Freaks Of Nature

“So how tall was he?”

“Really tall. Like freakishly tall. I swear!”

“Are you serious?!”

“Yes! Of course I am! Oh my god you should have seen him. It was like something out of a Jerry Springer episode!”

Marie came into work the next day only to be confronted by the giggling sounds of Heidi and Paige. They were huddled together at the front desk, struggling to maintain their composure as the news of what happened the evening before consumed them.

“I swear, if you painted him green he'd be mistaken for a tree.”

The two women filled the entire lobby with their immature giggling. Every word that was spoken made Marie's stomach churn like a ball of snakes were wriggling around inside. She hated herself for getting mixed up in all of this nonsense. But most of all she hated Heidi and Paige for refusing to shut up for the past hour and a half. “In case you haven't noticed it, I'm still in the room.” She groaned when she could no longer take their chuckling.

“Oh Mar-Mar lighten up. We're not trying to be mean. It's just that we never thought you'd hook up with anyone so...weird.” Paige commented while rummaging through her purse. “It's been a long time since you were in the bar scene. I always thought you'd take much longer to recover.”

“I did NOT hook up with him!” Marie half-shouted in defence as she slammed her hands against the counter. “I had a few drinks, he walked me home, I made a complete ass of myself and made out with him for a whooping two minutes, and then he gave me back my earring. That's it. Nothing else happened!”

“Thats not true. You two went out together after I ran into you.” Heidi remarked, having reached into her desk for a stapler. As flaky as many people presumed she was Heidi was a brilliant multi-tasker when it came to work. In the midst of their dramatic conversation she was busy sorting out paper work and receipts. “I'm sorry if we're starting to piss you off. I just think it's really, really funny. He's tall and you're short. It's like something out of a prime time TV special!”

“We only went out because he knew I wanted to get away from you and all we did was have coffee. It was nothing.” Marie sighed as she rested her head against her hands. “I don't know what's so funny about all of this. I feel really stupid after everything I've done. Now there's at least one person in this city who thinks I'm a hopeless twit.”

“Well according to Heidi here you're both vertically challenged.” Paige remarked while coating her lips with a fresh layer of gloss. “You have something in common at least...”

“That is not funny! And I am not that short!” Marie hissed defensively, but her friends only laughed at her outrage. If it had not been her in the situation she would have probably found it just as amusing. But right now Marie took offence to every little comment they made. Each giggle was like a brick being thrown against her head. She wanted to curl up under a rock and die at this point. Or perhaps move to a place where Heidi and Paige could not follow her. Venezuela perhaps.

In the midst of her sulking to continued to chatter but the conversation moved elsewhere. By the time she snapped out of it Paige was explaining the difference between the scallops and oysters and debating with Heidi over which restaurant in the city served the best sushi. They asked her opinions on the subject matter but Marie just shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea what scallops even were and she hated the taste of sushi. But she was glad they had stopped talking about Carlos.

Paige offered to take them both over for dinner after their shift had ended. The only requirement was that Marie had to run a brush through her hair and wear something other than what her friend hastily described as 'granny slacks'. They came with her back to her apartment after work just to made sure she did. Heidi insisted on her wearing the red blouse and long black skirt she had purchased for Marie the other day. She despised both articles of clothing but wore them anyways. She was too hungry by that point to fuss over whether or not the outfit suited her.

Paige helped her with her hair. It took a good ten minutes to get all of the knots out but she worked vigorously and there was only one incidents were the brush got stuck in all that mess. “You really should learn to take better care of your hair Marie. It's so thick and silky. It's a shame that your always throw it into a bun every single day of the week.”

“But I like my bun!” Marie proclaimed as she felt strands of hair fall across her face. “Besides, it gets in the way if I don't keep it up.”

“Why not cut it then? You would look adorable with a little bob. Or at least get it trimmed. Your ends are all frayed and gross looking.” Paige sighed as she stepped back to admire her work. “You're overdue for a fresh coat of colour too. You'd look good with a nice mahogany.” She tensed when she heard the sound of Heidi calling out 'Yes' in agreement from the living room. Marie didn't have the heart to tell either of them that she wasn't even aware of mahogany being anything other than a type of wood.

What started out as a quick primping rapidly turned into yet another instance where her friends reduced her to their own life sized barbie doll. The only thing Marie could do was stare helplessly into the mirror as Paige happily applied a fresh coat of make up for her and babbled on about skin care regimes and application techniques. But no matter how much lipstick and mascara Paige applied Marie was not happy with the way she looked.

