Kara put down her window and turned the radio on. She loved feeling the warm breeze (even if she’d looked like she’d been through a hurricane by the time they got to the restaurant) and hear the sounds of the street and the smell of the ocean.
“Hey, so what’s been up with you? I mean, other than the whole – looking for a job thing –” They’d touched on that topic and they’d touched on her work, and that was all she wanted to say about either of those things for the next two hours. “How are things? How are the roomies?” She asked.
“And how’s the love life?” She asked, raising her eyebrows, “I hope i’m not gonna scar you for life with my horror stories,” She teased, “Statistically, I think that one of us is bound for a good one, and – let’s be real – it’s probably going to be you. You really should go out sometime,” She said playfully, nudging his arm.
To be honest, she was worried about her brother. She never heard him talk about going out with friends or a girl or anything. She hoped he was okay. She hoped that he would tell her if he wasn’t. Maybe she was overthinking things and maybe he was just busy trying to find a job, but she hoped he wasn’t all work and no play.
In truth, Kara hadn’t paid quite enough attention to her brother as she should have. If she did, she’d realize that he didn’t have any friends and hadn’t had any for a long time.
She suddenly made a face. “Wait. What are you listening to? We gotta find something better than this,” She said, mock horrified, as she scanned through the stations until she found the top forties one. “I’m about to jam out to Justin Bieber,” She said, "And unless you are going to pull over and throw me out, you are just gonna have to deal.”
Although Kara was, arguably, the person Bobby cared about most, he had never confided in her. So while he loved seeing her and spending time with her, he also hated it. Because he could never truly answer her questions. He mostly preferred talking about her. Kara’s life was always endlessly interesting. He loved her stories and loved hearing her tell them.
But now, he had to deflect. And that was the part he always hated.
“Nothing much. Just out looking. And the roomies are the same. We still don’t really get along but not much I can do about that. At least it’s a place to stay.”
He paused, almost willing the drive to the restaurant to pass faster. At least there, he would have other distractions. Like food. And maybe even Val.
“Oh, it’s the same. I haven’t been seeing anyone lately. It’s hard to date when you’re out of work.” He looked over at her then, giving her the ghost of a smile. She was wrong about their love lives. Neither of them had had much luck. For Kara, it was a string of accidents, none of them her fault. For Bobby, everything was always his fault. He found people he liked and he pushed them away. So eventually he just stopped looking. But those were things he didn’t tell Kara.
She never knew how his relationship with Valerie really ended. Just that it had stopped. And he was grateful that she’d never really asked. He knew he couldn’t tell her. He never wanted to tell her. He wanted Val back but knew he didn’t deserve her; he’d never deserve her. So his love life had become an endless cycle of making mistakes and spending the rest of his life punishing himself for them. He knew it wasn’t any way to live but he couldn’t stop.
At the mention of her own failed love life, Bobby’s right hand found Kara’s left knee and he squeezed it briefly before moving his hand back to the steering wheel. “Hey, I love your stories. But I also love your safety. Maybe you should consider hiring on bodyguard to follow you on dates? At the rate your dates try to kill you, it could be a good investment.”
He laughed a little, actually picturing that. Kara would probably end up dating the bodyguard. Especially if Bobby hired one and didn’t tell her. He could just imagine a call about her newest stalker. The thought made Bobby actually, genuinely smile. Kara did find herself in the most amusing scrapes.
“Are you still going out with that guy? I forget his name. I think he worked in a bar? Or a tattoo parlor? That big guy?” His nose crinkled as he tried to think. Kara went on lots of dates-- far more than Bobby --but Bobby never bothered to really keep track. That guy was a recent date, right?
At the mention of his radio presets, Bobby’s eyes widened. “How can you listen to this guy?!? You know he’s a total asshole, right? And I like my classic rock. You can’t get better than AC/DC. Honestly, who raised you? Who told you listening to that ‘Justice Beaver’ is okay?”
He scoffed, gazing at her in mock horror. He almost considered driving her to the record store and buying her some decent music. Almost.
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