A/N: Thank you for all your awesome reviews on the last chapter! I'm sorry I didn't get this part up sooner, but December is always crazy with the holidays fast approaching!
It was eleven o'clock and the city roads were nearly dark. The soft glow of streetlights lining the pavement allowed Patricia to see only a few meters ahead. She had been walking for just ten minutes, and was already cursing Amber's name for her impractical choice of shoes.
The night itself had been a catastrophe, and now even the tiniest of mistakes sent her reeling. Not only was her date an hour behind, when he finally arrived, all he seemed to talk about was himself. It took every ounce of willpower in her body to resist the urge to tell him off, or better yet, smack that smile of his face.
And perhaps that's why she ended up here, walking in search of the nearest bus stop. Of course she expected to get a ride home. But with his constant blabbering, the idea of spending a car ride together was almost unbearable.
Patricia finally spotted the worn waiting benches, and trudged over to them, sitting with a groan. There was a man slouching on one to her right, but she paid no mind to him. He was probably some drunk from a nearby bar.
Pulling her phone from a pocket, her eyes trained on its bright screen. She had four missed calls, probably all from her anxious roommate who was curious as to how the date went. She sputtered out a laugh as this thought came to mind. Amber would definitely not be receiving the news she expected.
Patricia did have the decency to give her a call, though. Maybe it would limit the questions asked later, and instead she could collapse into bed and never be forced out again. But given the blonde's persistence, that didn't seem likely.
"So," An eager voice picked up the phone, "Tell me everything!"
"Well," She began, a secret smirk on her lips, "Overall I'd say it was pretty awful."
"Patricia," Amber groaned, "What did you do this time?"
"Why do you always assume it's my fault?" She defended, "Maybe they guys you set me up with are the problem."
"Are you questioning my matchmaking skills? Because this love-guru does not make mistakes." Her long blonde hair flipped over her shoulder. "I think you need my training..And I know it might take a lot of time, but I'm willing to put in the effort -"
"Yeah, I'm hanging up now." Patricia warned, stopping her roommate mid-sentence by clicking off the phone.
As she got her first real chance to relax that night, her thoughts were interrupted by a purposeful clearing of throat and a loud, rather obnoxious, voice that belonged to the man on the neighboring bench.
"Well, if it isn't the Yacker." Her head whipped towards him, eyes wide and mouth gaping.
"How..." She began, but her gaze followed his to the street sign reading 'Market Ave'.
Of course.
The nearest bus stop was right in front of the pub Eddie went into earlier. And due to her chronic case of bad luck, he happened to be waiting there at the same time.
"I'll admit, I didn't expect to see you here, but I guess I could use the company..." A confident smirk curved across his lips, and arrogance dripped off every word.
Instead of replying, Patricia rolled her eyes. Her arms crossed over her chest as an unwelcoming scowl took spot on her face. After a day like today, the last thing she needed was a slimeball like him to come along and make it worse.
"Are you always this dismissive?" Though it was a legitimate question, Eddie wore a wry smile. "Or maybe it's just because you had a bad night..." He looked at her knowingly.
Patricia blushed as she realized he was hinting at her conversation with Amber, or more importantly, that he knew the date had been a disaster. Now that he was seated next to her, with that same same smirk still on his lips, there would be no escaping his taunts.
"Still think he's more considerate than me, Yacker? Because by the sounds of it, I'd totally disagree." He smiled crookedly, obviously quite pleased with himself.
"Just leave off, yeah? I think I've had enough of you for one night." Patricia narrowed her eyes at him before dropping her gaze to the ground below.
He stayed silent for a moment, studying her slouched position with a curious stare. They had met only a few hours before, and it was safe to say they weren't on the best of terms, but it looked like she had a bad night. And as bitter as the girl could be, part of him still felt bad.
"And now the Yacker doesn't yack..." He took in a slow breath, hesitant to say more.
Patricia's eyes flickered up from the pavement to meet his. She was suspicious, and for good reason, almost doubtful.
"What do you want, slimeball?"
"Sorry." A smirk danced across his features, "I should've remembered you don't understand friendly conversation."
"What?" She turned to face him with a suppressed smile on her lips, "You were the one that barged into the cab! That was a smart move, doofus. For all I knew you could've been some serial killer." Eddie scoffed in disbelief.
"Get a good look at me, Yacker. Do I seem like some street bum?" He offered her yet another flirtatious grin as her eyes quickly scanned over him.
She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of being right, so instead dropped her attention back to her phone, not even bothering to reply.
The pair sat in silence until the bus came into sight, its brakes hissing and screeching as it rolled up to the curb.
"Ladies first." Eddie stood, gesturing a hand toward the door with a sly smile.
"To have you look up my dress?" Patricia sneered, "Nice try, weasel, but save your chivalry for someone else." She grinned triumphantly before shoving Eddie up the steps before her.
Their banter continued like this for most of the ride, much to the chagrin of the other passengers. Before long, the driver announced the next stop was at Fountain Square. Patricia gathered her belongings from the floor, and stood to leave.
"Wait!" He flung himself up from his seat, then cursed right after doing so.
He couldn't chicken out now.
"Would you maybe, uh, want to hang out sometime?" He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but his slick bravado was clearly missing.
"You mean like a date..." Her nose scrunched up at the thought, but the more she considered it, the less strange it seemed.
"Just one date, Patricia. And I promise I'll be a perfect gentleman." Eddie was grinning at her now, knowing he was so close to making her crack.
She pursed her lips at this, clearly debating whether or not to take him up on the offer. At last, she sighed, reaching out to hand him a piece of paper with her number scrawled across its surface.
"Alright, one date, but that's it. And no funny stuff afterwards, got it?" She gave him a stern look, though she was trying her hardest to repress a smile. Eddie nodded eagerly, before cocking his head to one side as a thought came upon him.
"But you know, I'm going to need you clarify 'funny stuff' because that's still pretty vague." She rolled her eyes, walking off the bus and leaving a beaming Eddie behind.
They didn't know then, but Patricia would go back on her word. They still went on that date. But afterwards...
Well, I think you have an inkling as to what happened then.
A/N: I received a lot of great ideas for this chapter, so thank you for those. They were all wonderful to receive, but unfortunately I couldn't incorporate them all! If I don't speak to you beforehand, I want to wish you all a safe and happy holiday! Whatever it is you celebrate, I hope you enjoy the well-needed rest. Anyways, thanks for reading and remember to review!