I'm Sorry, I'm Leaving.
Chapter 3
By: Sarah
Cicily stepped into the garage and was greeted by the normal oily, smoky smell. She felt her stomach do a little flip as she let her gaze wander around the garage. It only took her a few minutes to spot him. He was leaning over, filling out some papers for someone. His dark blue Dickies were low on his hips, held up by a black belt. His light blue shirt was hanging a bit messily around the waistband. It hung just right on him so that she could see the muscles in his back and the way his shoulder blades moved as he wrote.
As if he could feel her eyes, he looked up. Cicily felt a smile spread over her lips. She had to look away though, afraid his dark brown eyes would see right through her. The truth was, she couldn�t believe she was feeling like this. She hadn�t felt this confused and dizzy at the thought of seeing someone in a long time�maybe even never. Joel finished talking to a customer and then made his way over to Cicily.
� Hey! Glad to see you.� He said, his eyes not leaving hers. Cicily smiled.
� You too.� She said. She swallowed and hoped and prayed this wouldn�t just turn out to be another normal conversation. She wanted to get to know him better. She wanted him to know her. He licked his lips and then smiled. They both laughed, a slightly uncomfortable moment passing by them. �Uh�how�s�how�s my car?� She asked after a second. Joel smiled as if just remembering why she was there.
� It�s great�I worked on it last night and the damage really isn�t as bad as I first thought.� He said. Cicily nodded, watching the muscles in his back move as he led her over to where her car was. Her breath caught in her throat. � I think it�ll only take me two more days, if I work overtime. You�ll have it by Friday.� He said. Cicily smiled, overjoyed.
� Really?!� She asked. He laughed.
� Yea!�
� Wow, thank you! This is amazing.� She smiled. He laughed and buried his hands in his pockets like a little kid. � Really, you don�t know how great this is! I would ask my roommate to drive me around but she�s always with her boyfriend. And well�my boyfriend�s�he�s away so�� She smiled. Joel nodded.
� Oh, you have a boyfriend?� He asked. She frowned for a second and then nodded.
� Yea, unfortunately.� She grumbled. Joel smiled.
� Unfortunately?� He asked, confused yet interested. She nodded and then shrugged. � We don�t want to talk about him.� She laughed. He nodded and leaned up against the car, brushing his hands off on his pants.
� That�s too bad though.� He said quietly. Cicily tilted her head to the side.
� What�s too bad?� She asked.
� That you have a boyfriend. He must be a really lucky guy.� Joel said, picking up a few tools and placing them back onto a tray. Cicily blushed, looking away. She wasn�t used to people complimenting her like this, at least no one that she was so indescribably attracted to. She looked back at Joel and he simply smiled at her. He had no idea what he was doing to her. �Are you�blushing?� He asked with a teasing smile, his voice soft and joking. Cicily laughed and put her hands to her face.
� You are�too sweet.� She smiled. Joel shook his head.
� No, only honest.� He said softly. This made her blush even pinker and it only made Joel smile bigger. � Listen�uh�� He said slowly. Cicily swallowed and took a deep breath.
� I�I want to thank you for getting my car done so quickly.� She interrupted. Joel nodded.
� Hey, it�s my job.� He shrugged. She shook her head, raising her hands up.
� But not�working over time and all that.� She said.
� Well, I guess sometimes I get customers that are definitely worth working for.� He said. Cicily smiled and bit her lip, not sure how to react. Joel smiled nervously and made a face, closing his eyes and squishing his nose up for a second. � Er�I�m sorry, I�m coming on really strong�� He started to apologize before Cicily stopped him.
� No�it�s nice.� She smiled. � I�m just not used to�I don�t know.� She said softly. �I actually wanted to ask you out to dinner some time�just as a �thank you� for doing this so fast for me.� She said. Joel looked surprised at first but then he smiled�beamed.
� Wow, yea�that sounds great.� He nodded. She nodded, shifting her weight back and forth.