In the living room she could heard Heidi laughing happily as she flipped through the T.V channels in search of something to amuse herself with. The apartment buzzer startled all three of them, causing Marie to shriek and Paige to nearly stab her in the eye with a tweezer. “Heidi.” She exclaimed after recovering from the near-fatal eye injury. “Can you please answer that for me?”

“Who the hell would be visiting you at this time of the day?” Paige murmured as she set the tweezers down and stepped back at admire her 'work'. “You look really nice Mar-Mar. That blouse looks completely adorable.”

“I dunno. It's probably just the boyfriend of the girl who lives across from me. He keeps mixing up my number with hers.” Marie replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Leaning forward she inspected herself into the mirror for a moment before sadly shaking her head. “I don't think I'll ever get the hang of the concept of 'makeup'. I always feel like I've coated my face with wax when I put it on.”

“It just takes a little getting used to. You'll learn eventually.” Paige retorted while clasping her hands together. The sound of a masculine voice murmuring in the other room let them both know that Heidi had obeyed her friends request. The tips of her fingernails were smudged with mascara and foundation. “You really ought to take more pride in yourself. It does wonders on your confidence.”

“I don't have any pride in myself. That's the problem.” Marie grimaced as she studied the careful way that Paige applied the make up for her. Though she had spent hours in her bathroom trying to apply it the same way, Marie's work always ended up caky or streaked. She had wasted countless dollars on make up she'd never actually worn.

“Oh my god, it's him!! It's him!! He's actually here!” From the depths of the living room Heidi squealed excitedly interrupting Marie's train of thought. She came running into the room and narrowly tripped over the various piles of clothing that had been strewn about with her hands waving frantically through the air. “Oh god, you should see him. It's so strange!”

“What the hell are you talking about Heidi?” Marie grimaced while looking into the gleaming eyes of her friend. The delight she radiated suggested something was afoot. “Oh god...You didn't make a pass at that spazz dating the girl across the hall did you? “ She asked with a slight roll of her eyes. “He's a complete idiot Heidi! He can't even remember something as simple as an apartment number! Besides, he's has a girlfriend.”

“Ohhh no no no. This has nothing to do with him Mar-Mar. I'm not a home wrecker! You should know me better than that.” Heidi proclaimed as she reached over and carefully adjusted a lock of hair that had fallen into Marie's eyes. “I just had an idle little conversation with a certain oversized gentleman that you may or may not have locked lips with one evening after knocking back too many drinks.”

“Wait, you mean that guy you were telling me about earlier? The one whose supposed to be really tall?!” Paige nearly sprang out of her skin from her excitement. “Did he want something from Marie? What did he say?! Was it important?!!”

“Are you two 12 years old or something? Sheesh it's like I've gone back in time and we're in a middle school or something. ” Marie felt her face going red as she carefully attempted to itch her eye without smearing any mascara. She thought Heidi might have been playing a joke on her, but the sheer delight that flushed across the other woman's face gave her doubts. “He must have made a mistake.”

“Awww come on Mar-Mar he specifically asked for you.” Heidi replied with a charming giggle to which she responded with a sour frown.

“Gee, I thought he would have asked for the house plant. Now you've got me all excited.”

“Don't be sarcastic!” Heidi said with a pout. “He says the same woman who told him you lived here the other day also told him which apartment was yours. I said that you were here but busy.”

“Good. Then you can stop squealing and we can start getting ready to leave.” Marie sighed as Paige pulled her hands away from her face and shot her a scornful look. She had always disliked the way that Marie senselessly picked at her eyes whenever she put on mascara.

“Ohhhh but you didn't let me finish Mar-Mar!” Heidi replied as she softly clapped her hands together. “After I told him you were busy he apologized and said he would come back later. I felt bad because he seemed really disappointed so I insisted that he come up here and that you would be all finished by the time he reached the door. He's on his way up here right now!” A cunning expression had formed across her face now. It took every ounce of her self restraint for Marie not to lash out and strangle Heidi.

“You let him INSIDE? What the hell is wrong with you!? He could have been some crazed axe murderer or something!!” Her voice became shrill with horror but Marie's friends only chuckled with amusement.

