Peter sidled the guitar case he was holding onto his back and held the door open for Kitty.
"Oh, um, thanks." Kitty blushed slightly and nodded to the bag in his hand. "Aren't you leaving?"
Peter grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Naw, I can stick around. Anyway, I was...I was hoping we'd run into each other." He followed her into the comic shop. "You never emailed me."
"You never gave me your email."
"Oh." Peter paused for a moment, surprised. He smacked his forehead. "D'oh, stupid Peter!"
Kitty giggle awkwardly and went to the counter to ask the clerk, her friend Doreen, for her pull.
"Oh, heya Kitty! One sec!" Doreen ducked down behind the counter, rifling through some long boxes before pulling a stack of comics out for Kitty. She handed the comes to her and grinned, her freckled cheeks widening warmly. "Ms. Marvel this week is awesome. Wonder Woman is only so-so."
Kitty grinned back at the curvy girl. "Awesome! Thanks so much!"
Doreen nodded to her and then looked over at Peter. "Back again, huh?" She grinned and giggled goofily.
Peter smiled and shrugged sheepishly, following Kitty as she went through the comic shelves. "So...sorry. I really thought I had, and..."
She shook her head, "actually, your friend Gamora did give it to me..."
"Gamora!" Peter declared dramatically. "That scoundrel! I didn't even know she was there."
Kitty looked up at him, shaking her head, and couldn't manage to suppress her smile. "I guess I just wimped out."
"No way, you don't seem like a wimp! You're way too cool."
She blushed, "how do you know I'm so cool?"
"Good taste in music, even if you've never heard of Guardians of the Galaxy; likes comics," he peered at the stack in her hand, "even if you aren't reading the cosmic stuff."
Kitty made a face, "cosmic stuff, bleh!" Peter giggled.
"Naw, come on, I'll loan you a copy of the good run of the Legion and some good Lantern stuff and then you'll totally get it, I promise!" Kitty rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you seem really smart and I wish I had given you my email or phone number or something...I'd like to get to know you, you know."
Kitty blushed and leafed through a copy of Amazing Spider-Man to cover her flattery. "Peter, I-"
He cut her off, dropping the case off his shoulder and rifling through a pocket attached to the front of it. He pulled a small notepad and pen out, jotting something down and then ripping it out and shoving it into her hands. "My number," he said with a goofy, lopsided smile.
Kitty blushed and smiled, tucking the number in her pocket, turning her attention to his guitar case instead. "That's cute," she said, pointing to a big sticker of a little tree-man poses with his branchy hands forming devil horns.
"Oh man!" Peter held his hands out excitedly. "That's Groot!"
"Groot?"
"Yeah, he's like our mascot. Like, for Guardians of the Galaxy!"
"Cute. Did you draw him?"
"Naw, my friend Steve did."
"Steve Rogers?"
"Yeah! You know him?!"
"Yeah, he works in one of the government offices that funds the non-profit I work at."
Peter nodded. "Go figure!"
Kitty brought her comics to the counter. Doreen smiled wide again, "all set?"
"Yup. Thanks." After paying for her transaction, they left the store together, with Peter holding the door for her on the way out.
"Um, thanks," Kitty smiled awkwardly again and lapsed into a short silence.
"Yeah, I, do you have a sec? I mean, more than a sec, do you want to get lunch or something?"
Kitty checked her watch. "Yeah, I...um, I could go for lunch."
Peter grinned again, looking into Kitty's eyes. "Really? Awesome!"