So, yeah. You guys are all amazing. Like. Beautiful. =]
This one is a nice, medium size. I quite like how it turned out.
I almost didn't post it today because of that annoying lag thing.
But I will, just for you guys. I'm off to go watch Family Guy. Bye!
**********
Karma must've existed. Or maybe it was that Newton's law. The one that said 'every action has an equal and opposite reaction.' Whatever it was, Dougie knew that something existed. There had to be something out there that caused his horrible days to be horrible, and his amazing days to be amazing. They always felt like reactions; like if one bad incident never happened, the other incidents wouldn't occur. Or, at least, they wouldn't feel as significant.
It was the exact same with good incidents. You never really appreciate them until you've had a few bad ones. Dougie wouldn't have recognized the amazingly wonderful feeling of peace before he walked into Harry's house if it hadn't been for the horrible news Harry had in store for him.
"Is this an April Fools joke?" Dougie asked, speechless. His good mood – his amazing mood – was crushed in a second as Harry's words reached his ears. His morning had been going perfectly! He slept late, had a great cup of coffee, didn't worry about Riha, and had even walked to Harry's because of the great weather. Karma was a bitch. What had he done wrong?
"Don't be stupid, Doug. And it's not really a blind date, per say. More like a date with a girl that you don't know, but I do…" Harry said, trying to make the situation sound more appealing.
"Haz, I appreciate what you're doing, really I do, but don't do it."
"She's a nice girl! She's a friend of my cousin's… or at least they went to school together… I think. But give it a chance, Doug! You never even gave that girl from the club last week a chance." Harry lectured; sounding very father-like as he referred to the outing he had pulled Dougie on a week earlier.
"That's because she had a haggle tooth."
"Don't be so picky, Doug."
"Oh, please! It was like the size of Pride Rock!" Dougie cried, referring to the wonderful film, The Lion King. When in doubt, always resort to Disney. Everyone understands the references.
"It was not." Replied Harry, rolling his eyes at Dougie's immaturity. "I swear, she's a really nice girl. Why not give her a chance? Maybe you'll like her." The hopefulness in Harry's tone was hard to miss, and Dougie had a hard time denying his friend. Would it hurt if he went on one date?
Dougie let out a deep sigh and in frustration, ran his hands through his hair. "Fine. I guess I'll go on one date. But you have to promise me that after this you won't set me up on any more blind dates." Dougie bargained, looking his older friend directly in the eyes.
"Who, me? Set you up on dates? Never!" Harry replied, his smile growing wide as Dougie accepted. Dougie rolled his eyes, trying to concoct ways to make fall ill by the evening.
**********
"Now, her name is Saskia. She likes lilacs, the color teal, and animals. See? You already have a few things in common." Harry laughed happily as he led Dougie to the door, Dougie's date waiting patiently on the other side.
"Dude, I don't even know what color teal is." He stated, looking at his friend doubtfully.
"Um… I think it's blueish… Ah, hello Saskia!" As Harry opened the door, Dougie's face remained emotionless. The girl on the other side of the wooden frame was in fact, quite beautiful, but Dougie wasn't shaken. He saw beautiful people every day.
"Hello Harry, long time, no see!" She giggled as he eyes casually traveled to Dougie. "Hello Dougie." Her small voice sounded shy as she smiled coyly in his direction.
"Hey." He replied, giving her a polite smile. It was definitely going to be an interesting evening.
As Dougie drove them along in the car, Saskia handled most of the talking. She told him all about her time in school, her family, and her friends. It was easy for him to sit and think about other things while she prattled on, as he only had to offer signs of life every now and then. He would mumble in understanding or in agreement when he caught a sentence or two, but otherwise he was in his own world.
After they placed their orders in the normal looking restaurant Dougie had brought them too, he started subconsciously comparing the girl sitting across from him to Riha. He wondered if the color teal was her favorite color too, or if she talked a lot in real person. Did her hair curl like Saskia's? Did their skin look anything alike? He knew he was anxious for her letter, which was supposed to arrive the following day, but that was no excuse for judging the girl in front of him.
"Oh good, foods here!" Said Saskia happily, smiling widely as her ceaser salad (without the dressing) was placed in front of her, while Dougie's normal cheeseburger slid onto his place.
"Are you not hungry?" He asked, speaking for almost the first time the entire evening. It always concerned him when girls ate very little, especially if they were trying to impress him. He never wanted anyone to be sick just in hopes to please him.
"Oh, I normally get salads when I'm out. Not because I don't eat or anything, but I'm vegetarian, remember?" She replied, as though she had mentioned the information before. He should have paid some attention…
"But no dressing?" He asked as he guiltily looked down at his burger.
"Ceaser dressing has anchovies in it, and honestly, I guess I just don't like the taste of the other dressings." She said, shrugging her shoulders as she delicately popped a cherry tomato into her mouth. "Now, Dougie, what about you? I feel like I've been talking this whole evening!"
"Well," Dougie began, trying to remember some piece of information she mentioned to go off of. Something to maybe start her talking again…"I'm not a vegetarian, but I like animals. I have a few lizards back at my place." He spoke somewhat proudly. He loved his animals.
