Boomhauer had to keep controlling his dreamy grin all week. He was certain he looked goofy, going mushy-eyed every time he thought of her, which was often.
His stomach fluttered every time her smile crossed his mind, his lungs snared every breath of air when he envisioned her sparkling eyes, her beautiful face. He could still feel her body enveloped in his, and the tender kiss she placed upon his cheek that still smoldered like a cinder.
He hadn't ever felt like this before.
He had felt different with Katherine, whom he cherished and adored, and nursed a soft spot for. He had felt different with Marlene, who he long ago admitted to himself was mostly a combination of lust and the dizzying hastiness of a whirlwind romance. Leah, on the other hand-she was something else.
She was enchanting, she was captivating, she was...magical.
He wondered if there was any real way he could be with Leah and have Bill be fine with it. He promised himself he wouldn't let anyone come between him and Bill again, not even Leah. But, in a perfect scenario…
Leah had begun drawing again, sketching at first, rough lines and frameworks. But she quickly got the feel for it again, the feel for translating the imagery in her mind onto the clean white paper, and soon the first few pages of her new sketchbook were drawn and inked works of scenery, flowers, and landscapes. She had Boomhauer to thank for her rekindled artistic passion...who knows when she would have gotten the emotional energy to draw again if it wasn't for his giving her that incentive.
When Friday came, and the workday was over, Leah and Boomhauer and everybody else were looking forward to the night out. Boomhauer must have looked a little too eager while he and his friends were out in the alley for their pre-bowling beers, because Bill sternly reminded him, "Stay away from Leah tonight, alright?"
"She's my friend."
"Let me get her to be my girlfriend first."
Dale laughed. "Then you'd both be waiting for a hundred years."
"Bill," Hank started to say, speaking delicately, "Leah asked Boomhauer out, remember? Don't you think that means she likes him?"
Bill shrugged it off. "If he would stay away from her then he wouldn't have his opportunities to lay any charm on her. If he wasn't around, I'd have a real shot. I could have walked her home that night. It could have been me she asked out." He drank his beer with his brow furrowed.
Hank looked helplessly at Boomhauer and dropped the conversation. Even Dale said nothing, instead puffing out clouds of smoke from his cigarette.
Leah finished watering the plants and tidying up the house before getting ready for the evening. She was excited to go do something with everybody again tonight. She had such a good time with them all at the sports bar, and even if she wasn't much for bowling, she knew tonight would be just as entertaining.
She put on jeans and a V-neck T-shirt, and left her hair down in their beachy waves instead of her typical braid. She had only just finished the last touches of her makeup when her phone buzzed on the dresser beside her, rattling loudly against the wood.
For a split second she felt nothing as she picked up the phone to look at the screen, not fully registering what she was looking at right away. But after it clicked, after her brain caught up with her eyes, she felt the full weight of Dan's words implode inside of her, a sickness dropping in the pit of her stomach.
i'll never stop
Boomhauer pulled up his shiny red car to Leah's house like he did last time, Bill again sitting indignantly in the back seat. Boomhauer made to open his driver's side door, but Bill stopped him.
"I'll go get her," Bill firmly said.
Boomhauer watched as Bill knocked on the sliding glass back door and saw Leah approach, turning the inside lights off on her way out. She was smiling while Bill talked and led her back to the car, looking as beautiful as always.
Bill opened her door for her, and she slid inside.
"Hi," she smiled at Boomhauer. He smiled and nodded back.
Once Bill returned to the back seat, Boomhauer set off towards the bowling alley, with Hank, Peggy, Dale, and Nancy in their cars somewhere ahead.
The sun was setting behind them, brightening their backs with a warm orange glow. Boomhauer noticed Leah wasn't talking as much as she usually did, instead looking out the window in quiet thought.
They went to the bowling alley on the edge of town, brightly lit with neon signs both outside and in. Stepping inside was a shock of retro 70s decor and design, though it was well cleaned and maintained. It was very busy this evening, as it was a Friday night. Most of the lanes were filled with groups of friends who were out for the night like they were, or a handful of regulars who bowled several nights every week.
Hank, Peggy, Nancy, and Dale were already picking up their bowling shoes when the other three arrived. Boomhauer wasn't exactly looking forward to wearing his, and begrudgingly slipped into them.
