You turn me on like a light switch

 

Poppy didn't know where to start. It wasn't like she was off blowing bubbles in the park with Gage. It was only lunch. Naturally, she had her back to Alfie when he came up to surprise her.

Oh, she knew that HOW COULD YOU look of his. Now she felt as if this would be war. Or just a heat stroke. Suddenly she felt full of emotion and yet light-headed.

"Oh, we go to lunch all the time," she made an effort to smile. 

"Well, not everyday," Gage chimed in. "We just seem to have lunch off at the same time. So..well.."

"Oh." Alfie managed, but she could see the rage in his eyes. Maybe she was making it all up. Maybe. But she doubted it. Alfie explained he'd just finished lunch with Steve at the bakery.

"The bakery?" Poppy looked at him blankly. They'd never eaten at the bakery. It was always at the old diner where she'd worked once upon a time. It was usually a cheap grilled cheese sandwich or maybe a Celebrity Cobb salad. It was just better, eating with someone than eating alone. It was that simple. It gave her something to look forward to in her humdrum work life. 

At least, Alfie was formal enough and shook Gage's hand. Gage worked up the street at the hardware store. He said he used to be a fireman. Alfie just nodded.

She mentioned they'd gone to the same high school, but he was a few years older than her. 

Alfie kept quiet. So did she. She didn't want to fuss with him. Truly, this was the first time she'd ever crossed him. She felt bad about it, yet she liked her lunches with Gage and now it felt this was the last one. 

Finally, Alfie left and Poppy started to hyperventilate. 

"What's wrong?" Gage asked.

"I dunno." She pressed her lips tight. "He's mad at me."

"He didn't look angry," Gage told her. She only managed to nod. "He seems like a good guy," Gage went on to say.

"I know." She winced. She felt like the bad person in all this. All this time, she'd waited time after time for Alfie to notice her while they were at the University. And he never did. "I just..I just wished I would have been different back then."

"Oh, we all have a lot of things we regret, but try not to bring yourself down," Gage told her. "I want you to be happy. And you know you are happy with him." Gage reminded her that she talked about him all the time. "You just needed someone to talk to about Alfie."

Still, the tears emerged and she couldn't help but cry. "I don't know if..if thats really true anymore." She sniffed back the tears and he handed her a clean handkerchief from his pocket. She wiped away the tears. Only there were more.

"I..I just feel we..we are at a standstill, you know," Poppy looked at Gage out of the corner of her eye. He nodded as if he'd been there in a relationship.

"Don't give up. Maybe you can tell him about me," he smiled. "I'm a single father. I live with my mom and my step-dad. Honestly, I never get out much. Believe me, I'm not out to break you guys up. Maybe we should stop having lunch together."

Poppy nodded, but she wasn't sure she could do that.