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They drove for a few minutes, still in silence, till Monty finally asked, “Really?”
“I know. I know.”
“Do I even have to say it?”
“No.”
“Did you hit him?”
“No…” Romeo could feel his dad’s disappointment. He shrunk a little lower in his seat. He felt like he was ten again, getting scolded for kicking that soccer ball in the house and shattering the new chandelier. The one his mom had loved so much. The one she had saved for six months to buy. “I just pushed him around a little.”
“You know you could really hurt somebody.”
“Yeah, I know.”
His dad made a left on Third. They were still a while away from home. “So, you never told me where you were going.”
“I had a date.”
“A date? With who?”
“Doesn’t matter anymore. I stood her up.”
“Yeah, you did,” his dad said, in that knowing tone that all dads can muster when making a point without really saying they’re making a point. “Think she’ll give you another shot?”
“I dunno. Romeo stared forward, down the street. Gazing absentmindedly at the red light ahead.
“Well, if it’s meant to be it’s meant to be. Right?”
“Sure.”
Monty pulled the car to a stop at the light. Then he seemed to remember something. “By the way, where’s my car?”
Romeo finally arrived back at his house, about an hour later, after they had picked up his dad’s car and dropped it off. He was tired. Tired and bummed that this night had played out the way it did.
Romeo plopped down on the couch and pulled out his phone. He found Ant’s number. But he didn’t use it. Not right away.
Instead he sat alone in his empty apartment for what seemed like a long while, just thinking. Wondering if things were over before they’d even had a chance to start. Wondering if she would, in fact, give him another shot. In the end he texted her. Just one word.
Sorry
Then he waited. He waited and watched, but nothing happened. He kept hoping for that little speech bubble to appear. The one with the three dots. So he’d know she was writing back. But it didn’t come.
He dropped his phone on the couch beside him, put his feet up on the coffee table and folded his arms across his chest. Figures, he thought.
Then the tell-tale tri-tone sound of a new text message went off. It was her. He was almost afraid to read it.
Hi there
Not terrible, he thought. Maybe she wasn’t mad after all.
Hi
Did you really stand me up ?
Yeah. I guess I did
You guess?
