Chapter 6

I think I just found my new purpose in life. To make this girl smile, even once. Just for me.

“You’re lame. I think you maybe just need to go find a girl who may actually be interested. This one isn’t.” She picks up the spoon and licks the batter in a really juvenile way, not sexy at all, not even trying to be, and I grimace with her. I know how bad it tastes; I should have forewarned her not to put it in her mouth.

“I’m not someone who gives up. I will ask you every time I see you...You will cave one of those times.” I shift to get comfy, glad she hasn’t insisted I still leave. I kind of like it here and I feel like I might actually be getting somewhere with her.

“Find me the elusive last unicorn and I’ll think about it.” She sighs heavily, and that same ghost of a smile peaks out at me, like she figures she is being clever, and I will never work it out. I find myself willing her to let it loose, watching that mouth a little too closely and I have to remind myself that she is only fourteen.... so I need to back the fuck off.

This isn’t right. She is a kid, Arry.

“Is that a challenge?” I focus on what she said, wondering what the hell she is on about, but the t-shirt is maybe a clue. Some sparkly white horned, magical looking horse. She obviously has a serious addiction to Unicorns, which is good to know. Maybe a subtle way in and she seems to think her challenge will rescue her from my invitations.

If I can figure it out, then she might rethink a pizza date...

Not a date, date ... a platonic hanging out playdate sort of thing. Kid, remember.

Too young, too scarred. Just friends. That’s all I want from her.

“Sorry about that, mia Bambinos... family like to talk. I hope you were getting acquainted with Arry, my golden child. Such a good boy for his mamma.” My mother pinches my cheek as she swans past and blows a kiss at me. She loves to embarrass her kids at every opportunity, and I roll my eyes while allowing her affections. It’s futile to ever stop my mother from showing love, she can be scarily hostile and hold you down for a kiss if you fight it.

I catch Sophie giggling at it though, that elusive smile brightening her whole face and it’s better than I expected. It’s a perfect smile. Lightens her entire soul, brings out her eyes, her tiny dimples, and makes her nose scrunch up daintily with her childlike laugh. She really is crazily pretty, even for a kid who looks way older than she should. I smile straight back impulsively with the infectiousness of it.

Okay, so maybe I am a little bit enamored with her...who wouldn’t be? She’s alluring, and when she smiles......Pure sunshine.

“Sophie was turning me down flat. Seems this one isn’t interested in pizza dates.” I point out to my mom, trying to stop staring at her with a goofy grin. I want Sophie to know that it’s innocent, my offer to hangout. That I am not some weird hormonal guy angling for more.

“I should think not.” My mom slaps my arm hard and I literally gawp at her in shock. So hard it almost echoes around the kitchen.

What the f.... Mamma. Protective much? Jesus Christ, that stung.

Even for my slap happy mother, that was a semi abusive slap. Maybe I should ring her own hotline and report her for child abuse.

“What the hell was that for?” I rub my arm and glare at her with zero amusement. She never spanked me much as a child, sure as hell won’t be tolerating a spanking at nineteen.

“Because I know you! She is not on your radar...ever. Leave her alone and … Sophie dear...” She turns to Sophie with a warm smile and the girl nods at her while I shake my head behind my mom’s back in utter bewilderment.

Completely misread all my intentions. I thought my mom knew me better than that. Well, maybe not the first thoughts when I walked in here... but the ones I have now. I want to be her friend, to protect her from assholes in this neighborhood, nothing more.

“You have my permission to slap him in the man parts, if he ever tries to proposition you again.” She is utterly serious, and that death tone makes me want to glare right at her.

Classy, mom. Real classy.

“That’s not what I was doing...Jeeze, give a guy a break. I was trying to be nice. It was in no way a loaded invite.” I shrug but move fast when I see aggressive mother hen moving my way with speed. I know better than to fire up crazy Mamma Carrero on a maternal stand.

Time to go!

My mom is slapping me with dish cloth, and I get the hint she thinks I am trying to angle her sweet kid into something vulgar. That is never going to happen. I have way more sense and I can tell this girl is a hand’s off, forever, type of a deal. It’s not even like that. I genuinely like her, a lot, and sex is not even where my head is going with this one. She is a fucking child, for god’s sake.

