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Tina watched the three dots on her phone pulse, barely blinking as her heart sped double time along with them.
“Staring at that screen all day will ruin your eyes,” Gavin said, not taking his gaze off his HoloMonitor as he typed away at a report.
“Can it, you dunce,” Tina hissed. With another few seconds of waiting, a new bubble of text appeared:
Romero’s sounds perfect! I’ll see you tonight! :)
Tina’s heart fluttered in her chest, letting her release a bubble of laughter as she jiggled her fists in a miniature victory dance. “She said yes! I have a date!” she practically squealed.
“Somebody break out the streamers,” Gavin said in a deadpan, but quirked a half smile to show he was teasing. “Congrats, T.”
Tina was halfway through a “Thanks” when the panic of doubt filled her. “Oh god, I have a date. A date! What do I do, what do I say?!”
“Uh, I dunno,” Gavin said, navy uniform crinkling as he returned to his report. “Ask about her interests and shit? Basic junk.”
There were too many irregular rhythms flowing fiercely through Tina’s mind and heart for her to even acknowledge Gavin’s lack of advice. Her elbows propped on the table, she pressed each of her middle and index fingers to either temple as she muttered, “Should I bring her something? Do people actually bring each other things for dates or is that just a movie trope?”
“Bring her a stick,” Gavin said.
Tina was pulled out of her panic enough to furrow her brows at her friend and ask, “A stick?”
Gavin fixed her with a deliberate stare. “Bitches love sticks.”
“You ass,” Tina said, taking one of her many highlighters and chucking it at him. “You’re not allowed to quote old memes I introduced you to at my detriment!”
Gavin caught the highlighter out of the air, waggling it between his pointer finger and thumb as he said, “Case and point,” before returning the colored stick to one of five pen holders Tina owned. “You’re gonna be fine, T, it’s just a date.”
“You don’t understand!” Tina insisted before twiddling her hands together in embarrassment. “I’ve… never been on a date before.”
Gavin finally fully tore himself from his report, spinning in his chair to face Tina with a frown. “I thought you said you had a girlfriend back in high school?”
Tina shifted in her seat, unwanted memories coming to bite at the edges of her mind. “I mean, technically, but that was always a secret because of my parents, made of brief meetings and stolen glances. There was nothing substantial to it, nothing to work towards.” She lifted a weary glare up to Gavin. “And you remember how it all turned out, anyway.”
Gavin pursed his lips in grim acknowledgement. They had managed to build a lifelong friendship over tales of their respective pasts, but neither one of them enjoyed the circumstances that had brought each of them to that youth shelter all those years ago. Sighing through his nose, Gavin leaned back in his seat and said, “Well, it’s a good thing this isn’t high school. You’re a grown ass woman who doesn’t have to answer to anyone but herself. The worst that can come out of tonight is that you two don’t vibe right and you go your separate ways, full of pizza. No matter how it turns out, you’re going to be fine.”
Tina ceased fiddling with her hands, narrowing her eyes at her friend. “How do you actually manage to conjure good advice out of all the BS you normally spew?”
Gavin used his tongue to click against the side of his teeth, flashing a half smile and an attempt at a wink. “Natural talent. I’m all heart.”
Tina chucked her highlighter at him.
*****
Romero’s Pizzeria had always been a staple in Tina Chen’s life. For over two decades she’d been going there to dine, with friends, with family, and just on her own. She’d had everything on the menu at least once and the shop’s phone number had been saved in her contacts since she was a teenager. It was a familiar place, a local second home.
Now, however, Tina tiptoed into the establishment like a nervous tourist who had never even heard of the concept of Detroit, clutching the strap of her purse with both hands as if it were the only thing keeping her tethered to the Earth. Lingering by the doorway, Tina pulled out her phone to check the time. 7:02 pm it read, and Tina bit her lip, worrying herself over whether or not that was considered late for a seven o’clock date. She briefly scanned the handful of seating areas and her fear of offending her date was relieved when she didn’t spot the other woman, replaced only a second later that her date wasn’t going to show up, that she’d decided not to come or had gotten into an accident or—
The main entrance opened behind her with the tinkle of its bell. “Tina?” someone asked, tapping her on the shoulder.
Tina jumped, almost dropping her phone as she spun to face the woman of the hour. “Valerie!” she said, a smile naturally spreading at the sight of her date. “Hey.”
Valerie offered a charming, warm smile full of brilliant teeth. “‘Hey,’ yourself. Good to see you. I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”
“No! No, I just got here,” Tina assured. Tension still buzzed along her arms and legs, but the height of her anxiety had disappeared now that she wasn’t standing alone. Giving a smile she hoped was just as flattering as Valerie’s, Tina said, “Good to see you, too.”
