Valerie stood quietly, her arms crossed. "Is that it?" she asked, raising one eyebrow. "Yeah, babe," Maxine said, waving a hand at them. "Shoo. Good luck."
Val followed, and she was already frowning as they exited. "So," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm going to go do some basic research on the timers. Can you meet me at Bluebird Cafe on 12th and Pine at around..." She paused and checked her watch. "1:30?"
"Great," she said shortly as they arrived at the front desk, turning on her heel and walking for the door. "See you then." Mike watched her go, and as the door shut behind her, he turned to Landon. "Don't let her demeanor fool you. She's not all bad."
"I know. I thought the same when I first met her. I promise she's not," he said with a nod, typing something into his computer. "She's just standoffish at first. And I know she's been worried about her timer falling off ever since she started dating her boyfriend." The was the sound of an engine purring from outside, and the motorcycle sped off, her helmet over her head. "She'll get better. You'll see."
"See you later!" Mike said cheerfully. He returned to his work, resting his head on his hand. * * * Arlo walked down the snowy streets, his hands in his pockets and his breath coming out in small puffs of steam. His glasses were in his pocket, and he squinted as he walked, keeping his eyes on the road.
Landon left, returning outside to call a cab. *** Callie stepped outside, carrying several different fabrics in her arms. After a moment of checking everything, she began walking, lightly brushing her hair out of her face.
Arlo squinted at the ground trying to see where he was going. He was so focused that he didn't see Callie, and he ran into her, falling backwards into the snow. "Aah! Damn it. Sorry."
She jumped back in surprise, a few of her items dropping. She set the rest down to help him up, her expression nervous. "Oh, jeez. Sorry, sorry. Are you okay?"
He opened his mouth to speak as his timer clicked and fell off. He squinted in surprise, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his glasses, slipping them onto his nose. "Huh."
She looked down as her own fell, her eyes widening slightly. "I'm sorry," she said eventually, kneeling down to pick up her things. "I'm actually in a relationship right now."
Arlo sighed with relief, brushing the snow off of him. "Oh, thank God," he said. "So am I, actually. With someone that I love very much."
She smiled brightly. "That's fantastic," she said kindly. "I'm glad to hear. I'm Callie Meiz, by the way."
"I'm Arlo," he said, offering her his hand and then realizing her hands were full. "Uh.. Arlo Davis. It's good to meet you, Callie."