“Out, out... it’s girl time and you are not invited.” She’s pushing me, and I go, reluctantly. Hating that I am about to lose those blue eyes and pretty face but determined that this is not a one-off meeting. I will see her again and I have a full smile to get out of her too.

“I’m going, besides...I have a challenge to work out.” I throw Sophie a wink, maybe it’s a dumb move but it’s organic and I do it before I catch the sense not to. She eyes me up warily, mask back in place, really not sure how to take me but I don’t deflate this time. I feel strangely hopeful that her and I will meet again. If I have anything to do with it, we will anyway.

My mind is made up in that second... Fuck a shower, and food. I am on a hunt to find that elusive unicorn and maybe a chance at seeing her again on a more regular basis. Something tells me that this girl is going to matter in my future, especially if she is going to be living across the street for the next god knows how many years.

***

I sit through the movie bored to tears, but intent on the answer with my pen poised on the post-it note, so I can turn this shit off. I have no clue if this is what she meant, but it wasn’t hard to find with a little help from google.

The last Unicorn - some lame cartoon from the eighties. I was lucky to find a shop in town that had one, and I couldn’t resist the hanging display of fluffy toys nearby at the checkout when I went to pay for it. A pink haired fluffy white Unicorn now lays on top of the sleeve, to go with her movie. A stuffed toy for a kid, which seemed appropriate. A little welcome to the neighborhood mascot if she really is into them.

The cashier offered to gift wrap and I thought ‘sure’, seeing how much she likes sparkly shit if her t-shirt was anything to go by. I opted for the silver bag and paper to match and figured it would be nicer to give her them this way. Watching the woman make swift work of both and trying not to over analyze if I was being weird and overly pushy in this.

I have a tendency to dissect all my decisions, and I don’t want her to feel like I am some relentless creep. I never intended to unwrap the DVD, but I really wanted to surprise her with the answer, beyond just finding the movie...and now like an idiot I am suffering over an hour of unicorns turning to humans, to find they have all been hiding in the fucking sea... wait! ... sea?...

Yesssssss. I found your Unicorn, Sophabelle.

I write it down, grinning wildly and stick it to the DVD case. Hauling the disc from my player and put it all back together, re-wrapping and pushing it back in the bag with the other package. I grin at my genius, completely glowing with the victory that was too easy. She will need to do better than this if she wants to issue a challenge. I thrive on them.

I only wasted a couple of hours on this, well maybe an entire day, but I had no other plans anyway that were all that important. I can’t help the sense of elation, the definite raised mood from this little endeavor, or my own smugness. I am trying not to overthink my reaction to her, but something tells me that Sophie and I have a story that is only beginning, and I want to see where this goes. She’s like a bright spark in my dark tunnel of life lately.

I pick up the bag to go and spy my stack of cards on the desk in my room, stopping to write her a note quickly. I want to reassure her, just in case she does find this weird. I am still not quite convinced I should be giving her gifts and writing her notes.

If not pizza, then maybe a milkshake, anytime you might be bored. No strings attached, no crowds, and no promises to be friends. We can sit at complete opposite tables.

Enjoy your unicorns.

Sophabelle. x A

I read it twice, checking it’s not pushy or ‘Lame’, as she put it. That it’s clear that I expect nothing in return for this, don’t want anything at all. I just want to see her smile next time I see her, nothing else. A little bit of that pretty expression will make my day. I get that she has reason to keep me at arm’s length, that this is not going to be easy to get her to relax with me, but my gut is telling me that she is definitely worth the effort.

I turn it over and scrawl a quick unicorn doodle on the reverse side, I have no idea why. I guess I want her to laugh when she opens it, even though I won’t see it.... it’s not exactly my best work, but it does the job. I slide it in, so it faces out and will be the first thing she sees and push it into the bag. The thought of that cute giggle is in my head and I smile when I pick the bag up to cradle in my arm as I grab my jacket and cell.

My head on tropical blue eyes, honey blonde hair and sassy smirks. I need to go head to her parent’s house and leave it there for her, for when she goes home. Then I guess, I should actually go meet the friends who have been texting me for the last few hours and get that pizza. I’m starving, and my stomach is about to start digesting itself if I don’t put some real food in it. I have a hangover to cure. I also have a Leila to reunite with as she is back in town and I want the lowdown on her new baby sister.