black balloon

Ainslee smiled. “Shopping buddies.”

Gabe nodded. "Buddies that shop together. Shopping buddies.”

“Yeah, like food.” Ainslee chuckled. Relationships built people up and tore them down too, so there was always something going on in someone’s life like that. The girl shook her head. “So what? I’ve met present you and I enjoy his company so I say you’re not an asshole now.” She shrugged her shoulders. She liked present him, and she had never met past him so she chose to think that he was good now and would still be this way. “Options are always good.” She nodded her head, them looked at him. “I haven’t met him so I wouldn’t know if that’s the reason I’m here in Lima.” 

“Oh yeah, food is a big one. The only true life partner,” Gabe said with a smile. He shrugged and gave her a little smile, looking away for a moment, but the words still made the inside of his chest feel a little warmer. He didn’t know how many people would agree that the guy who left his best friend to get arrested wasn’t an asshole, but he supposed she was right to an extent -- past him was in the past, and at least present him was trying. “Thanks. Always good to know.” He nodded in agreement. “I think options are better.” Gabe chuckled. “I’ll introduce you two,” he joked.

“For sure,” he said. “We can be shopping buddies.”

Ainslee nodded, “Unfortunately, yes. They can lead to good times, or bad. But, if no one ever acted on feelings I guess there’d be no reason for anything.” She shrugged her shoulders. Most people she’d liked she’d had bad experiences with, but there was that light at the end of the tunnel saying ‘eventually there will be someone good’ and that kept her hopes up. “The main character would not be an asshole. If you were an asshole I wouldn’t have made you a fantastically home cooked meal.” She laughed lightly and shrugged her shoulders. “You know, I think it’s true. Without that hope of something like that what’s the point?” She paused, looking down and watching her dog run around after the ball he was pushing. “Oh, totally. The forces up there sent me here to find you.” She smirked, nudging his side with her elbow.

"Nah, no way. There'd be plenty reasons. I guess things might be a little... I don't know, more boring, or... greyer, I guess, but I think there's more to life than relationships. Or romantic ones, at least." Gabe stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugging lightly. He was open to the idea of a relationship, but he had never understood the importance people seemed to place on them. "I promise you, Ainslee, if had you met me two years ago you'd agree with me," he said, and he honestly believed it was true. He wasn't proud of the person he was at that point in his life. "I think there's a point. I mean, just because the universe doesn't push you together doesn't mean it ain't worth it, right? Plus, if there's not just one specific person you're meant to be with then at least if it doesn't work out you still got options, you know." He grinned. "What are you talking 'bout? I meant my friend Richie."

Ainslee shrugged her shoulders, “Feelings are probably the opposite of fun. I mean, I already told you my crazy ex story the day we met so safe to say my record with feelings is pretty much effrayant." She let out a little chuckle, but had honestly meant that. That had been the longest relationship she’d been in, and look where those feelings landed her. She clucked her tongue and shook her head at him. "Hey now, some moments in life may be low-budget but others…they’re top ten highest costing film worthy Gabe." She smiled at him. "Okay, I see your point there. But the point of a soulmate is no matter where they are, at some point they find their way to each other. So, I grew up in Paris. Does that mean my soulmate is in France? Or Australia waiting to find me? Maybe soulmates have a chance meeting and never know what could have happened." She shrugged, realizing she was rambling on so she shut herself up with another final sip of her glass. 

"Well, at least they're fun at the time. I mean, there's a reason we act on 'em, right?" Gabe said. Although his experiences with feelings weren't great, either--compared to a lot of them, Casey Dunley was a good memory--he tried to not rule out the possibility of one happening altogether. That got a chuckle out of him, "I wouldn't want to watch a movie about my life. The main character would be an asshole." He shrugged. "It just seems like it'd be a flawed system. But I see why you'd want to believe in it, I guess. If it did work out it would be a pretty sweet deal. And you never know, could be true. Maybe that's why how you ended up in Lima. Your soulmate could be a waiter at Breadstix or something. Or a certain assistant mechanic," he added with a wink.

"Yeah, it's pretty weird how it works. Feelings are sneaky. But hey, I guess that's part of the fun, right?" he said, half-jokingly. He chuckled. "I don't know 'bout that. I think it's more like a low-budget young adult drama movie." He listened to her soulmates theory, shaking his head when she said it was stupid. "Nah, it's not. I guess I've always thought of it as this cliché romance novel thing, but nah, when you put it like that it... makes sense, I guess. I think people have more than one soulmate, though. Otherwise if your soulmate got hit by a bus or lived in Australia or something you'd be screwed." He snorted. "Te creo," he said, then chuckled. "Por cierto, no tienes que tratarme de usted."

"Oh, yeah. I’ve been in there. They keep me well stocked in several packages of oreos."

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me, I need to pick up some oreos too," he said. "I always go in there for one thing and come out with ten items."

Ainslee pouted, “Poor Gabe. I’m sure you’ll figure that part of your life out eventually.” She shrugged, “I mean, unless you already have. Then all power to you.” She gave him a soft smile. “Though, I don’t think people hit relationship peek until like twenties or thirties. But, I could be wrong. Your soulmate could have been someone and you may never know.” Ainslee shrugged her shoulders. She looked at him for a moment, “Please Gabe, it’s not just two languages.” She shook her head, chuckling. “I know a bit of Russian, not fluent though. And Spanish and Italian I can get by. Also a little bit of Dutch but like, not a lot of that.” She giggled a bit, “Comes with a mom who’s an ambassador. Travel and tutors and lots of guys in my home who spoke too many different languages. I think Dutch and Italian started because I wanted to know the curses.”

Gabe put his hands on the counter and leaned back slightly, shrugging. "No point in trying to figure anything out," he said. "I'm not really looking for anyone. I mean.. if it happens it happens, you know?" He raised an eyebrow. "You believe in soulmates?" He stared at her for a second before chuckling and putting his hands up. "Well, excuse me. That's... surprisingly not very surprising to me," he said, which was true. By now he had realized that Ainslee was just a... very impressive person altogether. It was almost a little intimidating. "Yo puedo hablar un poco del español."

She shrugged, “I was just walking around. Looking for coffee or something, I guess. What about you?”

"Just gotta get some stuff from that shop over there," he said, gesturing towards a little store on the corner of the street.

"Aw, poor ninth grade Gabe." Ainslee pouted a little bit. "I’m sure you eventually got over this and found someone else. Who’s father wasn’t a crazy person." She nodded her head, taking a sip of her drink. She bit her lip and giggled again when he asked her the question, "I did. Thanks for the story." She smiled a bit and shrugged, "Well thanks. But this comes from a few years here speaking mostly English. Back home my accent is like ten times thicker." 

"I did," Gabe said with a nod. "Didn't work out though." He rolled his eyes, smiling despite himself. "Good. Glad I could provide you with a good laugh." He ran his fingers through his hair, shrugging. "You're right, I guess I don't know what it sounded like unaffected. I'm sure it wasn't that bad, though. I think you should be proud of it. I mean, two languages, that's pretty damn impressive."

He smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down at his shoes for a moment before looking back up. "So where are you heading?"

"The patch of ice that made you fall," he repeated, raising his eyebrows. "Right, of course. Poor you."