Sinking my teeth into the juicy burger, feeling the juice and fat dripping down my fingers, for a moment I was able to disconnect from last night's battle and completely forget about everything.
A soft bun, moist fresh lettuce leaves, crispy onion rings and, of course, the beef. Juicy, tender and almost melting in your mouth.....
-Oh, yeah, baby.
The warm juice of the freshly cooked dish hit the taste buds, eliciting an understanding chuckle from the owner of the eatery. An elderly man of indeterminate appearance was washing his hands at the moment to return to the cash register, taking an order from a new customer.
And the people kept coming, and I wouldn't be lying if I said it was because of me. I could see the smile of satisfaction on his face.
A sip of hot cappuccino, which left a little foam on my upper lip, only completed this pre-orgasmic satiation.
Smart people say it right. Eating to live is necessary. But to live to eat is wonderful.
In general, the general condition was a middle ground between a hangover and sunburn. A slight fever, fatigue, weakness and thirst for any liquid. My head was swollen from the abundance of events and news, but at least at this moment I just wanted to relax and indulge in one of the most pleasant and easy to fulfil sins.
-I'm sorry, may I? Are you dining alone?
But it can't go off without a problem, can it? I reluctantly opened my eyelids and stared at my uninvited companion.
The first thing that caught my eye was a dark mane of red hair, which was on the verge of auburn in colour, and only from the light of the sun or the position of the shadow changed its shade.
A neat upturned nose, a pretty simple face, more suitable for a girl from the province, and a thin strip of curved lips.
In general, the appearance of the stranger was excellent, and I am sure that her figure was also remarkably good. A real southern belle, and I mean southern states, not continent. But it was spoilt by the sad expression on her face and the baggy clothes that covered everything but her face and neck.
Her green eyes stared at me patiently, watching for the slightest reaction. And if at first I was going to respond harshly, hoping to finish my meal alone, then looking into the girl's gaze, a lump froze in my throat.Wow, how many emotions were hiding in those dim emeralds. Sadness, acceptance of the inevitable, curiosity, and a tiny bit of hope mixed with a slight smile.
I'd known before that women were a veritable treasure trove of feelings and experiences, for what my ex was worth. Gwen could shoot out a real palette of all kinds of emotions, knocking me off my game.
Thinking about a superheroine glimpsed in the papers triggered a strange echo of emotion. Something between deafening acceptance, freedom, and resentment.
"It's for the best. This relationship ended in nothing anyway."
In my former world, I would have waited patiently for the allotted time, intending to try again to get back together with the girl who evokes such warm feelings in me. But we're on a temporary hiatus, which in the reality of American teenage life means a breakup dressed up in polite form. It's not some kind of stop-gap or sabbatical in studies to then quietly continue studying at the same university. Gwen can stretch this break as long as she wants without letting me go any further, while still meeting other people, which is basically expected of me.
-The stupid country and its mores... -I'm sorry?
-Excuse me?
-Ah, sorry, -smile, we never forget the American smile, -I just remembered something, so I thought about it. Sure, have a seat.
Standing up from the table, I push back my chair to smooth out the unpleasant impression. For a few seconds, this country charming.... The image of a Redneck bride whose father is pointing a gun at you, forcing you to marry his blood. So the brown-haired beauty hovered in a stupor for a moment, then glanced behind me, but sat down at the table, placing her tray full of food next to mine.
"So much for the pretty little girl from the south."
I cringed a little, especially when I saw the abundance of food piled on the table. Burgers, appetisers, hot dishes and more. For Christ's sake, she had a real mound of sauces. There's like twenty or so of them!
-Um. Mister, maybe I should--
-Oh, forgive my impertinence, miss. It's just that I'm impressed, so I couldn't help it.
When I was a kid, I used to watch a lot of TV shows about life in Texas and other related states. So now I tried to sparodize the accent and mannerisms seen there before, which certainly didn't go unnoticed by this green-eyed beauty.
As I recall, in the South, children are often taken to Cotillion, where the unfortunate toddlers are forced to learn the classical dances of the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries. And, if my memory serves me correctly, they also teach them manners, so let's see how they react.....
-Sir, are you teasing me about my pronunciation? -Sir, you're teasing me about my pronunciation.
Straight to the forehead. No Yankee word games. What about the trademark, "Keep a straight face and seem nice to the end?"? I felt like a Chinese cultivator for a moment and wanted to literally spurt blood while clutching my chest.
-This young man is apologising-.
-Oooh. I didn't understand that reference.
My interested gaze flickered to the girl's face, on which for the first time appeared the rudiments of a sincere cheerful smile.
-"You've got me pretty good, miss.
-Well, you acted too straightforwardly and clumsily," and after stuffing some potatoes into her mouth, she held out her right hand to me, "let's keep it simple.
