Katie

[nola_littlemermaid]

Maybe this was a bad idea.

There was a beignet place down the street from Phoenix Effect. It was no Cafe Du Monde or Cafe Beignet, the two great rivals for the title of best in the city (Andy would give it to the latter, hands down, any day of the week), but it was nice and inexpensive and had decent seating, which he was currently taking advantage of. It also had chickory coffee Andy himself had not brewed, which was a treat on its own, though loyally he thought the recipe at Phoenix Effect was better.

So the location part was fine, but the social interaction to come—that was the bad part. Maybe. The nervous anticipation, of course, was terrible, but he remembered his school therapist (mandated by the district, which his dad had reluctantly agreed to but scoffed about in private) saying how breaking through shyness, making friends, only got easier with a lot of practice. And he actually had gotten better, thanks to being a barista—he could make light small talk while making a drink, answer questions and chuckle politely at bad jokes.

But face-to-face, direct interaction with a potential friend? That was way more intimidating. Especially since he couldn't help but suspect Katie was just doing this because he'd offered to mention her mural services to the manager. Which was fair! He guessed! He certainly couldn't have said anything that made him seem genuinely interesting.

Maybe it would be better if she just didn't show up. Or maybe that would be much, much worse.

Comments

[nola_littlemermaid]

Oh, there was so, so much, but he settled on something recent. "A tiny little courtyard between two houses," he said, measuring the space with his hands. It was only as wide as perhaps two of the tables here pushed together, and a few times as long. "Just big enough for two graves. Old, old graves," he added quickly, because New Orleans had seen much more than its fair share of death in the recent past.

[nola_jeangrey]

"Oh, wow." Andy was more interesting than Katie could have guessed. "That's the kind of thing I would keep thinking about, too. I wonder who they were."

[nola_littlemermaid]

"I wondered too, but I didn't want to step in to try to read the stones," Andy said. "It felt too sacred. But I like the idea of them being two lovers, together through the centuries."

[nola_jeangrey]

"That's so beautiful. Side by side forever." It was deeply romantic, and Katie loved that; she was captured, dreamily, by the thought of this eternal, beyond-death love.

[nola_littlemermaid]

"I tried not to pay attention to where they were," Andy confessed, turning his iced coffee cup idly in his hands. "I'm worried that if I tried to go back, they'd be gone—maybe one of the houses added on, or everything just bulldozed over."

[nola_jeangrey]

"And this way they kind of do live forever, at least, with you? Right?" It was perfect.

[nola_littlemermaid]

"Right." Then, after a pause, "But if I did stumble onto it again, I'd tell you so you could see it too."

[nola_jeangrey]

"You would really share something that special with me? Thank you so much." It was the nicest thing Katie had heard in forever.

[nola_littlemermaid]

"Well, you'd understand." Something about Katie told him the spot wouldn't suddenly become part of her own personal ghost tour she took visiting friends, or an artfully filtered shot for Instagram.

[nola_jeangrey]

"Yeah, I would. Magical things should only be shared like this, between real people." That's what mattered the most, sharing things with someone you knew, because it meant something.

[nola_littlemermaid]

Andy was touched that Katie called him real, which was silly. He was! He had a birth certificate and everything! "Have you ever stumbled onto something amazing?"

[nola_jeangrey]

"I think a lot about this dog I saw curled up next to a mailbox, watching the street? He was waiting. You could tell he was waiting for his person and he was so happy to be in the sun and waiting. It's not the same, but it felt like I could see every feeling attached to that creature."

[nola_littlemermaid]

"Did his person come," Andy asked, charmed by the description but a little anxious about it too. The moment Katie had placed them in, perpetual waiting and hoping, could have a sad ending.

[nola_jeangrey]

"I don't know for sure, I guess? But I felt so certain that their person would come. Like that this was just a perfect moment of anticipation. Like this happened every day but it was so right." Sometimes Katie just felt a moment so strongly.

[nola_littlemermaid]

Andy decided to trust Katie and let himself relax. She just seemed so sure about it. "It must be nice, to have someone so happy to welcome you home."

[nola_jeangrey]

"Right? I can't have pets and I don't know if I'd be a good pet owner, so maybe just having a person who wants you to come home would be nice, too?" Something or someone that made home the most like home.

[nola_littlemermaid]

"I hope it's at least as nice!"

[nola_jeangrey]

"I'm going to say that if it was the right person, it would be the nicest thing in the world." That seemed correct.

[nola_littlemermaid]

"Then I hope we both find that," he said. It wouldn't be with each other, he knew—though Katie was incredibly nice!—but he still liked the idea of both of them happy.

[nola_jeangrey]

"Me too! What kind of person are you looking for?" It definitely wouldn't be Katie! But she could get on board with a hunt for love.

[nola_littlemermaid]

"I don't know," Andy said uncertainly. He'd never thought about it—he only knew who turned his head physically. "You go first."

[nola_jeangrey]

Katie could absolutely go first. "Well, first of all, I don't really care about gender, so that's not so important. I guess looks matter to the extent that looks matter to anyone, but I guess I like it when people show who they are. Whether it's how they stand or carry themselves or dress or whatever. I want to understand them. I like people who believe in something and then follow through on it. It's probably not a good thing but I like people who are mysterious, because I like solving mysteries...."

[nola_littlemermaid]

"If a mysterious, attractive person of any gender who seems determined and with a distinct point of view comes into Phoenix Effect, I'll let you know," Andy said solemnly, but the corners of his lips hinted at a smile.

[nola_jeangrey]

Katie laughed. She knew she sounded a little nuts. "Please do. Oh, also, weird but undeniable sex appeal."

[nola_littlemermaid]

"Oh, I'm saving that one for myself," Andy said, trying a joke.