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Beth sat at home with her goggles dangling from her fingers instead of on her head where she could have a conversation with Chuck. Chuck was the best, but Beth felt restless. Her parents were gone at a hospital function, and the meal she’d made for them was going to waste in the kitchen. When she finally made friends, her parents got weird. It wasn’t Beth’s nature to feel down, but she was feeling it now. And lonely for people.
Courtney was with her family because Barbara had put her foot down on family time. Yolanda was with her family because they were off doing something at their church. And probably praying for Yolanda’s soul. That left Rick.
He was a guy who could appreciate a meal. And she could talk to him. About real stuff. Things like the JSA and not fitting in and being angry. Rick didn’t think she knew how to be angry, but he was wrong. Just because she didn’t express it with her fists didn’t mean it didn’t burn her up inside sometimes. But she faced that with cheer because she didn’t want to be the kind of vessel filled with acid that burned her from the inside.
She called Rick’s number and it rang for more than four rings. His uncle was one of those people who still had a landline but no answering machine by the sound of things. Just as she was about to hang up, Rick came to the phone, sounding breathless.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Beth!” she said, brightly, sitting up with perfect posture as she did. She might have even adjusted her glasses and lightly touched her hair.
“Is something wrong? Is it the JSA,” he asked, immediately on alert to any danger that would involve her, Yolanda, or Courtney.
“No, I…” she gulped, letting a little of her sunny demeanor cloud over for once. “Are you hungry? I made supper, and I don’t have anyone to share it with.”
The silence on the other end of the phone was really loud. Was silence supposed to be that loud? Finally, Rick took a breath and answered.
“I’ll be right over.”
That was easier than she thought! Beth bopped into the kitchen with a much improved spring in her step, and she set the table. She even had Rick’s favorite drink in the fridge to surprise him when he got there. When she was done getting everything ready, she sat at the table, drumming her fingers restlessly. Beth was so, so tempted to ask Chuck if he could track Rick’s moments and give her an ETA. They didn’t live that far apart for him to take so long.
When at last she was resigned to worry about him, the doorbell rang. She threw open the door to find Rick standing there with a small bouquet of stargazer lilies.
Beth gasped but did not speak. She hadn’t asked him to bring flowers. They were beautiful, and he thrust them toward her like a gift.
“Wow,” she let herself say.
“I might have to bring you more flowers,” Rick teased in his grumpy way. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever seen that stuns you into silence.”
Beth glared at him and then squared her shoulders. “Thank you for the flowers.”
She showed Rick to her kitchen and the meal that was waiting for them. He sat down while she searched the cupboards for a vase to put the lilies in. Once she found it, she set them at the center of the table.
“They’re beautiful, Rick.”
“Someone told me once that it was good manners to bring the hostess a gift.” He watched her closely. “Does it work?”
“Yes, it does!” she replied, her usual smile coming out and focusing on him. Beth gestured toward the meal. “Bon appetit!”
Rick took his fork and put a bite in his mouth, making a sound of surprised enjoyment. “This is really good!”
“Thanks,” she said, and in that moment Beth was glad her dark skin hid her blushing.
After they finished eating, Rick helped Beth load the dishwasher, and she took the flowers to her room. She was selfish with them since Rick had given them to her, not her parents. When she came back, Rick was looking unsure what to do.
“Do you want to go home?” Beth sincerely hoped not. Not that she’d keep him there if he didn’t want to be.
“Not unless you’re kicking me out,” Rick said.
“No!” Beth rushed toward him, smiling up at him. “Do you want to watch TV with me?”
“Yeah,” he said softly.
Impulsively, Beth took Rick by the hand and brought him to the living room where they had access to all the major streaming networks.
“What do you want to watch?” she asked, standing ready with the remote.
“Why don’t you show me one of those cooking shows you watched to learn to cook like that.”
“Really?” She squealed. She couldn’t help it. “I know just the one! You’re going to love it.”
Beth put the show on and sat down on the sofa, gathering a pillow in front of her in excitement. Rick sat down beside her and remained there until Beth’s parents came home.