“Calm down. I recognized his voice Marie. Besides, I saw him walking up to the building from your living room window. So unless he has an identical twin who happens to be an axe murderer I'm pretty sure thats him. Nobody else in this city is that freakishly tall.” Heidi grinned while running her fingers through her hair. “He's totally coming up here to ask you on a date by the way.”

“And how the hell do you know that?!” If Marie had placed a glass of water on her forehead it would had probably started boiling. She resented how calm Heidi was in spite of allowing a complete stranger into the apartment complex a few moments ago. The woman had lost her mind. She was insane! “Not every male approaches a woman with the intention of trying to date her. He could just be dropping by to say 'hello' you know.”

“Oh Marie don't be so naive.” Heidi snorted with a wave of her hand. “I'm a serial dater. I know these things, and judging by the uncomfortably shaking in that man's voice he wants to ask you out real bad. Which means we're not going out for dinner tonight and you're going to call us later on to tell us all about it.”

“Awww Marie, you have a date tonight. Isn't that exciting?” Paige exclaimed with glee as she padded across the floor. Her feet didn't even make a sound, and Marie could feel her stomach churning with the disgust of her friends childish behaviour. “It's a good thing we decided to primp you up tonight otherwise you would of ended up having to pull yourself together at the last minute.”

“This is crazy. You're both acting like you just got back from middle school. I do NOT have a date!” Marie grimaced at the timid knocking sound that alerted the other two woman standing in the room with her. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. With a heavy roll of her eyes she turned towards the door as another knock interrupted them. Heidi gave her an odd look and for a moment her mind flashed with images of Carlos being attacked and dragged unwillingly into her apartment by these glamazons. If he didn't die of a massive heart attack he'd probably end up thinking that Marie and her associates were all completely insane. “You two stay here. Let me answer the door. The last thing I need is to have some guy thinking I'm this crazy woman who has people ambush her guests at the front door.”

“Awww so we're not allowed to tie him up? What a shame.” Heidi murmured sarcastically as she nudged Marie in the direction of the door. “Well if you insist Mar-Mar. I'll guess we'll have to stand back and let you be a good little hostess.”

“I wish I had got run over by a milk truck this morning.” Marie sighed under her breath as she reached for the doorknob. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Heidi and Paige poking their heads out of her bedroom. They looked alert and attentive; like a set of kittens contemplating over a ball of yarn. Their mischievous looks made her pulse quicken as she flung the door open. Carlos was waiting there of course. No amount of wishful thinking could have made him go away. Marie felt completely frazzled as she heard Paige clamp a hand over her mouth to muffle a sudden burst of laughter that was threatening to give away her and Heidi's presence.

“Marie! It's nice to see that you're home.” He almost instantly recovered from the initial shock of having the door suddenly opened for him and she chewed on the end of her tongue as she recalled that Heidi had been the one to unleash this man inside her apartment building. “A woman who said she was your friend let me in here. I thought she was playing a trick on me but I decided to see if you were home anyways. I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything,”

“If she giggled a lot and referred to me as 'Mar-Mar' then that was probably my 'friend'. You met her the other day when we were on the street.” Marie leaned her hip up against the doorway in an attempt to mask her discomfort. From the corner of her eye she saw Heidi and Paige disappear back into her bedroom. “So what brings you here? Did I forget something else that needs to be returned?”

“No. I was just wondering if you had any plans for tonight.” He shrugged his shoulders and her mind wandered briefly into some obscure imagining of what it might look like if he tried to get through the door. When her senses returned to her Carlos was running his fingers through his hair and looking over his shoulder anxiously. He was nervous. God knows why. “I had a lot of fun talking to you before. I thought you might want to do it again.”

“You're asking me out aren't you?” The sound of her own voice was hollow. “You want to take me out on a date. That's why you're here.” Unable to conceal her amusement, Marie gripped into the doorframe. Her knuckles were turning white by the time she worked up the nerve to actually look him in the eye. His shocked expression was enough to tell her all she needed to know. Heidi wasn't fibbing when she insisted Carlos was here for the purpose of asking Marie out. She fumed inwardly at the realization that her friend had been so keen on figuring it out when she had naively considered this to be some sort of sympathetic little farewell visit before he dropped out of her life.

“If you want to be that blunt about it then yes.” He retorted without so much as a flinch. She admired his ability to recover from shock so easily. Forcing a smile back onto his face he shoved his hands into the pockets of the large rumbled black coat that adorned his massive body like a tent. “I would like to take you out on a date.”