-I agree. I'm Sean. Sean Sullivan.
-... Anna, you can just call me Anna.
-Fine, just Anna. It's nice to meet you, - it was necessary to start a conversation about nothing, but, as a bad luck, in my head, nothing at all came to mind, - and where are you from, Anna, if it's not a secret?
The girl gave me a sceptical look, hiding her smile behind her displeasure and sarcasm. Her green eyes travelled carefully over my entire body, especially lingering on the scar across my face.
-I'm from Mississippi-.
-Oh-oh, the great wrestling state! I remember my father had a commemorative coin from the year one thousand eight hundred and twelve," I saluted the burger and hid my smile behind my cup of coffee, "and how is it? Are the people still on the rampage?
-Я... I'm not well-versed in politics and modern realities.
That was weird. Mississippi's a pretty active state. It may be small and squeezed by large neighbours, but in recent years there's been a lot of activism and other movements for the rights of Negroes, Indians and all the rest of the wronged. As I recall, half the population there are coloured people who love to talk about their oppression and struggles.
Is she lying? Why, would you ever tell a stranger an obvious lie? It's weird.
My inner detective immediately switched on in my head and began to suspect the lady sitting next to me, scrutinising her from every angle.
Suspicious movements, closed clothes, a tired, sad look.
My paranoia had played out and now I seriously suspected that across from me sat a killer or some suicide bomber, resigned to his fate ...
-I was born in a commune. My parents actively advocate peace and freedom....
-I see. -Yeah, it's all really coming together. So she's from a society of unwashed hippie savages. As much as I don't like the rotten capitalist regime, I don't respect dirty vagrants who whine about injustice and only get stoned and vomit acid all around. Oh, if my daddy, an honest labourer, could see who I'm talking to now - so freedom fighters from oppression. That's interesting.
-Well, they were more like hygiene fighters.
I nearly spit out my coffee, trying to fully comprehend how much is put into that context. A hint of promiscuous sex, or a dirty lifestyle, or drugs, or maybe just a cute mixture of all of those things in general.... Glancing at Anna's lips curled in disgust, I realise that the last option has a good chance of success.
The girl obviously had a hard time extinguishing bad memories and that's why her complete ignorance of the situation in her native state became clear.
Hiparian communes are quite isolated. Members of this gathering do not like strangers, preferring to stay in a narrow family circle ... Very tight, if you know what I mean.
So I wouldn't be surprised if that pretty face escaped when her unwashed dad tried to get into her knickers. Although it's weird, why would she be disgusted by that at all? Wasn't she raised in that environment? Is she lying again, or is it more of an understatement?!
-Let's change the subject.
-I think that would be the best solution," she smiled gratefully, and then she gnawed furiously at her burger, as if taking out her anger on the poor food. "Let's talk about you, Sean. I don't want to spoil your appetite.
What a fucking revelation. Suppressing a questioning raised eyebrow, I gladly joined the conversation, involuntarily fluffing my tail in front of the beauty from the south. Without noticing it, at some point we left the table, bought another cup of coffee to go, and went for a leisurely walk, where the girl pelted me with questions, fuelling my ego more and more.
It was surprisingly pleasant and easy. You know, that nice feeling when you can just talk about your favourite hobbies or work, which most people are not interested in, your listener will sincerely ask questions, not even trying to change the subject or move to a simpler conversation.... On the contrary, Anna was an amazing conversationalist, flooding me with questions about my profession at university.
With burning eyes, completely lost her former image, the girl clarified many trivial for me moments, diving headlong into the dark waters of mechanics, physics and mathematics.
But no matter how beautiful it was, and the day was gradually coming to an end. And now the sun rays were beginning to leave the sky, leaving us in a pleasant semi-darkness, when the night lights of the city were still on.
We made a decent circle and returned to the morning diner, only now we were both warming our palms against the cups, tapping our frozen fingers on the plastic cups.
-It's been a great day, Sean. -I agree.
-I agree. It's been a long time since I've been so relaxed.
-Anna's facial expressions were amazing. Her ability to convey emotion through tone of voice, fine motor skills, and other nuances was a childlike delight, but I think I should go home, or my... friend will be worried.
-Oh, if you've got a boyfriend, you should have said so, I'm a big boy. -What?
-What? -No, no! I mean. What's that got to do with it?
Sweetly panicked, cheeks visibly flushed, the girl turned away, escaping my gaze.
-It's really a friend, but... -She's almost like a mother to me. She's almost like a mother to me. So.
-Okay, don't worry, I was just kidding," my light laughter was met with the face of a disgruntled hamster. Although, by golly, if I hadn't been talking to her all day, I would have barely noticed the change in her facial expression. For all my other talents, you'd have to ask me out on a couple more dates before I'd consider it.
