Desiderio 2
#2 of Desiderio
Along my drive, my mind kept racing. Just like the yellow lines whizzing by, my thoughts zipped with them. And all these questions I raised would have to be answered by Tessa. They had to. After this afternoon's events, I wasn't gonna leave without answers. I know I make it sound like a soap opera or whatever the hell lonely women watch these days. But if you were in my position, wouldn't you like to know a little more? Especially about a kid, who hasn't been around that long, but has seem to develop a "liking" to me real quick. But something kept nagging in my mind.
I pulled in to a far parking spot, underneath a sole streetlight. Catelina's Tavern has been around for a good while now, and I've been working here since college. Granted the ranch has taken priority, but I still liked this place. Needed to be spruced up quite a bit, but it's a good place to relax. Though I'm not here to relax.
I pulled open the wooden door, the smell of cigarette smoke and loud rock music quickly overwhelmed me. I shuffled my way to the bar, making way for waiters carrying meals and tables full of patrons. I sat up on the green barstool, waiting for someone to come by.
"Yo, Griff!" Someone yelled. Surprising that I could hear, with this music being so loud. I looked over to the far side of the wooden bar, and there stood Owen.
Owen was an old college friend of mine. We had played on the football team together for a good while. He was quite athletic for a big spotted hyena like him. He could run that ball and no one would be able to stop him. He could try my nerves at times, but I owe him a lot. He is the own who found this bar job for me, after all.
"Hey Owen." I didn't yell as loud as him, but he heard me. He came over to me, patting my shoulder.
"You don't have shift tonight. What're you doin' here?" There he goes, always getting his nose into my business.
"I'm just here for Tessa. She's supposed to be in tonight." I didn't feel like wasting time with chitchat, and Owen was always known for that.
"Um...I could go get her if you want?"
"That'd be great, thanks."
I sat patiently by the bar for what seemed like a half-hour. The bar stool was starting to get uncomfortable on my denim-covered butt, as it normally does when I wear jeans. My toes tapped on the bar railing, rolled my tense shoulders from today's earlier activities. I wasn't a patient man by any means, but I could wait when I had to. Especially when it's important.
Just then, Tessa came behind me. She put her hand on my shoulder, prompting me to turn my head. She was in her normal clothes, apparently done with her shift I guess. I turned in my seat, leaning my back against the bar.
"Well there you are. 'Bout time too." She gave me a scowl, not appreciating my sense of humor.
"Well, unlike you, I had some work to finish. Now what did you want?" I groaned and hopped out of my stool, jerking my head to tell her to follow me. We walked out to the parking lot, standing next to my truck. I needed to make sure that I had her attention.
"I wanted to ask you about someone at the ranch." I started, noticing I caught her attention by the twitching of her round spotted ears, typical of a pure cheetah.
"This isn't about...the er, new kid is it?" She had a weird smile, like a kid who got caught taking desert before dinner.
"Yeah, Trey. Rose told me a little about him. And that you managed to get him there too." I didn't wanna sound like she was in trouble, but I have a way of sounding real cross without meaning to.
"Well, he's a good friend of mine," she said. "I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't try to help him." All I did was nod.
"Well, why don't you tell me about him?"
"Well...there's not much to say about him." She fidgeted her hands and shrugged her shoulders.
"Even though he's a 'good friend' of yours?" I cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
"Um, yeah. I don't know him that well." She continued to fidget and even tried to make her way back to the bar.
"I'm having a real tough time swallowing that, Tessa," I spoke. "You and I have been friends for years. Why won't you tell me?" She sighed and rubbed her arms. She finally knew she wasn't getting away without telling me about him.
"...you can be such a stubborn ass." She groaned. "Fine, I'll tell you. I don't know what's got you so interested in him."
"Because we met today," I said. "And he said something very weird before he ran off." A familiar look streaked Tessa face. It was the same look Rose gave me back at the ranch.
"So...you actually talked with him?" Why is everyone getting so surprised?
"Well...we didn't really talk. He got hurt, I patched him up. But..." I kept thinking about what Trey mumbled about before he left. "He said I was pretty cool, and cute."
Tessa's face showed even more shock. I admit I was surprised when he said it, but I didn't think anything of it. Least, not until Tessa told me.
"I didn't think he'd be that bold to say that, not to mention with you around." Her voice had gotten a little softer, as if whispering some dark secret.
"Why is that surprising?"
"Because, Griff, Trey has a..." She took an awfully long pause.
"He has a what?" Tessa took a deep breath, her face contorted as if from a bad stomachache.
"...he has a crush on you."
Well, talk about dropping the bombshell. I wasn't entirely expecting it, especially from a new kid. But after thinking about it, it all fits.
"...So that's why you got him working there." Tessa perked her head up, interested in my thought. "Since Trey had a crush on me, he begged you to help him work there, huh?"
"Not really," she said back. "Yeah, he has a crush on you. But he didn't originally want to work there till I...convinced him." I folded my arms and tilted my head.
"And just how did you manage that?" She gave that guilty little smile again. Except with less guilt and little more devil.
"I might've told him that he probably could see you shirtless before the summer's over." My jaw drooped to the side, while my thought process immediately went to 'what the hell'.
"You told him 'that'?"
"Don't act so surprised. We've all seen you do that. And don't tell me you don't like people watching." She got me there.
"So you tempted him with the taste of the forbidden fruit?" I shook my head, with a small grin creasing my jaw. "I had no idea you were so sinister."
"Well, like I said, it's not like you don't enjoy it." She patted my shoulder. "But I have to ask that you do me a favor. For Trey." I perked my ears in response.
"Just, please, try to be nice to him."
"You think I wouldn't?"
"Griff, he's been through a lot because of...his interests. I just did this for him so he could at least be a little happy." She sighed and started to walk past me. "Even if it meant to just look and not touch."
I watched her walk back to the bar, not even turning to say bye to me. "Wanting him to be happy"? Was it really that innocent? And why would she almost beg me to be nice to him? Is he fragile, or is there something that happened? Either way, she shouldn't need to ask me to be nice. She knows I'm a nice guy, and she knows I'd never hurt someone.
...But, she didn't forbid me to make things easier for him either.