Marie could hear the excited whispers from her bedroom as she stepped back from the doorway. Not since the falling out with Jack had anyone propositioned her for a date. It was something Marie had never really expected to hear again. As she closed her eyes for a moment she recalled that even before all of the mess that happened between her and her old flame she had never been asked for one. Jack had simply told her they were going out seven years ago as she was waitressing his table. She was naive enough to consider the demand to be bold and daring. It had never occurred to her that being told she was going out with someone was actually a negative occurrence.

“I'm sorry.” She stammered as she pressed her hands against her chest. “You're a really nice guy Carlos but I'm just...very busy right now.” She hesitated, looking over at her bedroom doorway for any sign or acknowledgment from Heidi or Paige. They erupted at the sound of her rejection, bursting out of hiding and loudly making their presence known to both her and Carlos. Marie could not help but notice that he backed away in apprehension of their sudden appearing act and that a rejected sigh escaped his lips as he lingered in anticipation of her half-finished rejection.

“Hello there! You must be the 'Carlos' we've been hearing about!” Heidi began as she held one perfectly manicured hand out in front of him.”I'm Heidi, and this is Paige. We're the friends that Marie was just talking about.”

“Uh...I'm pleased to meet you...I guess.” He hesitated for a moment before reaching out. Heidi giggled loudly when his much larger hand warped around her's and forcibly shook in two or three times.

“Oooo, he has soft fingers Mar-Mar!” She commented, winking as she glanced over her shoulder at Marie. Carlos let go of her almost immediately after and stared in Marie's direction with one eyebrow quizzically arched. His mouth opened a few times but no words ever came out, instead he remained mute, and helplessly forced to look down at his hand wondering what the significance of Heidi's comment was. Marie suppressed a groan, knowing by the cheeky look Heidi had given her that the compliment was a perverted indication masquerading as something harmless. She'd used the same compliment when Marie had first introduced her to Jack.

“Heidi” She stated while gritting her teeth. “If you don't mind I was just about to say goodbye to Carlos. He wanted to take me out tonight but as you already know we have made plans together. Therefore I cannot go.” She grimaced, sensing the conspiracy that was stewing between her two friends.

“Nonsense Mar-Mar! Nonsense!” Paige smiled while reaching out to fluff Marie's hair. “We can always go out together some other night. It's been ages since you've gone on a proper date. Don't be so stubborn.” Marie felt her cheeks flush red with a twinge of embarrassment as her friend preened her. In spite of this her friends long fingers fluttering through her hair were somehow soothing. “You two go out and have fun. We'll catch up with you later. Have fun!”

“No, wait! I don't think that's such a good idea. We had plans!” She persisted on and on even as Heidi and Paige were forcing her out the door. Though she struggled vainly the two of them were very forceful in their efforts to get her out the door. One of them pulled of coat over her, and she felt the other one thrust her purse into her hands. They both chimed equally sweet sounding farewells and with one final nudge they shoved her out into the hallway and slammed the door behind her. Marie felt a lump gather in the back of her throat and she stared at the man in front of her in a state of complete and utter horror.

“Your friends are very odd.” He commented while crossing his arms over his chest. She could not help but notice that even in the hallway he seemed out of place. The ceiling was far too short, and he was hunched forward in a way that seemed both uncomfortable and annoying. Marie had never realized just how low the ceilings in her apartment were until now, but as she glanced up she recalled that almost all of the tenants there were all of average height or less.

“I know. They're kind of weird.” She admitted finally when it became apparent that there was really no excuse she could have given for Paige and Heidi's behaviour. “They're just not used to seeing people ask me out. I guess they were really enthusiastic about it tonight.” Shrugging her shoulders she glanced vaguely in his direction having turned so that she was no longer directly facing him. “So what would you like to do?”

“I was thinking maybe dinner.”

Marie did not know what to expect as she followed Carlos outside onto the street. There were hundreds of restaurants in the city. Some that she didn't mind, others that she hated. But without Heidi or Paige to steer her around like a horse she could not tell one from the other. As they passed by the various blinking 'open' signs and the alluring scents that streamed from the occasional opened door she could no longer ignore how hungry she actually was. People stared at Carlos when they walked past. It was expected, and yet she was still somehow surprised. The reactions were usually a mix of horror followed by shame. One group of teenagers giggled hysterically and stopped to gap in awe of the man as he strolled past them. Carlos took it all with strive, never reacting to the odd faces or remarks directed in his way. His eyes were always focused straight ahead, searching for their destination.