There was a few seconds of silence between them, Tina happy to keep up a full grin with the relief she felt, but eventually Valerie’s smile faded and she asked, “So, uh, should we grab a table? I’ve never been here, so you’ll have to lead the way.”
Jolted back into the equilibrium of reality, Tina squacked, “Yes! Yes, of course, um—” Spinning around, Tina took stock of the remaining seats. “Over here! This is the best spot.”
She jogged to a booth in the corner, sliding into her favorite place. As she settled, Valerie joined her at a much more leisurely pace, again sporting that brilliant grin. “Glad you managed to snag it, then,” she said, fitting herself into the opposite end of the booth. As she set aside her purse and removed her fuzzy winter coat, she gazed at the scuffed up wood, torn faux leather, and yellowing wallpaper, and asked, “What makes this the best spot in the house, again?”
“Oh, uh…” Tina haphazardly tossed her own coat beside her. “I guess I just liked being away from the crowd when I was little. Trust me, though, their food more than makes up for the atmosphere, by a long shot.”
Valerie chuckled, laying her forearms on the table, gripping either elbow to prop herself as she leaned forward. “I understand wanting to get away from people. And I’ll be holding you to that claim for the quality, I’m a sucker for good pizza.”
No sooner had Tina returned the mischievous grin than a server approached their table, sporting a pleasant, full smile and a bright blue LED on his temple. “Good evening! Thank you for joining us,” the android said, a nametag pinned to his uniform stating he was called, ‘Harold.’ “Can I get you ladies something to drink?”
“Just water, thanks,” Tina said.
“Uh…” Valerie took one of the menus tucked behind the condiment display, staring at the back with a considerate frown. “Diet Coke’s good.”
“Perfect! I’ll be right back with those,” Harold said, and went on his way, LED spinning a happy blue all the while.
“You know, three years ago I thought I’d never get used to seeing those things around,” Valerie said, nodding at Harold as he disappeared into the kitchen. “Crazy how fast things become commonplace. Did you see the article that they’ve sold a million of those things?”
“Yeah, I saw that headline,” Tina said, taking a menu for herself. “I didn’t think the owner of this place would get one, but we’re living in the future and all that. Now, if some people’s mindsets could progress as fast as technology is, we’ll be golden.”
Valerie offered a half-smile of tired understanding, full of those brilliant white teeth. “I’ll drink to that. Y’know, once we actually have drinks to toast with.”
Tina chuckled, nerves lifting further as a rhythm started to settle between her and Valerie. “Sounds like a plan. Want to split a pepperoni pizza?”
*****
“And then, and then he says, he tells me, ‘I’ll bet you ten dollars it’s a lion!’”
“Noooo!” Tina said, giggling as she and Valerie strolled down the sidewalk, walking a bit closer to each other than necessary. Snow fell in small flurries around them, disappearing once the flakes hit the ground.
“Yes!” Valerie insisted, gesturing with her mittened hands. “So we look it up—on his computer, no way I’m having that in my search history—and wouldn’t you know, the Pink Panther is, in fact, a panther!”
Valerie and Tina’s laughter formed in misty smoke before them, floating up and fading into the sky. “You can’t be serious, I refuse to believe you!” Tina teased.
“I swear! Hang on, we’re coming up on my car and I still have the ten bucks to prove it.” Valerie began rooting around in her purse as the two of them stalled beside a navy autocar. With her mittens, it took a great deal of fumbling, but eventually she managed to retrieve her wallet and a certain ten dollar bill inside it, which she handed to Tina with a triumphant grin.
Tina angled it toward the light of a street lamp, catching the phrase “Dumbass tax” scribbled in the top right corner, with a frowny face drawn underneath it. Chuckling, Tina handed the bill back to Valerie. “If anyone I know ever needs a lawyer, I’ll remember not to recommend him.”
“For real,” Valerie said, dropping her wallet back into her purse. “He was a good kid, but I’ll never understand how he managed to pass the bar.”
As their chortling subsided, the women were left just smiling at each other, but this time, there was no awkward feeling in their simple silence. Eventually Valerie shifted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I had a really fun time tonight.”
Tina’s grin softened, heart pumping fast, but with courage. “I did, too.”
Valerie’s smile widened, and she stepped a tad closer. “Maybe we could meet up in—”
SMACK
Both women were flung to the side as a person crashed between them, sprinting down the sidewalk as soon as he was through them. After the initial yells of surprise and pain, Valerie yelled, “My purse! He stole my stuff!”
Tina, still not quite steady from the push, stared after the man as he ran, Valerie’s bag bouncing in the crook of one elbow.
