Page 75 of Wicked Pickle

I catch her on the sidewalk. “Hey. Stop!”

She shakes her head and keeps going. “No.”

But when she arrives at a gray car, she has to fight with her tiny bag to get a key. “Stupid tiny purse.” She empties things onto her hood.

I step between her and the car. “Hey. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been an asshole in front of the librarian.”

“You think?” She keeps searching until she drags out a key. Two condom wrappers come out with it to land on the ground.

“You came prepared.”

She bends down to pick up the condoms, revealing a lot of thigh. My groin tightens.

She shoves the packets back into her purse. “Please get out of my way so I can gather my things and go.”

I need to pivot. “Can we go somewhere? Maybe get a drink?”

“At two in the afternoon?”

“Okay, coffee. Or a cupcake. I don’t know. I don’t want you to be pissed at me.”

She reaches around me to pick up the wallet and comb she left on the hood. “I don’t know. I think this was all a terrible idea. I’m me. And you’re … you.” She clicks the remote to unlock her door.

I move in her way. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, you’re driven by your dick.” She waves in the general direction of my crotch. “And while I do like your dick quite a lot, we know how this thing ends.”

My jaw clenches. “And how is that?”

“With you getting bored with me, and me getting my heart broken.”

“What’s your heart got to do with it?”

She lets out a sharp sound. “Fuck you, Diesel. We’re not going to find out. Now, get out of my way.” She shoves me so she can get in, but I don’t budge. I’m aware that this is an asshole move, bordering on stalking, but I’m not giving up.

“Let’s go somewhere, Symphony. Nobody’s dick and nobody’s heart have to be involved. Just two civilized people moving past their first fight and figuring each other out.”

That makes her stop. “Is that what this is? A first fight?”

I fiddle with my chain. I’m nervous. I’m continuing something I never should have started. But letting her go is causing a bigger panic than the thought of keeping her. “Yeah. You learned where I end and you begin. I shouldn’t be crude around librarians, and you shouldn’t overreact when I fuck up.”

“You’re saying I’m overreacting?”

“Not to the crude part. But now when I’m trying to make up for it.”

“Fuck you.” She hurries around the car like she’s going to get in the other side.

I’m a step ahead of her and block that side, too. “Symphony. I’m not going to get bored with you. I’ve already fucked you twice more than any girl in five years. More than that, really, but that’s counting since I’ve been back stateside. And I’m anxious for more. A lot more. So, please tell me you’ll meet me somewhere around here, and we can be like a normal couple forfive minutes. Like we were in there.” I aim my thumb toward the library building.

This gets her. She looks up at me. “You haven’t had sex with anyone more than once? In years?”

I sniff. “Right. You got it. So, are we meeting?”

“You used the wordcouple.”

Goddamn it. She’s going to tease out every word. “I did. Let’s go somewhere.” I’m running out of the ability to argue with her. I’m about done.

“Okay,” she says. “There’s a coffee shop two streets down. We could walk.”