Once everyone was ready, they chose a lane towards the end, one of the few that was empty, and collected at the half-circle leather booth positioned in front of it.
"Alright, who's ready to get their ass kicked?" Dale turned his baseball hat around in determination.
"You're going down, Gribble," Peggy taunted.
They began taking turns frame by frame. Boomhauer and Dale each managed a spare, while everyone else took a few more tries to clear their set. Leah's ball careened into the gutter completely, not tipping even a single pin.
"Can you help me?" she asked Boomhauer sweetly.
He stood from the booth started to step towards her, but Bill cut in front of him.
"I can teach you, Leah," he insisted, and hurried over to her.
Boomhauer sat back down again and watched as Bill tried to give Leah pointers. He wished he could be the one doing so, standing close to her, and he might have even casually placed his hand on the small of her back to "help her with her form."
He noticed Peggy and Nancy whispering together while throwing glances towards Leah and Bill… and occasionally towards himself.
When Leah's set was finished (her score so far abysmal), she came back to Boomhauer's side of the booth and motioned for him to budge over. There was plenty of room, but he found her leg against his anyway.
"You're a good bowler," she said to him with a smile, "I thought you didn't like it?"
"I don't. But I'm still good at it."
"I'm a little surprised you're so, no offense, terrible at it," Nancy commented to Leah.
"Why's that?"
"Well, you're so good at everything else."
"Oh, please…"
"She's right, Leah," Peggy nodded, "You're athletic, artistic, and you can bake. You're very well rounded. You would make a great partner for somebody to settle down with."
Boomhauer was staring straight ahead, watching Hank bowl after Bill returned, pretending he wasn't listening. He was certain Peggy was giving him a look, but wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of acknowledging it.
Dale returned to the table with a round of beers. And not a moment too soon, Boomhauer thought, and took a swig right away.
"Scoot over, Boomhauer," Bill urged him, not hiding his annoyance.
Boomhauer dragged himself closer to Nancy. Leah slid into the gap between them, their legs touching again.
The one saving grace of the night.
"You're up, Peg," Hank chuckled, and patted her on the back as she went to take her turn.
"Isn't this great?" Dale asked, nodding excitedly as he took in the atmosphere. "I bet you're so glad you agreed to this, huh Boomhauer?"
Boomhauer shrugged.
"I know I'm glad Boomhauer invited us all," Bill responded with mock pleasure.
Everyone went through their turns again, Boomhauer once again clearing a spare like it was nothing. Leah was up and Bill asked if she needed his help again.
"I got it, but thanks," she replied, then proceeded to do just as poorly as she did the first time.
"Good try, Shug!" Nancy called from the table.
Bill passed Leah for his turn on her way back to the table. She slid into the booth next to Boomhauer, though this time she left room between the two of them.
Boomhauer moved his leg to rest against hers. She smiled.
He was miffed by the entire evening. It was irritating that Bill had insisted he invite everybody, and on top of that it had to be bowling of all things. If he wasn't sitting there with Leah next to him he was certain he would ditch the place.
In a way he felt guilty again, sitting pressed against the girl Bill wanted a chance with, but surely Bill had to realize she wasn't interested? Couldn't Bill go try with somebody else, anybody else?
"I think I can honestly say I am not a fan of bowling," Leah muttered so only Boomhauer could hear.
"Tell me about it."
"Next time, when it's just you and me, let's do something more fun, like getting a root canal."
Boomhauer chuckled. "Next time-"
"Next time what?" Bill asked from beside them. He slid roughly back into the booth and looked sharply at Boomhauer.
Boomhauer ignored him.
"Are you having fun, Leah?" Bill asked, his tone now much softer and friendlier.
"Tons of fun."
She gave Boomhauer a covert smile.
Suddenly Dale bellowed, ringing throughout the bowling alley.
"Over the line!"
Startled, everybody looked at Dale, and followed his heated gaze to Hank, who was standing confused at the lane.
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry, Hank, you were over the line. That's a foul."
"I'm going to foul my foot over the line and up your ass."
They continued to bicker while Nancy and Peggy rolled their eyes, and Boomhauer whispered in Leah's ear, "I wonder if that would count as a strike."
Leah giggled quietly.
Bill sighed and said, "I'm getting another beer."
Nancy peered over at Leah and Boomhauer, a knowing grin crept across her face.
"You two are looking mighty cozy over there."