A surge of responsibility flooded the officer’s bloodstream, hardening her resolve and sending adrenaline throughout her system. “Detroit Police! Stop right there!” she called, and sprinted after the thief.
Looking at Tina’s lithe, petite form, most people underestimated her physical capabilities. Granted, there weren't many cases where she could come out on top in a fistfight, but a footrace? She could keep pace with a cheetah. Though the robber had had a significant head start, Tina steadily gained on him, barely feeling her boots against the snow-slicked ground as she chased him. "Stop!" she shouted again. "Police!"
She didn't expect him to give up, and sure enough, he only glanced over his shoulder before picking up speed. Tina gave a sharp hiss, leaning forward to increase her own pace. She grew within a few feet of him as he rounded a corner, the two of them approaching a small flight of stairs to some back alleys. Tina reached for the man, just three feet away, just two feet, just one foot until—
Perhaps if Tina hadn't been so singularly focused, or perhaps if the newfound snow hadn't given the sidewalk a slick shine, she would have seen the patch of black ice. As it was, Tina sprinted straight onto the hazard, the sudden lack of friction causing her to bowl into the back of the robber. Her heart plummeted as the two of them tumbled down the stairs, shouting in alarm until they twisted in such a way that Tina ended up underneath the man, and there came a fearsome crack as her skull was sandwiched between the weight of a full grown man and the concrete.
The instinctual panic of falling was replaced by instant darkness, an utter nothing that could have stretched on for three seconds or three days as far as Tina was concerned. She lay in a state that was some distant cousin of consciousness, a part of her brain that kept her breathing aware of a far-away voice calling her name, but formed no recognition of it, no realization she was meant to respond.
Then, slowly but surely, feeling began to creep back along her body. A slow, thundering pound made itself known throughout her skull, but a soft warmth at her cheeks kept Tina distracted.
“Tina! Tina, please!” someone begged, a shout from miles away. With that call, Tina finally remembered her own name, and roused her out-of-it mind.
It took a great deal more effort than she knew it ought to, but Tina managed to lift her deadweight eyelids to face the upside-down image of her date, Valerie's cheeks stained with tears. “Oh thank god,” Valerie sobbed, and Tina felt that soft warmth press tighter against both her own cheeks. “Are you OK?”
Tina blinked, and she caught sight of snow sticking to the tips of her eyelashes. “What… happened?” she asked.
“You fell down some stairs, hun, you hit your head.” Valerie gave an ugly sniff, but her face was earnest as she rubbed her mittened thumbs against Tina’s cheeks. “But you’re going to be OK, you’re going to be just fine. An ambulance is almost here, and that guy you were chasing was caught by some people who live down here.”
“Guy?” Tina said, attempting to prop herself up to catch a view of this man, but Valerie placed a gentle yet firm hand on her chest, easing the young officer’s head back onto her date’s lap.
“No no no, just stay still, Tina, don’t move. It’s OK. Everything is OK,” Valerie assured, back to stroking the sides of Tina’s cheeks.
“Oh. Everything’s OK,” Tina said. The pounding in her head and the indistinct sound of nearby voices suggested that everything was not as up to par as Valerie insisted, but Valerie was clearly a smart woman who knew what she was talking about. So, Tina relaxed into the other woman’s hold, reaching an arm up to gently grip one of Valerie’s hands. “You’re so comfy,” she said, and smiled.
A little bubble of laughter broke through Valerie’s crying, and Tina felt a joy like no other at being the cause of it. This is it, Tina thought as she squeezed Valerie’s hand tighter. This is something to work towards.
For another minute or so, Tina was content to lie perfectly still, blissful even. But the sirens of an approaching ambulance made it harder and harder to ignore the pounding in her skull. Soon enough, a mix of shouting people came swarming into the alley, paramedics surrounding Tina and Valerie while a few beat cops raced by. Pairs of hands from several strangers loaded Tina onto a gurney, the medics asking question after question. Tina did her best to answer them, though she was a tad distracted by the officers arresting a man she didn’t recognize, and the effort of trying no to let go of Valerie’s soft, warm hand.
As the gurney started to tilt up into the ambulance, Tina whined both at the interior fluorescents and Valerie loosening her grip. As Tina made a weakened bid to grasp her date’s hand, Valerie shook out the limb, letting Tina grab and slide off her mitten. “I’ll call you!” Valerie shouted.
Tina blinked, squeezing the small article of clothing in both hands as she watched the ambulance doors close on the view of her date. By the next morning, she could remember no more from that night.
*****
“T? …Tina, you’re gonna have to lift your head at some point.”