The place he took her inside of was a little chinese restaurant only a few blocks away from her work. Marie had walked past it dozens of times but had never actually gone inside. Heidi and Paige did not care for Chinese food. And the only time she ever ate out was when she was with them. The aroma's that filled her senses when they walked through the door made her stomach growl softly. The entire restaurant was painted a bold shade of red. Hanging from the ceiling were delicate paper lanterns, while the walls held various paintings and posters of animals or trees. The hostess smiled at them as she approached, adorned in a modest black dress that reached just bellow her knees. “Table for two tonight?” She asked, directing her gaze towards Carlos in a knowing way, as though they had already met before.

Marie felt numb as she followed the woman to a cozy little table off in the far corner of the restaurant. Everything around her seemed fragile and dream-like. She cringed when she lowered herself into her seat having convinced herself it would simply break under her weight. It didn't. In fact it barely made a sound as she nestled into it. “This place is so beautiful.” She marvelled while directing her gaze towards a decorated fan that was hanging on the wall behind Carlos. “Do you come here often?”

“Yes. I come here a lot actually.” He admitted with a gentle laugh as he unbuttoned his coat and draped it onto the back of his chair. “Usually I just come here by myself. The people here don't bother me, and the food is really good. A friend of mine showed me this place.”

“Oh.” Marie responded with a shrug as she watched a waitress come over to place two glasses of water on their table before she quickly scuttled away. “I actually work not too far away from here. I think I've actually wandered past this place dozens of times. ”

“That's interesting. Where do you work?” He asked her while tracing the rim of his water glass with one fingertip.

“I manage the front desk of a hotel a few blocks from here.” Marie replied without skipping a beat. What the hell, he already knew where she lived. “I've been working there for years actually. The pay isn't too bad. Plus I get to work with one of my friends so the days go by really quickly.”

“Which friend?” Carlos asked her as she glanced away from the table once again.

“Heidi. She's the one who shook your hand.” She whispered anxiously. Talking about her friend after the little stunt they had pulled made her stomach flutter with embarrassment. “So what do you do for a living?” She blurted out in a desperate attempt to change the subject. Seizing her glass of water she admired it for a moment before raising it to her lips and taking a big gulp. It wasn't alcohol, but the refreshing lemony taste somehow calmed her nerves.

He seemed surprised by the question. She watched as he tore up one of the napkins on the table into shreds while contemplating the best way to answer her. “I'm an artist I guess you could say.” He concluded with a weak smile. “I do photography mostly but I'm also fond of painting and drawing. It's the reason I moved to this city actually. I'm here to promote the opening of a gallery for a friend of mine. He's using some of my more popular works to attract public attention.”

“Wow, an artist. That's really...interesting.” Marie spoke in low mumbles as she stared at the napkin being mutilated by the man seated across from her. On top of having an extraordinary sense of tolerance Carlos also had the type of career that made most people green with envy. She chewed on her bottom lip, unable to suppress the twinge of resentment she felt when she recalled all the times her high school art teacher had called her work 'less than worthless'.

“It's not actually. The only reason I became one was because of my parents. My father was a painter, he wanted me to follow in his footsteps.” Carlos paused briefly during his explanation when a waitress came over with her pen and pad of paper. Smiling to show a mouth of pearly white teeth she played the role of the server very well as she hovered near their table, politely asking them what they would like. Carlos looked in Marie's directed but she gave him nothing other than a frozen, deer-in-the-headlights response. “I think we're going to need a few moments to decide.”

Eventually she picked out something to order. But it was after enduring a emotional roll coaster and musing over how many calories were laced in each menu option. Carlos seemed perfectly oblivious to her dilemma, though he frowned a little at her decision of a plate of chop suey and plain steamed rice. They talked again while they were waiting for their food of course. She explained that she and Heidi were childhood friends, and how they had befriended Paige a year into middle school. He told her a little bit about his friends gallery and revealed that he was in fact of Spanish origins. She paid attention with half-hearted interest. In truth Marie was more focused on why she was there in the first place rather than the moment itself. She was happy when their food did come as it gave her an excuse not to talk to him for a good twenty minutes.

The waitress returned when they were done with a receipt and a small tray of fortune cookies. Unable to resist, Marie chomped down at least three of them while her eyes watched over the bill. Carlos reached for it while she was snacking, smiling as he glanced over it before folding it up and hiding it in the palm of one hand. “Ready to go?” He asked her, laughing when she reached between her lips with a look of horror having just realized that she had forgotten to remove the paper from the cookie she was snacking on.

