FlashFicWed
It’s a little late, but I really wanted to do this today. As I sat down to participate in #FlashFicWed this week I realized how incredibly rusty I am at writing. Despite that feeling, I wrote anyway (trust me, this is a big accomplishment). I decided I was going to write read over it only twice (to check for misspellings and weird sentences) but I wasn’t allowed to delete anything. So this is what came out. I’m a little rusty, so any constructive criticism is welcome, but please be kind. 🙂
“You can’t possibly be that cynical?” Carson spat, his face turning red but a smile played against his lips.
“Wanna bet?” I retorted folding my arms across my chest as if doing so would prove my point.
Before me, I had two guys looking at me like I had just shoved something up my nose. One was my best friend the other was someone I had just met. And by just met, I mean that I was having a nice little brunch with my best friend and he came over, pulled up a seat and sat next to me without saying a word.
I had never seen this guy in my life. He was a complete stranger.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know you. You’re probably a serial killer!” I said looking the stranger directly in the eye.
“I love cereal. Why would I kill it?” he responded with a smile, the hint of a southern accent hanging off the edge of his words. Carson was beside him self with enjoyment of what was happening. Also enjoyment from the fact that the man who was not breaking eye contact with me was surprisingly hot for a serial killer.
“Luthor.” the stranger said, grasping my palm in his. “But my friends call me Lex.”
I snorted. “Lex. Luthor. Oh sure, you’re not a serial killer at all.”
His hand still gripped mine as he continued to stare at me. I broke the eye contact looking for something to focus on. The restaurant wasn’t helping. It’s bland wallpaper and basic portraits hung on the wall made for poor distraction. Instead I looked down, hoping to focus on the napkin in my lap and instead ended up getting distracted by the interesting contrast of my skin tone against his, olive twisting around caramel.
“Not a serial killer. Just a fan of comics.”
I eyed him skeptically and pulled my fingers from his grasp and feeling the blood rush to my fingertips causing them to tingle. “Fine, not a serial killer. But certainly an ego maniac.”
“I don’t think you’re an ego maniac.” Carson said from across the table, but Luthor didn’t move his gaze from me. I was starting to feel a bit self conscious. Did I have a horn growing from my forehead? Did I suddenly go all Sue Storm and become invisible?
I let out a loud sigh and glared at this interloper in my nice lunch. “Alright, Luthor. Is there something I can help you with? Do you need money? Are you lost?” I was annoyed. All I wanted was to eat my food and go play video games, and now suddenly I was feeling far too self conscious with this new dude at my table that I was having a hard time feeling like myself.
Luthor smiled and pulled out a small slip of paper from his pocket and placed it in my hand. It was a fortune. From a fortune cookie. “Um… thanks?” Unfolding it, I analyzed the fortune and eyed him.
“Take that chance you’ve been considering.”
“It’s mine,” Luthor said looking down at the fortune and laughing. “I got that 15 minutes ago. Right as I was considering coming over here and asking you out.”
“Excuse me?”
“MAGS! Let the man speak!” Carson shushed me and stared dreamily at Luthor. I fought my eye roll but failed.
Grabbing the fortune from my hand he laughed. “I had been watching you with your friend for a few minutes and thought that you seemed like an interesting person. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone who is so animated when they speak, you peaked my curiosity so I looked to the sky to give me a sign. Then I got my fortune from the Chinese I had ordered and here it is…”
“That seems like an awfully convoluted story to give a girl you just met. You could have just come over here and said something. You didn’t have to be weird about it.” I interrupted feeling heat spread across my cheeks.
Luthor shrugged. “I could have. But I asked for a sign and I got one. I was just doing what the fortune cookie said. Who am I to stand in the way of fate?”
I eyed the fortune and sighed. “Fate you say?”
Luthor nodded, his lips failing to hide a smile.
“Well, if fate sent you who am I to argue?” I turned the fortune over and wrote my phone number on the back. “Lets see if fate knows how to dial a phone.” I handed the paper slip back to him.
“I’m sure fate will show me the way.” With that Luthor smiled and walked away from the table. I watched him walk away for far longer than I should have before turning my attention back to my brunch mate.
“Ten bucks says he loses my number.” I mused popping a piece of a muffin I had barely touched into my mouth.
“Twenty says he calls you and you freak out about what to wear.” Carson retorted with a smirk. I threw a piece of my muffin at him and laughed.
But I hoped he was right.