“Never underestimate my ability to wallow, Gavin,” Tina said, voice muffled with her face pressed into the wood of her desk, arms framing her head as they stretched out on the surface. “I’m just a wallowing slug, now.”
“Hey, wallowing is my thing,” Gavin said, shaking Tina’s shoulder. “No stealing. I’ll report you.”
Tina groaned, giving in to Gavin’s antics enough to lift her head and set her chin on the table. “You don’t understand! We were having such a good time and I blew it!”
“I don’t think blowing it is the right phrase for getting a grade two concussion after chasing the guy that stole your date’s purse,” Gavin said, giving her a half-lidded stare.
“How could it have gone any worse?” Tina complained.
“The doctors said you were lucky your skull wasn’t fractured!”
“Yeah, but I mean—”
“Do you have any idea what it was like getting that phone call from the hospital?!” Gavin demanded, finally snapping as he smacked one hand against the table, drawing the attention of a few fellow officers. Gavin exhaled out his nose and continued in a lower voice, “I’m sorry you’re upset. I am. But trust me, a little heartbreak over a girl you texted for a month and only met once is not the worst thing in the world.”
Tina froze as dead silence fell between her and her best friend, Gavin’s hazel gaze locking her in place. In one moment, Tina caught a glimpse of the panic, the worry, the absolute fear Gavin hadn’t let slip these last few days she’d been recovering. Then the moment passed and Gavin gave a shaky exhale out his nose, returning his gaze to his HoloMonitor while shoving down a glisten in his eyes. With the reality check fully settled in, shock teetering its way towards guilt, Tina drew herself up from her mopey posture, reaching out to lay a hand over Gavin’s forearm. “I’m sorry I scared you,” she said, squeezing.
Gavin sighed but gave her a single nod, tension in the air clearing. “I’m just glad you’re OK. Flattered that I’m your emergency contact.”
Tina chuckled, giving her friend a playful punch on the shoulder. “Of course you are, dork. Who else would it be?”
Gavin chuckled along, and after a moment of silence, asked, “You haven’t heard any word from her, then?”
Tina sighed, taking out her phone and pulling up a slew of messages dated over a week ago. “Nothing. She said she’d call me—I mean, I think she said she’d call me—but she hasn’t.”
“Have you tried texting since the accident?” Gavin asked.
Tina pursed her lips, refusing to look up from her phone.
“T,” Gavin said.
“She said she’d call me!” Tina defended.
“Pretty sure a week of silence gives you permission to initiate contact again, Tina.”
“But I just—”
“You just nothing! Send her a text,” Gavin said, giving Tina’s phone a pointed stare.
Tina frowned. She really didn’t have an excuse at this point, did she? A million possible greetings raced through her mind, several she typed out halfway, all she ended up deleting. Tina huffed, propping her head up with one hand as she watched the text cursor blink in and out of existence. She wanted to sound natural, friendly, but she couldn’t just ignore the ending to their previous date. Tina stared at her keypad with a pout, hopelessly thinking of possible hellos.
As Gavin clacked away at his computer, a lightbulb finally lit up in Tina’s head, and the young officer stood from her desk. “I’ll be right back,” she said, and headed to the locker room.
Inputting her code, Tina opened her locker and pulled out her purse. Unzipping a secret inner pocket, Tina took a soft, folded-up mitten she’d shoved into it days ago, laying out the little article on a nearby table and snapping a picture. Below the attached photo, she wrote:
Accidentally stole your mitten… To avoid arresting myself for theft, maybe we can meet up again so I can give it back?
Tina bit her lip as she read the message over and over again. No second guessing doubt creeped into her mind, and she thought of no better wording, so with a simple click, she hit send.
She watched her phone for a full minute, but no animated ellipses came to show Valerie was typing, nor did a notification pop up to say the message had been read. Tina huffed in frustration at herself; it was the middle of the day, Valerie was probably busy. Clicking her phone’s power button to shove the not-yet-conversation out of her mind, Tina began to repack her things.
Just as she clicked her locker shut, her phone dinged as a message popped up:
Hi!!! Yes, we should absolutely meet up again!! I’m sorry I haven’t gotten in touch, I know you’re not supposed to look at bright lights like screens after a head injury and I didn’t know how much time you needed to recover
I’m so so sorry for what happened the other night, that’s what I get for waving cash around at the dead of night. Guess I’m the one who needs to pay the dumbass tax now, huh? Maybe I can spend it on lunch for the two of us?
Heart fluttering a mile a minute, pumping giddiness throughout her system, Tina grinned like an absolute dope at her phone. Sitting cross-legged in front of her locker, Tina distracted herself with the new start of something wonderful.