“Let me pay for it.” She offered while reaching under the table for her purse. “It's the least I can do after the crap Heidi and Paige have put you through.”

“I'm the one that asked you out , remember?” Carlos reminded her with just a hint of playfulness as he quickly stood up and headed for the front of the restaurant. She followed behind him, rifling through the contents of her purse defiantly in hopes that she might beat him to the punch line and rid herself of some of the guilt she felt. “For the record.” He added while handing the bill over to the hostess who smiled as she typed their total into the cashier register she had been hovering near. “I don't mind your friends or their behaviour. They're a little strange to me, but they haven't done any physiological damage as far as I know.”

She was too late. By the time she found her cursed wallet he'd already paid the bill and was being handed his receipt. “You're one of the few people who has said something nice about them after just meeting them. Most people think Heidi and Paige are a crazy when they're first acquainted.” A part of her felt as though she had lost a race, and she was very annoyed by the hollow thud that her wallet made when she reluctantly dropped it back into her purse.

“Do you always fret over your friends like that?” He asked her as they headed back out onto the street. “You seem very focused on how other people think about them. I can't tell you how many times you've apologized for them. Do they embarrass you or something?”

“Kind of.” She admitted with just the slightest shake of her head. “I mean...I'm not completely embarrassed by them I just hate wondering what other people think about me when they see me with them. Heidi and Paige don't always make good first impressions. The last boy I was with used to tell me he thought they were bimbo's.” She froze abruptly when the realization that she had brought up Jack flooded her mind. It was the first time that she could recall talking about him so casually.

Carlos snickered as he yanked his heavy black coat back on. “Anyone who judges you based on what your friends do or makes assumptions about them without even knowing them is not worth your time.”

“Thanks. That's really nice...I guess.”

They walked around for what felt like hours to Marie. Small talk was made but she did not pay very much attention to it. The subject of Jack lingered on in her mind, distracting her from most of the things that Carlos said to her. They walked past his apartment once, and as she glanced up she could have sworn she'd seen the outline of his figure in the window. A group of young boys on the other side of the street shouted rude things at the man she was strolling with. The jeered him with racial slurs and vulgar questions about who (or what) his mother would of had to sleep with to produce someone so tall. Though he was in his right to say anything he wanted back to them Carlos behaved as though he was completely deaf. He continued to talk to Marie, brushing off the nasty remarks as though they meant nothing. Her eyes widened with horror, secretly wondering whether or not the group would become so determined that they would pursue her and Carlos. They didn't. But even after they were out of sight she kept glancing over her shoulder and wondering whether she would see one of them pop out from an alley.

It was strange to see a man tolerate that kind of verb abuse. Jack would have never accepted that kind of behaviour from someone. During the first few months they had started to date he had gotten into a fight in a bar when a drunken youth had said something vicious about Marie. He ended up with a black eye but she had always felt as though he truly loved her after that. He'd jumped to her defence hadn't he? When she took him to the hospital afterwards he groaned in the waiting room and told her not to wear the red silk dress she had put on that night ever again. It hung in the back of her closet for years afterwards. When he moved out she folded it up and placed it in a box under her bed along with every other item that reminded her of him.

Her heart fluttered happily when she felt a hand brush gently against hers but quickly vanished when she realized that it was Carlos and not Jack. Her girlish fantasy ended again and she was left stumbling through cold reality with a giant that made her want to wet her pants every time he looked down at her. Why had he asked her out?!

They strolled through a local park together. The sun was almost set but there were still people enjoying the scenery. Marie smiled as she watched a little girl race past them brandishing a balloon. A boy quickly followed after her with his arms spread out in imitation of an airplane. An old man who was walking his dog tipped his hat at them and she could not help but grin when they walked over the wooden bridge located in the centre of the park. “This was my favourite place to go when I was little.” She explained while pausing to lean over the railing. “A lot of ducks used to swim in the water bellow. I would hide bread in my pockets to feed to them. My mother used to get so mad at me for it.”

“I can understand why. Bread is really bad for birds.” Carlos said as he leaned against the railing beside her. “It must have been quite a place to spend time when you were a kid though.”

“I just liked the idea of something liking me.” She shrugged while staring into the water bellow. Someone had tossed wildflowers over the bridge. Their petals were strewn all across the waters surface. “Other than Heidi I didn't have many friends when I was growing up. People used to make fun of me for being so overweight.”

