Chapter 8

So, rain.

What's the purpose?

There was something about rain that she just couldn't stand right now.

It's wet and cold and damn freaking wet.

Yes, okay, water is essential, but seriously, couldn't have that whole thing been invented a little bit less soaking and a bit more… dry?

Maybe it was the sound on the windshield while she was sitting in her cockpit next to the restaurant her Boss was having one of her business dinners in.

Maybe it was the fog that laid itself on the glass from the inside which made it hard to look out and why she had to turn that damn blow-machine of an air-condition on and off about a thousand times which puffed that sticky wind in her face and hair and got her eyes all dry and teary at the same time.

„One of those evenings!"

One needed a university degree in carology to adjust those stupid ventilation-thingies properly so that the air-condition wouldn't spit its breath into ones face all the time.

Seriously, it's an art. And she didn't know how to paint that picture.

Or maybe it was the thought of that moment when she saw her Boss getting up and towards the door again which meant for her to get out in that mess of a waterfall to hold that world's most unpractical umbrella up and ready for Miss Lewis to secure her from the downpour.

While she got wet.

Wet, wet, wet.

Maybe it was the feeling of wet socks in almost as wet shoes and that stupid squeaking sound they made whenever wool glides over fake leather. Why had she had to step into that puddle of water back at the entrance of Miss Lewis' apartment building?

Jippe-di-doo.

Maybe it was that kind of Friday the thirteenth even though it was the first of the month.

She was probably just tired. Tired from driving all week and tired of sitting, wet, in her Hummer.

She wasn't a fan of the shower from above but usually she wasn't that annoyed to it either. It was way past her bedtime and Bo just wanted to crawl underneath the covers and close her eyes. That's the downside of waking up early, you need to hit the sack when other people – the young rebels she once belonged to – went out to the movies or to eat dinner. Well, or since it was Friday, went out and got drunk.

That business dinner seemed never ending and Bo hadn't even had anything to eat herself. She craved ice-cream and fries and a burger and chocolate cake. Not specifically in that order but to tell the truth, she wouldn't mind either.

"Damn rain!"

Another air-condition-tackle and she had to close her eyes for a moment.

Pictures of grilled meat and freshly fried potato pieces collided with some more blurred ones of a blonde woman smiling and a piano and some reddish paws and soft fur she knew all too well and everything just went in circles and became a big fat mash of unidentifiable shadows which exploded with a muffled bang when her eyes flew open again.

"Pretty rainy outside, don't you think?"

"Holy mother of… "

Bo turned around and faced her Boss sitting in the back of the Hummer. Some strands of wet hair glued to her cheeks and neck.

"Oh my God. I am so so... I just closed my eyes for a second because of that damn air-condition and…"

Miss Lewis shook her head.

"I could see you from the entrance and you seemed pretty far away."

Bo's face felt warm when embarrassment covered her features like a blanket.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I just… the foggy windshield and… the sound of rain and…. I'm so sorry. Now you're all wet and it's cold and maybe I have a blanket in the trunk. Let me just…. "

Before the brunette could turn around to open the door, she was stopped by a hand on her forearm.

"Miss Dennis, it's fine. It's just water and this meeting was longer than I had planned it to be."

"Oh...," was all Bo could find to reply.

In her head she had already pictured herself back at the job center arguing with this grumpy dude called Duke about her options on the job market. One of those middle-aged, mustache-wearer with old coffee breath that really, really, disliked their job.

Again.

"Please, just drive me home now. It was a long week."

Indeed, it was.

Bo nodded and with a growling roar the motor came to life. It had been a damn long week. A week in which Bo felt the need to address this elephant in the room but wouldn't because there was really nothing to talk about.

She just wanted to let Miss Lewis know, she didn't forget since the blonde acted as if nothing happened.

But Bo felt weird.

Let's face it. She declined to sign a contract that was simply stupid and as useless as a spoon in a Chinese restaurant when all you need is a knife to actually cut that piece of meat and not make it fly into your iced tea glass.

Waste of food one point one.

But maybe the should talk about the fact that Bo entered the holy quarters of a certain Miss Lewis and she absolu-lutly wanted to go in there again.

