2012. Part 2

 Pt. 2

Summer

She was on her way over to his place for another pizza & movie night. She'd picked the genre this time ("can we please watch something thriller or horror this time?") and he'd picked the title & pizza toppings. Maybe that'll be the horror all and of itself, she thought as she turned onto his street, remembering the time she showed up to a sardine and banana pepper pizza. Thank god he'd had the makings for sandwiches that night, because if he thought that her peanut butter & cheese sandwich was strange, but banana peppers and sardines wasn't? He needed to go get his tastebuds seriously tested for...something.

She parked her car under a flickering lightpost & grabbed her slippers out of the backseat, quickly hiding evidence of their earlier tryst under the blanket. She blushed to no one in particular before locking up and heading towards the mess of buildings in front of her. She reached his and headed to the lower level, mosquitoes & other buzzing creatures swarming around each lamp that she passed through the open air. As she walked down the hall of the complex, she could hear plenty of rowdy neighbors; evidence of their parties was everywhere. Beer bottles and food wrappers littered the concrete floor, and as she reached his door, she was thankful that only one of his roomates seemed to be a bit untamable.

"Hey lady!" The redheaded roomate greeted her as he opened the door. "I don't know what he's got on that pie tonight, but I tell you what, it smells fuckin' good."

"Well, you're more than welcome to it as always, Red. As long as you've got the goods, yeah?" She winked.

"You know it, boss," he turned, revealing the card table, loaded with solo cups, and a 2-Litre bottle of each: Orange Fanta, Coke, and Sprite- the perfect mix. "Though I've gotta admit, I had to restock on the Coke, I might've been mixing your stash with some of my Crown last week."

She feigned a gasp. "Red, how could you? And you didn't even think to share? C'mon now, holding out on me?" She teased, playfully shoving him & making her way to the pizza box. "Now let's see what-"

"Oh no no, ma'am," Red interrupted. "We are under explicit instructions from the maestro not to open it until he gets out of the shower. Something about a 'surprise most supreme.' His words, not mine." He rolled his eyes.

"I see you're both eager to view my masterpiece?" The pair turned around to see him entering the kitchen, hair still wet, dampening the collar of his shirt. He shook his head a bit to get the blonde strands out of his vision as it continued to drip down his face & neck.

"Yeah, what's this I hear about you calling yourself 'maestro?' When did that become a thing, big shot?" She laughed as he pulled her in for a quick kiss. Just then, a bang at the door startled the trio.

"Ah, the beast cometh," Red commented as their drunken roomate stumbled through the door, smelling vaguely of weed and... was that a woman's thong peeking out of the waistband of his jeans? Some questions were better left unanswered. With the Beast, you never quite knew, and you weren't sure if you wanted to. He staggered through the apartment, pausing to greet the group.

"Ohey e'rybody," he slurred. "Gon'hafta miss the movie this week, I 'lready got 'nuff action for a while, if y'know what I mean." He winked and shot a singular finger gun at her, which she lazily returned, shaking her head. 

"Off to bed with you, ya dirty whore," she said as he turned towards the bedrooms, flipping the bird. The Beast stumbled into his bedroom and shut the door. Well he at least tried to shut the door; a dirty bath towel scrunched up in the jamb, leaving it cracked just enough to hear him immediatley start snoring. At least we'll all know if he stops breathing, she half-jokingly supposed.

Red grabbed some paper plates as she opened the 2-Litre bottles and began pouring three of her specialties before her boyfriend stopped her. "Huh-uh, I'm not drinking that crap," he jested, grabbing one of the solo cups before she could add the Coke. "I'm a one-drink man, Dr. Jekyll." He finished off the Fanta in a few gulps before filling his cup with Coke and going to turn on the TV.

"How 'bout you, Red? You too scared that you'll like it, too?"

"Nah, hook me up, boss!" He grabbed the pizza box and carried it and the plates to the living room, planting himself firmly on the shag carpet.

"Alright, let's see what horrors you have in store for us tonight, Maestro," she said as she handed Red his cup as she settled into the broken in couch.

"Holy fuck this drink is good," Red said as the pizza box opened, and her boyfriend faked a groan.