� Oh really?� She said, a little surprised. He nodded.
� When are you free?� He asked. She smiled.
� Whenever.� She shrugged.
� How about�Friday? Around eight?� He asked. Cicily quickly brushed her hair back from her eyes, smiling broadly. He gave her a slightly shy smile and laughed quietly. This was all too much for both of them to handle. The attraction between them was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.
� That sounds good.� She nodded. He pressed his lips together and nodded.
� Ok�well I�ll see you then, Cicily.� He said. She laughed and nodded. Her name sounded like silk coming from his lips. She wished he�d say it again.
� Ok, I�ll see you.� She said quietly, her heart racing faster. � You�re what?!� Angie, one of Cicily�s close friends nearly screamed at her that Friday. Cicily laughed and pulled her legs to her chest. She took a sip of water and let Angie finish laughing and yelling.
� I�m going out with my mechanic�� Cicily smiled. Angie laughed and shook her head. Cicily sighed, standing up. She had a lot to do before she would be ready for the date.
� What�about Simon?� Angie asked, following Cicily into the bathroom. Cicily sighed and pulled her hair down.
� It�s just a �thank you��nothing special.� Cicily shrugged Angie�s stare off.
� Did you shave your legs?� Angie asked. Cicily made a face and grabbed her toothbrush.
� What?!� She asked.
� Did you shave your legs, Cic?!� Angie asked again, more demanding. Cicily shrugged.
� Yea, of course.�
� Bah! It�s not just some �thank you� date! It�s a real date then! If you didn�t care about it then�you wouldn�t have bothered to shave and you wouldn�t have bothered to even brush your teeth!� Angie smirked. Cicily groaned.
� Ang, there�s a thin line between trying to look good and plain old hygiene.� She laughed. Angie smiled and shoved Cicily away from the mirror.
� So, at least tell me what this guy looks like.� She asked. Cicily smiled. She suddenly felt her stomach do a flip. This was not good�or maybe�it was.
� He�s�gorgeous. So completely gorgeous. He has short dark brown hair and the most adorable brown eyes. And his voice, Ang, I don�t know�there�s something about it. He sends chills up my spine. He has this perfect mouth too�.� Cicily trailed off, smiling to herself. Angie smiled too.
� Have you kissed him?� She asked.
� No!� Cicily exclaimed.
� Why not? If he�s got a perfect mouth� Will has a perfect mouth and I kiss him every chance I get.� Angie giggled jokingly. Will was her boyfriend of nearly two years and she still talked about him like she�d just met him. Cicily hoped that one day she�d be in the same type of relationship. The kind where she was actually excited about seeing him�the kind where she looked forward to being with him�but for now�Simon seemed to be her only choice. Maybe things would change.
� Angie�please.� Cicily sighed, tired from all her questions.
� So, he�s sweet? I don�t believe this is a real guy.� Angie joked. Cicily shook her head.
� Yea, I must be dreaming. He�s so sweet. Unbelievable, Ang.� Cicily quickly smoothed out her shirt, making sure she looked ok.
� So�are you�how interested are you in him?� Angie asked, running a brush through her straight blond hair. Cicily tilted her head to the side, thinking.
� This sounds terrible�but a lot. I really, really like him. I�ve never felt like this.� She said softly, as if Simon were actually around to hear her.
� What about�Simon?� Ang asked for the second time. Cicily frowned and shook her head.
� He doesn�t even�compare to Simon.� She said. Angie gasped softly.
� Cicily�don�t get yourself into trouble.� She warned her friend. Cicily smiled just as the doorbell rang.
� I won�t.� She smiled mischievously. Angie laughed and then ran to get the door. When she opened it she was pleasantly surprised. Deep down she was afraid Cicily had gone and fallen for some greasy, balding forty-something who played with cars for a living. But�she definitely hadn�t.
� Hi! I�m Angie, Cicily�s roomie.� Angie introduced herself.