So bad!

"I'm a world ball short, by the way."

Her Boss' voice cut through her thoughts.

"Beg your pardon?"

Bo had to blink her dried eyes twice to wipe away those pictures in her head.

"This small statue? Carrying a globe? You do not happen to know where I could find it, do you?"

Bo kept her eyes up front.

Keep it cool.

"Nope. Sorry."

"Mhm," was all she responded although Bo could swear she heard a smile in Miss Lewis voice.

Phew.

The drive back to Godzilla went smoothly. No more rain. No more talking. But a ‚good night' and ‚have a nice weekend'.

On Saturday Bo was sitting on her couch sipping some decaf coffee. She had a weird body reaction to caffeine these days. Shaking hands, sweaty palms and a heart that was beating fast all the way up in her ears like a metronome on 130 bpm. She didn't need that kind of rush on a day off.

Humming the new song of Pink that Bo couldn't get out of her head she skipped through the newspaper that the brunette had borrowed from her neighbor Mr. Douchés.

Okay, borrowed would mean she had asked before taking, which she didn't.

It also had been a little bit of an amusement watching this little perv through the peephole of her door jumping up and down while cursing, when he couldn't find the newspaper this morning.

That alone made it worth getting up at Sally-o'clock.

Bo was a pro in finding new words for any occasion and Sally-o'clock did seem fitting, since that damn phone still yelled at her every morning at the same time.

Her eyes scanned through the event-site and stopped on an advertisement for tonight's open pool tournament in an underground nightclub not far from her apartment.

Bo loved pool.

Even though the last time she played, she had been thrown out of the bar. It really wasn't her fault but the bartender wouldn't listen to her story.

He only saw a man lying on the floor holding his rocks crying out in pain. That this man thought he could touch Bo's buttocks while she was leaning over to shoot was something no one wanted to hear. Bo had told this man to back off a few times within the game. So, when he still wouldn't stop and she could feel his hand on her ass through her jeans, Bo had lunched out hard with the cue and scored.

Twice.

The black eight was rolling into the left corner right after the wood had crashed straight into nut-land. Bo really couldn't understand how some people thought it was totally okay to invade somebody else's privacy like that. With some people she mainly meant men and by somebody she meant basically everybody else including herself. And she also couldn't understand why nobody stood up for her when the bartender disqualified her and showed her the door.

"I'm gonna win some dollars tonight, Bane."

With a broken 'meow' Bane jumped off from his sleeping place on his shelf and strolled into the kitchen.

Money, money, money.

A little dance, a slight shake of hips and the the brunette felt lighter than she had for some days now.

In the evening she closed her apartment door with a little louder bang. Just because she knew her neighbor would hear it and hate it.

It's the small things that made her smile these days.

The club was crowded even though it wasn't later than nine. Loud music was coming out of several big speakers. People were screaming at each other, trying to be heard over the song that was playing. Bo made her way through the mass to the bar.

"What's your liquor tonight?"

The bartender eyed her from waist to chest and never really made his way all the way up to her face. Eventually he looked up. With a smile on his lips and a glass in his hands, he waited.

"I take a beer and can you tell me where I can sign up for that tournament?"

He turned to the fridge and handed Bo a cold bottle.

"It's upstairs. You can't miss it."

"Thanks."

She paid for her drink and tried to squeeze her way through the dancing crowed.

"Ugh."

She couldn't think of anything more disgusting than drunk people jumping around without any feeling for their surroundings anymore. Sweaty, stinky bodies colliding with her naked arms or shoulders. She should have waited to take off her leather jacket. But the heat in the small room almost forced her to lose some fabric.

When she came upstairs she was greeted by some woman standing behind a table.

"Hey, you wanna join? We start in a few minutes."

"Yeah, I do."

The young redhead smiled.

"Great. It's an entry fee of 30. Drinks can be ordered at the bar in the back and here is your number. Your table is the one in the front. You have to sign up over there."

She pointed across the room. Bo searched in her left boot for the thirty dollars and threw them in a big jar standing on the table.

