day after

It was daybreak when Ravi awoke in the back seat with Liz in her car. He shivered. It was so cold. He imagined they could have frozen to death, but they didn't. They'd hugged each other, pracitcally in a cocoon of their coats and sweaters, and somehow had slept quite warm with their body heat.

Of course, Ravi's eyes were wide open now. He'd slept with his ex-girlfriend's sister. Well, it had been sleep. Just sleep. They'd talked quite a bit about when she used to live here before and then her parents moved away to retire somewhere just to find new jobs. Her parents ran a camp ground which Bridget never told him about. He thought thats what Liz said, but then they were kind of high and everything sounded like a dream.

Now he saw the chocolate on the corners of her mouth, she looked to be all of eleven and quite ordinary. Nothing like Bridget. Liz might have been ruff around the edges, but she could be soft and sweet too. He thought they might have kissed, but they never did. She just laugh. Then he laughed, and she got cold but was afraid to drive home so they'd stayed here wrapped up in each other's warm. And now he was so tired. Really tired and hungry.

Suddenly she looked at him and smiled.

"Lets go to IHOP!" She acted as if it was going to be a great new day. And then she yawned, and shivered. Soon enough he started up the car to warm. He ended up driving to IHOP where she ended up in the bathroom for quite awhile.

Ravi sipped coffee. He wished he'd asked what she wanted to order. But it seemed as if she had all day in the restroom. Finally, she found the table. She'd washed her face and put on fresh makeup. It startled Ravi. He didn't think she had too. Suddenly, he felt he was on a date. It was 8 in the morning.

"Sorry, I must look horrible." She frowned as she sat down across from him.

"No, you don't." He sighed.

"Thanks for putting up with me. Sorry, I made you wait." She looked at the menu just to tell him how she hated pancakes. "I don't like sweet stuff for breakfast, actually."

"I'm not that big into sweets, either." After all, he'd finished a bag of peanut-butter cups in the shapes of hearts.

"I could eat a steak." She smiled. "A big fat rare steak." Then she gritted. "But I kill very small animals for a living, so I'm trying not to eat the big ones." She sighed. The waitress came then. "I'll have a huge plate of hashbrowns and two fried eggs." She drank her coffee black then. Ravi ordered the same.

"I know, I shouldn't have the eggs, but I can't help it." She shrugged. "Its hard being a vegetarian. I don't think I'm one completely. I'm trying. I really am."

"I won't tell anyone." He smiled.

She smiled back.

"God, I think you could be my new best friend. You really could." She smiled more. Ravi smiled back as if he was pleased to do so.