"We are," Leah answered simply, pleased. Even Boomhauer had to suppress a smile of his own.
Dale let Hank's toe-slip go ("This time,") and they both returned to the table.
"Hey, leave some room for Jesus," Dale teased when he saw Boomhauer and Leah.
Leah then did something that took Boomhauer by surprise.
She brought his arm around her waist and leaned into his chest, resting her head on his shoulder, looking defiantly at Dale.
"Woo hoo!" Nancy cheered.
Boomhauer's heart was hammering and he felt a rush of nerves piercing him from the inside, like a fistful of knives being thrown into him. He was delighted to be holding her, like he had only been fantasizing about for the past few months now, but also distressed, knowing Bill was going to be upset by it.
He pulled his arm away, face reddened, and wouldn't meet her eye.
"Boomhauer, uh...you're up," Hank said.
For the first time tonight he actually wanted to get up and bowl. He tossed the ball haphazardly, still feeling a jangling rush of adrenaline, and managed to pick up a 7-10 split with minimal strategy.
"I'm, uh...be right back," he mumbled to the table, and swept away elsewhere. He was too nervous to be around Leah again, as much as he wanted to be. He was being terrible enough by touching legs with her right under Bill's nose.
Leah knew she had messed up. She was feeling too bold, too brave, and seized that rush of power erroneously. She liked that he had wanted to sit against her, a small secret just between the two of them, but she had gone too far under Dale's jesting.
It was her turn to bowl, and she had to do everything to not drag her feet up to the lane. She was sick of participating by now, and was worried she blew things between her and Boomhauer, so her mind and focus were entirely elsewhere. Forcefully she threw the bowling ball, random and uncaring, yet somehow she managed to get the ball to barrel down every single pin in a perfect strike.
"Holy shit!" Dale exclaimed.
"That was incredible!" cried Peggy.
Leah looked at the fallen pins in disbelief. "I can't believe I did that!"
Maybe bowling was a little better than she thought.
"Bill's next," Hank called across the table. The end of the half-circle booth was empty of two spaces: Bill and Boomhauer.
"Bill still hasn't come back?" Peggy wondered. "Wasn't he just getting a beer?"
They turned around to glance at the bar behind them, but Bill was nowhere to be found. However, what they did see was Boomhauer chatting with the bartender, a tall and pretty girl with long black hair. Though Boomhauer's back was to them, it was clear he was laying down his moves, as the girl was smiling and giggling at him, and occasionally flicking her hair.
Leah turned and looked at Peggy and Nancy, who were both looking back at her, wondering what her reaction was going to be.
She wasn't sure what her reaction was, actually. It was a mixture of jealousy and disappointment.
Stupid Leah, again.
"Hey, look at Bill!"
Their heads now turned to where Dale was pointing, at a lane farther down from theirs, to see Bill also flirting with an attractive woman who seemed rather into him.
"They both left to go pick up girls?" Nancy asked skeptically.
"Boomhauer doesn't surprise me. But Bill?" Peggy looked thoughtful. "Well, good for him."
Hank rubbed the back of his neck. "So, do we keep playing? I doubt either of them are coming back."
"If we end it now, then that means Leah is the only one who got a strike, and I cannot let that happen," declared Dale, pounding his fist into the table.
"We're here for a weekend night out. I'm bowling my frames!" Nancy said.
Peggy's eyes narrowed in determination.
Leah wanted to keep turning around to see what Boomhauer was doing. It was with an iron will that kept her looking dead ahead, watching Dale bowl towards his quest for a strike.
"Are you okay, Leah?" Peggy asked after several minutes had gone by.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Leah tried to perk up to seem like she was having a marvelous time.
"Fine, or fine?" questioned Nancy, clearly not buying Leah's fake cheery expression.
Leah shrugged. "It happens. I'll be alright."
Nancy shook her head sadly. "Oh, you two would have been so cute together."
"They still can be," Peggy reassured," He's only talking to whats-her-name up there. I don't see him playing footsies under the table with her like he was with Leah."
"We weren't 'playing footsies,'" Leah laughed.
Nancy grinned. "You were very cozy though…"
Hank loudly cleared his throat. "Aren't we here to bowl?"
They continued watching each other play. Leah couldn't replicate her strike again, try as she might. Dale, on the other hand, finally managed to get one.
"Eat that!" he bragged after a raucous cheer.