� Hey, I�m Joel. Nice to meet you.� He said as Angie invited him into the apartment. He was dressed casually but still looked really nice. They were only going out to a local restaurant and so it was a jeans and t-shirt atmosphere. Cicily didn�t want it to seem too much like a date, even if that was what she wanted.
� Cicily?! Joel�s here.� Angie shouted, as if Cicily didn�t already know. She walked out of the bathroom a second later. � Hi!� She smiled. Joel smiled back and handed her a bunch of flower�s he�d brought her. � For you.� He smiled as Cicily and Angie both looked on in amazement. Cicily grinned and took them. It was an assortment of different wild flowers, the purples, oranges, pinks and whites all mixing together.
� Wow, thank you! God, that�s so sweet.� She said. He smiled and Angie took the flowers to put in a vase. � Bye Ang!� Cicily followed Joel out into the hallway.
� You look great.� He said. Cicily laughed.
� Nah.� She smiled. � You look�a lot different.� He laughed, nodding.
� I hope so� I�m not always covered in dirt.� He smiled.
� Well�you look good either way. Clean is nice though.� She said. He smiled as they walked out to his car.
Cicily stared at the menu for a second and then glanced back up at Joel. He was biting his lip, his head slightly tilted to the side. She kept slipping into these weird little daydreams about running off with Joel�anywhere, just some place that wasn�t where she was. She knew it was ridiculous, but it was just a daydream. She kept dreaming about what it would be like to be his girlfriend and to be with him�. She took a deep breath and tried to focus back on what was happening then.
� What are you getting?� She asked. He smiled.
� I have no clue.� He said. �Have you ever been here before?� He asked, looking at her. Cicily nodded.
� Yea, once maybe, with Angie. Simon doesn�t like these kind of places� he says they are too casual.� She sighed, looking around. Everyone was laughing and having a good time.
� So where do you usually go?� Joel asked.
� Somewhere downtown.� She said. He nodded.
� Do you like those places?� He asked. She shrugged.
� They�re not horrible. But it�s really not that much fun. Simon�he�s just a really serious person. Really involved in his work and not so much�with me, I guess.� She said, sighing. Joel nodded.
� Why do you put up with that?� He asked. Cicily frowned. No one had ever asked her that before. She wasn�t sure if she knew the answer.
� I�I don�t know. I guess I love him.� She said quietly. Joel looked disappointed for a second but then he nodded and took a long drink from his soda.
� I think I�ll get�the steak.� He said, changing the subject.
� I�ll get�the chicken salad.� She nodded.
� Is that all?� He asked, setting down his menu. Cicily shrugged.
� Yea�low carb diet.� She smiled. Joel frowned and shook his head.
� You�re joking, right?� He asked, his lips forming into a smile. Cicily blinked.
� No�why would��
� What are you trying to lose? Your internal organs?� He smiled and then laughed quietly. Cicily laughed too, not believing how sweet he was.
� Joel, come on.� She argued, watching him with playful eyes. Joel reached across the table and took her hands in his. Cicily swallowed hard, but didn�t pull away. She wouldn�t have been able to if she�d actually wanted to. His skin was soft, yet slightly rough at the fingertips. He had strong, capable hands, his fingers at least an inch longer than hers. His fingers slid slowly through hers and for those few seconds that his skin first came in contact with hers, Cicily couldn�t talk. Neither of them could talk. Joel gulped and then smiled, almost nervously.
� You are so�beautiful.� He whispered. Cicily sat still, her eyes locked on his. He was rubbing the palm of her hand with his thumb, back and forth and around in circles. She licked her lips, trying to find her voice. Joel smiled and then looked away, both of them realizing they were getting in over their heads. � I think you should get�the triple fried chicken with a double order of french fries�I dunno�� He said laughing, gently pulling his hands away. Cicily laughed too though her mind was still flipping over his last comment.