"Gerry will tell you all the details you need to know as soon as he got the number I just gave you. Good luck."

Bo nodded and smiled back. She was excited. It was still very crowded upstairs but at least the music wasn't as loud.

There were eight Billiard tables. The only light came from the lamps right over them. Bo took a sip of her beer and made her way over to a young man behind another table.

"Hey, I've been told I have to sign up here."

"Yes, over here."

He handed her a list and a pen. A lot of names were already written down. Bo added hers and gave the man who must be Gerry her number.

"Bo. That's an interesting name. So, we start in around ten minutes. You get a cue over there."

He pointed at the wall behind him.

"Your table is number one in the front. It's a K.O. system. If you win at your table you are qualified for the next round and play against the winner of table number two. When you make it to the semi-finale you play against the winner of table three and four and the finale is against the one who won all the matches at tables five to eight."

Bo listened only halfheartedly. She wanted to start already. She nodded and smiled and was all nice and patient and when Gerry handed her the cue she almost flew over to her table.

She played against a Carl, a Jack, a Muriel and some guy who didn't feel the need to introduce himself. Winning against him was extra fun. The brunette was in her element. People cheered for her, clapped applause and here and there she got herself a drink.

She was a happy camper.

Bo won at her table and couldn't wait to see who was coming next. She fought her way through the next round and before she knew it she made it into the semi-finale.

Emptying her beer with one last sip, she was leaning against the wall next to table six and watched the last match. Tables one to four were already done and there was a short break, so that the semi-finales could start at the same time.

It had gotten more and more crowded. People everywhere. It was nice with an audience like that.

"Can I buy you another drink?"

She had been asked that question a lot tonight. Every time she had won a match. And every time she declined nicely. So, she put on one of her thanks-but-no-thanks smiles and turned to the female voice's owner.

"Thanks, bu-… What are you doing here?"

Next to her in a tight dark blue tank-top, black jeans and curly blond hair stood Miss Lewis smiling back at her.

"I'll be sending you back home in the next round."

Bo shook her head slightly.

"You play pool?"

"Yes."

Bo was flabbergasted. For once because those hazelnut brown eyes were sparkling in a way she had seen only once when the blonde was talking about music the day in her loft. Also because her Boss was the last person Bo would have guessed to meet here.

"Wow. Uhm. I don't know what to say."

"What about what I can buy you next?"

The blonde pointed at the empty bottle.

"Oh no, no. You really don't have to. Or are you trying to fill me up so that you win the next round? Is it that?"

Her Boss' smile widened.

"I don't think that I need to get you drunk to win against you, Bo."

The brunette felt warm. Very warm. This felt a lot like flirting. The way the blonde looked at her. The way she stood next to her a little bit too close. The way she talked.

"Did you just call me Bo?"

"Maybe?"

And with that Miss Lewis made her way towards the bar.

"What the heck?"

Bo's heart was beating faster. This would be an interesting next round. What had gotten into her Boss? Playing pool? Here, in this nightclub? Flirting with her driver? Being all loose and charming?

Bo didn't know shit and she honestly didn't care. She felt way too good right now to think too much into it. The endorphins of winning and drinking had already flooded her veins. So, she followed that woman that looked like her Boss and acted like someone very different.

Again, alien?

"I'll have a beer please."

Bo stood close to her Boss when she addressed the bartender.

"So, you think you'll win the next round, Lauren?"

The brunette tested her waters. Her Boss had an amazing poker face at work. But this wasn't work. This was a whole new arena.

"Billiard is pure geometry. It's simple."

Bo reached for the bottle the bartender was holding and brushed against the warm flesh of the blonde's upper arm. A jolt of electricity shot through the brunette.

"Geometry. I see. That doesn't answer my question though."

Taking a sip of her own beer, her Boss turned around to face Bo fully. Leaning in a bit, the blonde stared deeply into the brunette's eyes.

"Yes, Bo. I think I'll win against you."

They stared at each other for another second or two when they heard Gerry's voice over the microphone opening the semi-finales at table number four and five.

Another wide smile and the blonde took her beer and strolled through the crowed to table number four.

"Game on!"