-Oh, Shawn. You're impossibly cheeky, and at the beginning of the day you seemed so gallant.
Another slight smile and a blush added to my victory. It felt so good to embarrass this cutie that I couldn't help myself. Unlike the active Gwen, the strong and independent daughter of the old "bobby" or the impudent Felicia, the sly, thieving and blackmailing girl who almost licked at me....
Anna was a breath of fresh air. Quiet, shy, modest, full of sadness and her own anxieties. She was flattered by my attention, but the girl's steely inner bonds were obviously stronger than my charisma, that's why I didn't make any plans for her, just a light flirtation and pleasant company. And what kind of girl could there be now?
The disabled psychic from Battle of the Psychics. A pumped-up guy in a helmet, that with the movement of a finger folds cars into a knot, and together with him on the sucker a crowd of mutants that for some fucking reason contacted Fisk. For what? Weapons, dough, or is this a banal terrorist act that will bring more chaos and destruction to New York and then the rest of the state?
Magneto is known for his antics. And while it's hard to find references to them for the common man, everyone in the know knows. The lord of magnetic waves is a dickhead who will happily arrange a new eleventh of September, without a second thought, as long as it does not hurt the mutants. Mutants from the right camp, of course. I mean his team.
The Goblin had also gone into hiding again and would now be ready for another round of fighting. How did this jerk get on their team? If it's Norman Osborne, what's he working for Fisk for? The first answer is pretty clichéd and clichéd: money. And it's probably the right one. Norman has had a big dip in stocks and funding, so he's in need of some truly big bucks right now.
Oh, by the way. That makes sense. Fisk was more like the middleman that brought Magneto and Goblin together. Whether by accident or malice, it doesn't matter! They're just working together now. Despite his psychosis, Osborn is a brilliant scientist who was able to create a sort of super soldier serum.... Now he's looking for Peter's blood and he's probably looking for something much more powerful and dangerous.
And in the eyes of the Brotherhood, Spider is more of a mutant than a super soldier. All that clinging to surfaces and white liquids in his hands...
"Hehe, I hope Pete's sneezing right now. Petty hand-wringer."
Here comes the simple bad guy scheme. Fisk gets the corpses of heroes that get in the way of his war for the city. Magneto gets a version of the serum that will help turn untermenschen into proper mutants, and Goblin gets...
"And the Goblin will catch all the profits in the form of money, serum, and excitement for his alter ego over the death of the supers and the defenders of the city."
Mean? Yeah. Comic book? Sure. Does it work? It's like a spitball.
The moment of insight was interrupted by Anna's timid attempt to grasp my hand, but, noticing my glance at her outstretched limb, the girl blushed again and naturally tried to run away.
I was the first to do so. Her small palm, wrapped in a glove, was lost in my clutches.
-It was nice to meet you, Anna. -Welcome. Maybe we could exchange phone numbers? I'd love to take another walk and have a chat, as you can see, I can go for hours without shutting up.
-Yes, I-I-I-I-I... -Yes, I-I-I-I...
The unhappy girl's teeth were doing the cancan. Blushing, panting, shooting her eyes in all directions, Anna with difficulty pulled out an ancient mobile phone, which in her previous life was joked about as an unbreakable brick, and handed it to me.
-Will you fill in your number? Я...
Understanding the girl's difficulties with technology, without further words I wrote myself down in the phone, for which I had to let out the palm of my hand shylyashka. And I even felt like a real bastard, because the girl let the air out of her nose so sadly that it even became uncomfortable. Like I was robbing her or forcing her to do stuff.....
-Here, I've put my name and number in, so please call me after five. I might not hear you during the day, I'm busy in the lab.
-Of course, thank you.
A short step forward - and the girl gently put her arm around my shoulders, trying not to touch me, but at the same time to show maximum kindness and gratitude.
It was very strange. Anna was incredibly tense, excited and happy at the same time. Her stiffened back spoke of her condition better than any words and I didn't even know how to react to it.
We stood in a rather awkward half-embrace for a few seconds, and only then did she pull away, hurriedly adjusting her clothes and giving me a strange look.
-Are you all right?
-Yes, yes... You could say that," Anna shook her gorgeous mane and smiled at me, giving me a little more of her cosy warmth, "It was great, Sean. Thank you. I hope we meet again soon....
-Of course, you've already agreed, so I'm obliged to show you the many other great eateries in this huge city.
With a brilliant smile, Anna waved her hand at me, disappearing into the crowd of passers-by hurrying home.
"What an unusual day."
I felt like smoking. My hand habitually rummaged through my pockets, but immediately stopped, realising the pointlessness of the venture.
"All right, better go do some business. I've got a night full of fun ahead of me."
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