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“Well, lovebirds, this has been quite the rollercoaster,” Poppy says brightly, completely unaffected by the drama we’ve been a part of today. “But I guess all good things must come to an end. It was great to meet you, Wes. I’m interested to see if we will cross paths again.”
“Poppy,” Zooey hisses in annoyance. I can see how a girl like Poppy would get on her nerves at a time like this. She’s not exactly taking this seriously. But Poppy seems to realize her mistake and leans forward from the back seat, squeezing Zooey’s shoulder.
“Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood.” She pauses. “I hope everything works out. I really do.”
“Thanks, Poppy. I’ll call you in a few days. I need some time to think…”
Poppy nods vigorously. “I get it. Totally get it. Well...try and take it easy, yeah? You deserve a break. You want my advice? Take this all in stride. Shit happens. People are judgmental...you can’t change the way of the world. You just do your thing and see who wants to come along for the ride. No one else matters.”
I’m actually surprised at how right she is. Poppy might be maddening, but she’s got a point. She grins and waves as she leaves the car. Zooey watches her go until she’s through her front door. And then she sighs, letting out so much air that it’s like she has completely deflated.
“Fuck,” she says quietly. I drum my fingers on the steering wheel.
“Yep. That pretty much sums up the situation.”
She turns to me with a smile so sad that it makes my chest ache. I know today has been hard on her. How could it not be? Her father has practically disowned her before midday. It feels like this is my fault, even though I know it’s Lawrence’s judgmental ass that’s the problem, deep down.
“Shall we go somewhere?” she asks me. “We don’t have to go to your place just yet, do we? Maybe we should just take some time...some time away.”
I smile at her. “Like a first date or something?”
Her eyes light up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person look so happy. She smiles back at me. “Really? Are you up for that? I know it’s been a rough day, but that would be...so lovely.”
“Of course,” I murmur. “Let’s do this.”
I start up the car and start driving. I don’t really know where I am headed yet, but I get the feeling that we’ll end up somewhere good. Anywhere with her seems like a place worth going to. I just allow myself to drive through the relatively empty streets. It’s a Monday and everyone is at work at this time. We have no place to be, so I take my time. I put on the radio and we sit quietly, listening to the classical music station. It’s not usually my kind of thing, but it’s peaceful, especially given the circumstances. And when I see Zooey close her eyes to listen along, I know I have made a good choice.
Coming out of the suburbs, we drive into the city. Seeing San Francisco’s city center for the first time in three days feels kind of odd. The suburbs are very different to here, and it feels like we’ve escaped Lawrence, at least for the day. I avoid the city a lot of the time, associating it with my commute to work, but today, I like the idea that we can just drive around and chill. It’s been a long time since I did anything this relaxing.
I find somewhere to park near Baker Beach. The weather isn’t too bad today, so it feels like the perfect opportunity for a walk. Zooey was snoozing up until the moment I parked and she sits up with a groggy groan. I watch her beautiful face take in where we are, and her lips spread into a smile.
“The beach? Isn’t that a little cliche for a first date?” she asks. I chuckle quietly.
“Maybe. Is that so bad?”
Her shrug in nonchalance, but she’s grinning now. “Nah. I guess not. Shall we?”
I head around to her side of the car to help her out. She shakes her head, ducking away from my gaze.
“Such a gentleman,” she teases, a blush spreading over her cheeks. I thread my fingers through hers. It feels right to be able to hold her hand. There’s been so much passion between us, and so much time spent apart these past few days. This feels like the happy medium. And as much as I love sex with her, as much as I want to fuck her left, right and center, doing something normal, like any normal couple would, feels good too.
We walk down on the beach. There aren’t many people here. It’s sunny, but cold. I pull her close to me as we walk, wrapping my arm around her protectively, as though I can fend off the weather for her. Damn, I’m willing to try.