Peggy groaned. "We're never going to hear the end of it."
Leah noticed Nancy and Peggy occasionally kept looking behind them at Boomhauer. Leah kept up with her impassive facade, though inside she was feeling a storm of embarrassment and disappointment in herself. Why was she so immature?
"Oh, no…" Peggy muttered, shaking her head towards the bar behind them.
Leah whirled around quickly, any pretend indifference now out the window. She quickly understood what Peggy was disapproving of: Boomhauer and the bartender were exchanging numbers.
Frowning, Leah turned away again. She wondered how exactly she got things so wrong. She thought he liked her. They really seemed to connect. He even smiled at her, something he didn't do for anyone else.
Finally, after they had wrapped up their game, Boomhauer returned to the table. He stood beside the booth rather than sitting in it, which would have been next to Leah.
"Look who finally shows up," ribbed Dale. "Can't take you anywhere without getting you laid."
"Shut up."
"Usually we can't take Bill anywhere without him eating his weight in chicken wings, but somehow he's probably getting laid too."
Boomhauer looked puzzled as he followed Dale's motion towards the other end of the bowling alley. Sure enough, there sat Bill sitting with a woman who was coiled right around him.
Imagine that.
He wondered if that meant Bill had given up with trying to go out with Leah.
He looked down from the corner of his eye to where Leah was sitting in the leather booth. She hardly acknowledged him at all. Normally she would at least smile up at him, and her eyes would be sparkling.
He knew she probably felt slighted when he practically pried her off of him and left for the rest of the night. She probably saw him with the bartender girl, too. And Peggy and Nancy kept giving him dark, disapproving looks from the other side of the table.
He was toast.
"Well, I'm ready to go now," Peggy said as she stood and gathered her jacket.
Dale finished looking at the score sheet. "I smoked all of you nerds," he snickered.
"You missed Leah's strike," Nancy directed at Boomhauer.
"Oh… Good job."
Leah didn't meet his eye when she quietly replied, "Thanks."
"I got one too!" Dale delighted.
Nancy patted him on the arm. "Yes, you did, and we're all very proud of you."
Leah followed Peggy and Nancy to exchange out their bowling shoes and go out to the parking lot. Hank, Dale, Boomhauer, and Bill were left behind them inside.
The night air was cool and fresh on Leah's skin, feeling reinvigorating. Her eyes landed on Boomhauer's shiny red Super Bee parked farther away. She couldn't imagine having to get back in it again.
"Can I ride home with one of you?" she asked.
"Oh, Shug, is it really that bad?" wondered Nancy.
"I just want to avoid any awkwardness..."
"You can ride with us," Peggy comforted, "I know Hank won't harass you about it like Dale might."
Leah smiled, looking tired. "Thanks, Peggy."
The double doors to the entrance suddenly burst open, and Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer filed out. Bill was looking very happy and had a spring in his step. Boomhauer, on the other hand, looked troubled.
"Tonight was pretty fun," Hank reflected as he joined beside Peggy.
"I'll say!" Bill beamed.
"So, did you meet someone, Bill?" asked Peggy.
"I did, a beautiful woman named Joyce. We're going on a date in a couple of days!"
"That's wonderful. Good for you!"
Bill did look very happy. Leah hoped he and Joyce would be a good match for each other.
They all said goodbye to each other and broke off for their own cars. Leah followed behind Peggy and Hank, and when Boomhauer looked at her questioningly she said "I'm, um, going to ride with them."
Boomhauer shrugged and got inside his car.
He waited for Bill to get in, but after a minute of no one coming, he turned around to see Bill in the back of Dale and Nancy's car.
Apparently Bill and Leah didn't want anything to do with him anymore.
Leah probably thought he was suddenly rejecting her, even though they were touching and talking for most of the night. Then he slinks off and chats it up with another girl a few feet away from her. He hadn't been exactly subtle when he was being so close and flirty with Leah. There was no way Bill didn't notice. Even after Boomhauer had had a moment of clarity and shut down his thing with Leah, it was way too late.
He was a piece of shit, and he didn't blame them for leaving. After idling in the parking lot for a few minutes, well after his friends had left, he determined he didn't want to go home alone tonight. He didn't want to be alone with his thoughts. So he went back inside and sidled up to the bar, smirking at the hot bartender while he waited for her shift to end.
