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Frey couldn't help but notice the brown-haired woman in the grey turtleneck and winter parka staring at her as she walked by.
Even though it was a freezing cold day and she wanted to get home, she decided to turn around and see if, just out of morbid curiosity, the woman would talk to her or if she was just staring because, well, black street girl.
Then again, maybe the allegedly ubiquitous “Christmas spirit” might make the interaction go more smoothly. It had gotten her a serious reprieve from Judge Bird.
“So, uh, hey.” The words didn’t exactly roll smoothly off Frey’s tongue.
The other woman frowned. She didn’t back away, though, which was something. “Hi,” she said. Frey took a moment to eye her jawline, and noted with appreciation the complicated braided ponytail she could partly see at the back of her head. And she had hazel eyes, if Frey judged correctly.
Frey looked up and saw that she was standing in front of a record store. “Any good records in there?” As pick-up lines go, that sucked.
That forced a chuckle from the other woman. “Not really. My grandpa still has one of those old record players and I was hoping to get him a Frank Sinatra album. Cheapest one is, like, thirty bucks, though. Gotta pay the ‘vintage premium’ according to the guy at the counter. So much for having a sale on!”
“I usually just watch music videos on YouTube with my phone when I can get Wi-Fi,” Frey replied. With an effort at a change of subject, she asked, “Waiting for someone?”
She winced internally and mentally set a new low bar for how bad her pick-up lines could get.
Luckily, the other woman didn’t seem fazed and just shrugged. “Wanted to stand outside for a bit. The surge pricing’s insane right now so I’ll wait till things calm down a bit.”
“You’re braver than me. I wanna get home and warm up as soon as I can!”
“So… I’m the only reason you’re delaying your return, hmm?”
Frey could feel the heat rising just a bit in her face, and if that wasn’t enough, the other woman fucking winked at her.
“Busted,” Frey muttered. “But I did see you staring at me, so I kinda, well…”
“You usually go around picking up strange women on the street, then?” She grinned. “I’m Amelia.” She stuck out her hand and said, “You’re…?”
Frey hurriedly extended her hand. “Frey.” As she clasped Amelia’s hand, she couldn’t help but feel a slight shiver up her spine at the warmth of her smooth hand.
Amelia released her hand and let hers drop to her side. “Frey. I like that. Unusual name. So what do you like doing in your spare time?”
Be a street kid and steal shit for a living so I can save up enough and get the hell out of this damn city.
“Well, I’ve got a cat, so between her, games on my phone, and walking everywhere I go that’s kinda what I do when I’m not, um… freelancing.”
Amelia gasped. “A cat?! Please tell me you have a picture!”
Frey held her phone out to Amelia. “That’s Homer on my lock screen.”
“She’s adorable. So fluffy!” Amelia smiled widely at Frey. “I like you more and more, Frey.”
Flipping it back around, because she really didn’t want to accidentally let slip she just got out of court, she said, “So, Amelia. What do you do in your spare time, besides browse record stores?”
Amelia chuckled. “I’m kind of a bit of a nerd, honestly. I play some tabletop games - D&D, that kind of stuff.”
Vaguely remembering a club she’d been in back in high school, Frey nodded. “Uh, which rules are you using?”
“We were using fourth, but when the new ones came out we tried out the Lost Mine of Phandelver and it was pretty cool, so we switched.”
Frey frowned. “We…?”
Amelia waved that off. “Oh, just me and a couple of friends from college; I’m majoring in business, so doing this stuff is a good way to blow off steam.”
Frey smiled. “Must be nice, being in college.”
“It’s not for everyone,” mused Amelia. “My brother’s actually going into trades because everybody and their dog needs a plumber, but me, I wanna be owning the plumbing repair shop.” She reached out and touched Frey’s arm briefly. “So what kinda freelancing do you do?”
Think, think, think!
“Uh, just kinda… a bit of everything. I know a little bit about cars, so my last job was helping fix a guy’s ignition,” Frey babbled.
And if by 'fixing the ignition’, I mean attempting to hot-wire the car, that’s technically sorta true. I just didn’t do it with the owner’s permission.
Amelia lifted her eyebrows in surprise. “Interesting. More variety than my life, anyway.”
The wind shifted and a sudden chill went through Frey. “Shit, it’s getting colder. I really gotta–my cat.” She gestured vaguely in the direction she’d been walking.
“Oh, yeah! Sorry about that.” Amelia dug in her pockets and then coming up empty, said, “Uh, you mind giving me your phone for a second?”
Reluctantly, Frey handed it over. Without that phone, she was completely adrift; she bit her lip as Amelia tapped away in the Contacts section.
Relief flooded her as Amelia handed it back and winked again. “My number’s in there. Give me a call sometime and I’ll buy you a coffee.”
Frey lifted her eyebrow. “Are you asking me out already?”
Amelia’s face went red and she ducked her head for a moment before looking Frey in the eye. “What can I say? You’re growing on me. And you are pretty cute.”
It was now Frey’s turn to blush, and she mumbled, “Guess you’re pretty good-looking too.”
“Seeya, Frey…?”
“Holland.” She looked at her phone. “Amelia … Evans, I take it?”
She nodded. “That’s me. See you around.”
Frey sketched a short 'goodbye’ wave and said, “Guess maybe I will.”
Amelia waved back. “Hopefully soon!”
Frey turned and began walking down the street, but a smile kept tugging at her face. Maybe this Christmas - and my birthday - won’t suck for once.