“Sounds like a stupid reason to make fun of you for.” He commented. She could feel him staring at her, even as she twisted her head away and pretended to be admiring the sunset she felt Carlos's eyes on her.

“It was a good enough reason for them.” She replied coldly as her mind flooded with the bitter memories of her miserable childhood. “I spent years thinking I was some sort of hideous mutant. It wasn't until I met my first boyfriend that I truly felt beautiful. He was the only boy who paid me any attention. I was really crushed after we broke up. It took a long time for me to get over it.”

“What was his name?”

The corner of her lips twitched as she griped the wooden railing. She felt stupid for bringing him up again like that. It was an emotional kick in the teeth, and she had done it to herself. “Jack.” She responded through clenched teeth. “His name was Jack.”

He didn't ask her anything else. Instead he stood quietly while they both watched the flowing water beneath the bridge. Marie was somewhat relieved by Carlos's lack of questions. If he had asked long enough he might have figured out that Marie had only ever had one boyfriend in her lifetime, and she had lied when she said she was over him. After awhile he let out a gentle yawn, and asked her if she would like to go home now? Marie did not give even a second thought before uttering “Yes.”

He insisted on taking her back to her apartment. They walked together in silence having run out of things to say for the moment. Other than the occasional comment about the buildings and the stores they drifted past Carlos was not very chatty. He still smiled in that absurd way he'd being doing throughout their entire date. She had to mask her joy when she caught sight of her apartment building and it took every ounce of will for her to not go sprinting towards it. Having relived memories of Jack and reminded herself of how truly miserable she felt without him Marie had deemed this date as something she would bury and forget. She could not decide what reasons Carlos had for asking her out but stubbornly refused to consider it the result of any genuine interest.

“Well, here we are. Home sweet home.” Carlos said while pressing his hand against her back. Marie felt her shoulders tense as she walked up the front steps of her building with his fingertips stretched across her shirt. It was a harmless gesture, but an uncomfortable one to Marie whom had not made any genuine physical contact with a male for months. All she could think about was the disturbing sensation of his long fingers pressing into the fabric of her top. She wished she had placed her coat back on when they'd left the restaurant earlier and that it was not draped over her arm. The thick fabric would have made the contact a little less unbearable. Carlos must have noticed her initial reaction but did not pull away until they were standing at the top of the stairs. “Thanks for going out with me tonight. It was really something.”

“Yea. It was...fun.” She stammered while trying to figure out where in her purse her apartment keys had been stashed. She could hear them rattling around but as her hand fumbled through the various objects Heidi had tossed into there for her she found herself unable to figure out exactly where the sound was coming from.

“Marie.” She heard him saying her name in the midst of her desperate search. She did not look up but heard the shuffle of his feet and some other noise she could not detect. Her hairstyle was starting to come undone. She felt a few locks tumble down onto her face and scrunched her nose up in an effort to avoid sneezing. “Marie.” He murmured again and she tensed when she felt him place one hands onto her shoulder. Her entire body froze when he lifted her chin and guided her into a kiss. It was not the worst she had ever experienced but she hated it none the less. It was so surprising. So unexpected. She had not been prepared for it, and it was the last thing she'd wanted from him. Her purse tumbled out of her hands, spilling it's contents onto the ground and she gasped as she twisted her head away, breaking off the unwelcomed kiss with a feeble gasp.

“I'm sorry.” She murmured as she crouched down onto the ground to retrieve everything that had emptied onto the cement. Her lips tingled with the memory of the kiss and she struggled to keep herself composed as she began riffling everything back into her purse. The only good thing about any of it was that her keys were one of the objects that had tumbled out onto the ground. They were the last thing she grabbed as she staggered back up onto her feet.

Carlos had shrunk a few steps away when she'd rejected him. He had his hands out as if wanting to help her but seemed incapable of moving. “Marie. What's wrong?” She heard him ask her as she jammed her key into the door and wrestled it open. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” She sighed while blinking back tears. He hadn't done anything wrong to her tonight. And that was the problem. Swinging the door open she stepped inside, dreading having to face Heidi and Paige in a few moment. They would want to know everything, and all she wanted was to hide in her bathroom and cry. “I can't do this Carlos. I'm sorry. Goodbye.” The last thing she saw was the devastated look on his face as she slammed the door behind her, leaving him standing outside in the cold.