"Lizards? Oh gosh I couldn't get near those things!" She giggled, covering her mouth with her hands. "They scare the life out of me!" Saskia whispered, as though it was a secret or maybe so his lizards wouldn't hear her. Dougie didn't know…
"Oh… so, um… what animals do you like, then?" He asked, trying not to sound offended.
"Oh, lots of animals. I love cats and dogs so much. And farm animals, like cows and pigs. That's why I chose to stop eating meat. You see, the actual process to slaughter an animal…"
Dougie tuned her out as he bit into his burger, trying to ignore the pictures she was illuminating inside his brain. Wasn't it like, proper dinner etiquette to not talk about animal slaughter while eating?
He needed something to distract his thoughts as she rambled on. Plotting ways to kill Harry for his extremely useless favor seemed like a very good subject. Dougie could poison him, though a coroner would easily detect it… and Dougie wouldn't know what to use anyway. Maybe he could attach a bomb to Harry's drum kit. Bang, bang, BOOM!
No… too messy. And Dougie had no clue how to build a bomb anyway. Even if he looked the information up in a library, he'd still mess it up somehow. Probably kill himself before it was even finished…
Who was he kidding? He had no clue how to kill any body. Harry would just have to be allowed to live another day…
"Are we all finished here?" The waitress asked as she arrived back at their table. Dougie nodded politely to his empty plate, and Saskia handed her own over as well.
"I'll be right back with your check." The waitress smiled and walked away as Dougie pulled out his wallet, ready to pay with cash. He didn't want to wait around…
"So is there anything on the agenda next?" Saskia asked, looking excited. Dougie stopped motionless for a moment. Was there supposed to be more? Did she mean like, a movie or something?
"Um…" Dougie replied nervously. They could go to the theater to see if something was interesting…
"Doug, I get it." Saskia interrupted as an understanding look crossed her face. "You're not that into this, are you?" She asked, looking at him directly.
"What? Oh, sure I am-"
"Seriously? I'm not that dumb, Dougie." She laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I mean, you've barely said a word all night. I've been nervously spewing information just so that the awkward silence wouldn't come." She confessed, causing a wave of guilt to wash through Dougie as he realized he was completely transparent with his feelings. She probably knew the entire time he was zoning out that he wasn't listening to a word she said…
"Saskia, I'm sorry… It's just… I don't know. Harry's been trying to set me up for a while, you know? And I'm just not looking right now." He said, hoping he wouldn't hurt her feelings. He really misjudged her.
"I get it, really. Though I think that maybe it's not because you're not interested," she began, causing Dougie to quirk an eyebrow in curiosity. "I think it's because there's already a girl on your brain, Mr. Poynter." She said slyly as the waitress returned with the check. Dougie silently slid the bill into the folds and handed it right back to her as he and Saskia stood up. He tried to hide his shock by busying himself with his jacket and leading her quickly through the restaurant. He had no idea how to respond.
"So, do you?" She asked mysteriously as they were both situated back in the car. Dougie glanced over at her, still searching his brain for the answer.
"Um… I don't really know…" He replied honestly.
"Ah, unrequited love." She said, shaking her head and smiling.
"Wait… doesn't unrequited mean like… unanswered? Or unreturned? Like getting rejected by someone?" He asked, a little offended.
"Technically, yes. But have you told her you like her? Have you two gotten together? Or is it just a little thought inside your head, bumping around for your thoughts only?" She asked, looking at him as though she could read those very thoughts. "Unrequited love." She finished, looking pleased.
"But… I don't know if I even like her. I just… think about her." He defended, his image of Riha popping into his head. Dougie suddenly realized that he had never talked to the guys about something like this before. They had to be men with each other. Manly men! Or, they tried to be, at least. Having a girl's input really was great, even though it confused the crap out of him.
"Give it time, Doug. The more you think about this girl, the more obvious it will be. Just give it time."
Dougie was quite once Saskia finished, thinking her words over. Could he really think of Riha like that? Truthfully, he hadn't really thought of her any other way beside a friend. Maybe it was just because he had never seen her. Like he might as well have been talking to a guy for all the romantic progress they'd made. It was kind of like she wasn't really there.
"Wow… um, thanks." Dougie mumbled, as he drove on. He still felt bad about what happened with their date. She deserved something a little better.
"No problem…" She trailed off, seeming as though she wanted to say more.
"What?" Dougie asked, curiously.
"Well…" A nervous, and maybe a little awkward, expression appeared on her face as it flushed red with embarrassment. "Do you think, that maybe, because our date didn't really go as planned… maybe you could introduce me to Danny? Danny Jones?" She asked sounding excited.
Of course.
Dougie almost laughed out loud at the sheer irony of the situation. The girl he was supposedly going on a date with really had it for the playboy!
"Um…" Dougie trailed off, trying not to laugh.
"I mean, and no offence meant Dougie, but I really thought that Harry was going to set me up with Danny! He told me so and everything… and I mean, he's The Danny Jones…" She trailed off looking amazed. "And, well, you're nice and everything, but… Danny Jones!" She squealed, showing her inner fan-girl.
