Page 24 of When We Crash

He rolled down the window and turned up the music, bobbing his head and mumbling along here and there.

I could ask for his opinion. But he wouldn’t understand. It was likely no one would, not even Noa. I had no plans to tell her anything about the Angel of Death. It was for the best.

I’d finally found her. Scratch that, I couldn’t even say I found her.

I’d crashed into her, and when her eyes looked into mine, I felt a zap of familiarity, like we’d shared a million laughs together.

Fuzzy memories of what she would be like flashed through my mind.

Memories…of what she would be like.

It didn’t make any sense.

Dexter

I paced around my room,wondering how the hell I should proceed. My cell phone was in my hand, and my finger hovered over Noa’s number. It had only been an hour or so since I first saw her.

Do I call her? Text her?

I opted for texting, thinking I could send a quick laidback message, asking her to dinner.

The quick text turned into fifteen minutes of me worrying about the tone of it and if she’d even respond. I switched words around and talked to myself, all while clutching my phone so I didn’t throw it against the wall. Finally, I sent something, anything. It was better than arguing with myself all night.

Me:It’s Dex. Have you had dinner yet?

I realized—after I sent the text—that I hadn’t even told her my name. For once, I had to rely on my popularity, hoping she already knew it.

I waited. I turned on the television. I stared at the ceiling. A few minutes later, my phone pinged with an incoming message.

Noa:Nope. Waiting for you to make it up to me.

I chuckled.

Me:Pick you up in an hour?

A minute later.

Noa:Ten minutes. You took long enough. ;)

I smiled. I didn’t even know her and I liked her. There wasn’t much pretense, so far. I could imagine her typing whatever came to mind, unlike me. She asked me where we’d be eating and I sent her the name of the only restaurant I could remember, having been there with Tracey a few days ago. Five minutes later she sent me her address, and I headed downstairs.

Tracey was in the kitchen. “Going out?” she asked, typing on her laptop at the kitchen island.

I hummed a response and sat down across from her. “I met someone.”

She looked over the screen at me, lowering it when she saw I was serious. “Oh? What’s her name?”

“Her name is Noa. I’m taking her to dinner. I should be back in a few hours. I promise to stay out of trouble and respect her. I have my phone, it’s fully charged, and my car has a full tank of gas.” I stood and walked over to Tracey, patting the top of her head with a grin.

She held onto my arm. She was always worrying, always holding onto me like it might be the last time she saw me. The worry in her body made me sad, and it made her seem a lot older than she was. “Have fun, Dex. Maybe bring her by sometime.”

I chuckled. “First I have to make her take me seriously.”

“If she’s smart, she’ll know a good thing when she sees it,” she said, smiling.

I pulled my coat on, grabbed my keys, and looked over at Tracey, who was staring off, daydreaming, with her hand running absentmindedly over her neck.

“Don’t worry. I’ll drive carefully,” I said.

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