes finally had come in handy, thank you Katie, as the sky grows darker around me. I see it's Naomi again. I exhale loudly, still holding onto her hand. I use my other hand to unplug a headphone staring at her, I can see the look of pain on her face.
"If this is your attempt to "not pick up girls in the park", I see some serious flaws in your logic!" I stare at her angrily. I let her hand go looser with that statement.
"No, Emily, I-" She begins with the same worrisome look on her face.
"What! Spit it out." I yell back.
"I'm sorry, it's been a shit day-I broke up with my boyfriend three times today. Apparently that hasn't processed his mind yet and my boss is still being a power-controlling prick and Rock-o died!"
"Who's Rock-o?"
"My turtle."
"So you figure just go to the park and have a laugh at the first person you meet?"
"No-I" Her eyes shift to my hand which is still holding hers. I let go of it.
"Forget it. I have to go." I begin to walk away and luckily heard no cries of plea to stop. It wasn't until I was about half way to Katie's when I realize I left my mobile at the park. I turn around quickly and begin to walk back angrily to my bench. Eventually I get up to it warily searching for my mobile. It's nowhere in sight.
"For Fucks Sakes!" I yell to no one in particular.
I turn around and begin walking back to Katie's flat again. If Naomi hadn't annoyed me earlier, this definitely topped it off now. Finally I make it in just before it begins to rain. I turn the key to the door on the second story and enter in. Leroy is already begging for food. I quickly pour him some cat food in a dish and pick up the house phone. I angrily dial my own cell phone's number. No one answered. I then dial Katie's.
"What?" She answers annoyed.
"Someone nicked my mobile!"
"What do you want me to do about it?" She whisper-yells back.
I can hear Handric in the background. They're obviously in bed together.
"I-I-
"Feed Leroy and we'll get you a new one tomorrow. Can you take the laundry out too? Also-
I just hung up on her. Was such a fine day until about an hour ago. I don't know why the fuck that girl was messing with me and she fucken steals from me on top of it. I'm standing by the small stand up bar in Katie's apartment and I decide to open a bottle of vodka drinking straight from it. Not even a minute later the phone rings again.
"What!" I ask in anger.
"Em-Emily?" I realize it's not Katie's voice.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry."
"It's Naomi."
"Do you have my mobile?" I ask in disbelief.
"Yeah, you left it when you...
"Where are you?"
"At home." Naomi responds back annoyed.
"Give me your address, I'm coming to get it."
"No." Naomi answers quickly and further annoyed.
"What do you mean "No"? You have my mobile, you thief."
"You're not coming to my flat-I don't trust you and I didn't steal it, you left it! I picked it up for you. You know, good Samaritan and shit?"
My voice falls a little, realizing my overreaction.
"Well, when can I get it?"
"I usually get coffee at 8 at Tiff's. Do you know where that is?"
"Yeah, next to Gustafo's deli, right?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"Right. Well, don't like go through my phone and stuff." I respond, still slightly angry.
"Uh, it's password protected?" Naomi sounded further annoyed and confused.
"Then how did you call me?" I asked perplexed.
Naomi sighed on the other end of the line.
"I saw the number you called from and called it from my mobile." She explained.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Well, right. I'll see you tomorrow."