Dougie rolled his eyes, but the smile never left his face. He wanted to ask himself what the chances were of something as outrageous as this happening, but he realized the chances were actually quite big. Every girl wanted Danny.
"You know what? I'll give him a call." Dougie laughed as he pulled his phone out.
Two minutes later, the deal was made. He turned his car around and headed the short distance to Danny's house, laughing as Saskia thanked him.
"Oh gosh, you have no idea how excited I am! My friend will never believe me. Oh thank you, thank you, Dougie! You're the best, you know that?" She squealed as they pulled into the driveway.
"Now, Saskia," Dougie began as the walked out of the car and towards the front door. "I like you enough to warn you that Danny isn't what some girls like to call A Committer. He likes to… play the field, if you know what I mean. Sometimes it may seem quite rude, but… well that's Danny for you." Dougie said, shrugging his shoulders and he rang the doorbell. Normally he would've just walked right in, but Danny was probably setting up some weird props to hook the girl. He was like Quagmire from Family Guy…
"Oh, thanks for your concern, Dougie. But seriously, I'm not looking for much. Just… Oh he's Danny Jones!" She squeaked again, causing Dougie to almost hate Danny's name. How many times had he heard it in one night?
Before Dougie could reply, the door swung open casually, revealing a smartly dressed Danny on the other side. Dougie had to resist rolling his eyes at his friend's woman-powers.
"Hello lovely," He swooned, smiling charmingly in Saskia's direction. Dougie cut in before things could progress, trying to politely take his own leave.
"Danny, this is Saskia, a friend of Harry's. We just got back from dinner, and I thought that maybe it would be a good idea for you two to see a movie or something." Dougie hoped his opening was enough for Danny to take.
"A movie would be perfect. I heard that the movie with Jim Carry is still in theaters. Though, it would be a shame that no one could see you in your lovely teal dress, Saskia." Danny charmed, smiling again.
"You know the color teal?" Dougie asked, confused. He looked over at Saskia again, noticing her blue-green halter dress. Harry was kind of right about the color.
"Aren't you supposed to be leaving, Doug?" Danny asked, looking at him pointedly.
"Right… um, I'll just be on my way, then. See you later guys!" He called over his shoulder as he almost ran back to his car, nearly laughing out loud as Danny led a gob smacked Saskia to his own car.
As Dougie drove back to his own place, he decided Harry needed to know about the events of the evening. He wouldn't be happy, but it was all his fault anyway.
As the phone rang, it went to voice mail, allowing Dougie full access on what he was about to say.
"Hello Haz, just wanted to inform you that my date tonight with Saskia actually went to my liking. I just dropped her off at Danny's house so that he could take her to the movies. I think they're seeing Yes Man, which I saw a few weeks ago. It's pretty good. Especially when everyone starts singing that Third Eye Blind song to the guy who's about to jump off a building. Oh, dang… what's the name of that song? Jumper, I think it is. Well, great song, great movie, fairly decent night… I'll talk to you in the morning. Night Haz!" Dougie laughed out loud as he hung up his phone. He hoped Harry saved that phone message, just because of how proud he was to have said it all.
A few moments later as Dougie reentered his own house, his phone flashed with an incoming call.
Judd Mobile
"House of kinky male photos, how may I help you?" Dougie asked, hoping to catch his friend in an untainted mood.
"I just listened to my voicemails, Mr. Kinky Male. What the hell happened?" Dougie rolled his eyes as he threw his keys on his kitchen counter and took a beer out of his fridge. It was relaxing time.
"What on earth do you mean, Sir Harry?" Dougie asked, hoping to remain innocent.
"Don't Sir Harry me, Poynter. Saskia is a nice girl! Why'd you drop her off with Danny?"
"Oh you know, I'm evil and cruel. I like to see girls get played around with and I figured innocent Saskia was a perfect girl for the job." Dougie rolled his eyes at his own sarcasm. He could be so immature sometimes.
"You might as well! Dude, does she know what's up?"
"Obviously. I even gave her a little spiel about the Dan Man and she seemed fine with it. She asked me to take her there, anyway. It wasn't like I suggested it."
"I'm not buying it. Dougie, in the past, you've left girls I set you up with at the restaurants. This is just a step lower then that!"
"Okay, One: I didn't leave her there. She had her own ride! Her car just broke down and her cell phone died! Two: Saskia really wanted to go. She has this inner lusting for Danny."
"Still not buying it… Dougie, why can't you just like… like the girls I show you? Seriously, there's nothing wrong with them. Any other guy would kill for some of these girls."
"It's not that I don't like them…" Dougie defended, searching his brain for the answer. "I just, didn't feel like it. You know? I just really didn't care."
"Well… hey, why are you using past tense?"
"What?"
"Past tense. You really didn't care? Do you now?"
"What do you mean?" Dougie didn't know how to stall much further. He needed to end the call. ASAP. "Oh, crap Harry, my phone's dying! Got to go charge it! Bye!" And with that, Dougie hung up on his friend.
There was no logical way for him to have a thing for his pen pal.
