Page 17 of All That Glitters

Chapter thirteen

Flowers and Monster Truck Shirts

A soft, hesitant knock came at Debbie’s apartment door. She looked up from the couch, where she was in the throes of a hangover from Operation: Flirt and Burn Down the Bar. The smell of burnt plastic and singed mustache still lingered in her hair.

With a groan, she rose from the couch and shuffled to the door in her oldest, most comfortable sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, her hair piled in a messy knot on top of her head. She hadn’t even bothered with makeup.

Debbie opened the door a crack, ready to tell whoever it was to go away, and found Tony standing on her doorstep.

He looked sheepish. That was the only word for the combination of contrition, anxiety, and hopeful charm that played across his features.

He wore jeans and a faded blue button-up that brought out the warmth in his eyes, his hair slightly tousled as though he’d been running his hands through it nervously.

But it was what he held in his hands that made her blink in confusion.

In his left hand was a long-stemmed red rose, wrapped in tissue paper with a tiny card attached. In his right was a six-pack of her favorite beer and a large bag filled with monster truck rally merchandise, a ‘Monster Jam’ t-shirt peeking out the top.

“Peace offering?” he said, holding up the strange collection of gifts. “I wasn’t sure which way to go, sophisticated or unsophisticated, so I covered all the bases.”

“So you’re buying my forgiveness with a monster truck shirt?”

“And a flower,” he quickly pointed out. “And groveling, if necessary.”

It was too funny to stay pissed, and she was fighting hard not to laugh; but she really wanted to play this one out. “What kind of groveling?”

“The best kind. A full, comprehensive, on-my-knees-if-necessary grovel. Can I come in?”

She let out a long, weary sigh and opened the door wider, stepping back to allow him in. He stepped inside, only now noticing her disheveled appearance.

“Rough night?” he said.

“You have no idea,” she said, shaking her head. She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms defensively. “Okay. Grovel.”

Tony took a deep breath. “I’m an idiot, Deb,” he began.

“A complete and total idiot. And somehow, my friends are even bigger idiots. What Jeff said about me saying you’re not sophisticated, that wasn’t meant as an insult.

It’s your charm. It’s why we can hang out and make each other laugh until we snort.

And crash out in my dad’s car. Sophisticated people don’t do that.

They go to operas and foreign films that someone told them they’re supposed to like.

” He took a breath. “What I’m saying, in my own babbling way, is you’re real, Deb. And I don’t want you to ever change.”

Her frown faded into a soft smile. “That was a good grovel. But I still get to keep the flower and shirt.”

Tony laughed. “Deal.”

“Did you know your friends were calling to ask me out?”

This was the question Tony had really hoped wouldn’t come up. He shifted awkwardly for just a moment. “Yeah. I was hoping you’d blow them off, so I didn’t have to kill them.”

She eyed him curiously. “Why would you need to kill them?”

Tony shifted a bit more. “I don’t know. Because it’s you?”

“You were going to kill your friends because I’m me?”

“I’m not making any sense, am I?”

A playful smile curled her lips. She shook her head. “Nope. But it’s funny watching you try.”

“How about I tell you this — I finished The Frat.”

Debbie’s eyes went wide. She exploded with an excited squeal! “Ohmygosh! No way! It’s done?!”

“Yeah. I was gonna tell you the other night, but you were taking your midterms.”

Debbie launched herself onto him in an excited hug that nearly knocked him off his feet. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the floor. It was a moment of pure, unbridled joy.

“So, what happens now?” she said as he set her down.

“I mailed a bunch of copies to agencies and production companies this morning, so I guess I wait to see what they say.”

“I’m so proud of you, Tony,” she said, her hands still resting on his shoulders and his around her waist. The closeness felt right and comfortable, along with the sudden tingle that ran up her sides. “I knew you could do it.”

“That makes one of you,” he said. “Seriously, Deb. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“So, my torture camp worked.”

He nodded. “Painfully well.”

She grinned. “Never underestimate the motivational value of avoiding a naked beach run.”

Tony paused as something mischievous flickered in his eyes. “Hey. That reminds me. This means you have to do the naked beach run now since I finished.”

Debbie stepped back far enough to look up at him. “I don’t remember that being part of the arrangement.”

“No? How about just around the living room, then?”

Debbie hated the warm blush that was filling her cheeks. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Harding,” she teased. “And stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re already imagining it.”

Tony laughed. “How about when I sell it?”

“That’s when you’re gonna buy me the Porsche, right?”

“I thought it was a bicycle with training wheels.”

She laughed. “A bike gets you sweatpants and a hoodie.”

Tony laughed, pulling her again into a tight hug. “Joking aside, you made it fun, Deb,” he said, his voice becoming soft and serious. “It gave us a chance to hang out and do Tony-Debbie stuff.”

Debbie squeezed him tightly to her. “I had fun, too,” she said softly, breathing into his chest. The way he felt pressed against her felt so right; so comforting. She never wanted to let go, and have this moment just last forever.

She needed to tell him; to just spit it out there and see how he reacted.

“Tony,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt her heart pounding so loudly, she was sure he could hear it. “There’s something...”

Just then, the front door swung open and Veronica sailed in, dropping her keys into the bowl by the door.

She stopped dead, taking in the scene — Tony and Debbie standing entirely too close, staring at each other with wide, unblinking eyes, a single red rose lying on the table next to a monster truck t-shirt.

“Whoa,” Veronica said, her eyes darting between them, a slow smile spreading across her face. “If you two are about to kiss, I can circle the block and come back later. Just give me a signal. Any signal. A nod. A wink. A subtle hand gesture.”

And just like that, the moment shattered. Tony and Debbie backed apart from each other, a flush creeping up both of their necks.

“No. We were just...” Tony stammered, “... I was telling her about how I finished my script.”

“I heard,” Veronica said. “Jeff’s still banging his head against walls about it. Congratulations, Tony.”

“Thanks,” he said.

Debbie shot Veronica a frown, promising imminent bodily harm, then turned back to Tony. “So what happens now with the script?”

Tony shrugged. “I guess I wait for someone to read it.”