Page 5 of Tank
“You passing through? Here for work or looking for a place to belong?”
He seems to genuinely want to know more about me. Just before I answer, the flirty girl from the counter is back, with a black coffee and a blueberry muffin for Tank.
“Thanks, darlin’,” he says as he hands her some money.
Blushing, she runs back to the counter. This time I can’t help but roll my eyes. Tank’s chuckle lets me know I wasn’t very discreet.
“So, are you going to answer my question?” Tank says as he takes a large bite of the muffin.
How can this man make eating a muffin seem sexy? It’s baffling.
“Well, I’m here for work, but the town is starting to grow on me.”
“Maybe after your job has finished, you could look to stay. What do you do for a living?”
Shit. Erm, now what the fuck do I say?
“I’m in data,” I say. Great, that’s vague enough, but still an answer.
“Data?” he asks, confused and with a slight tilt to his head.
“Yeah, what do you do for a living?” I quickly ask.
“I work for the club, a bit like an odd job man. We have a number of businesses in town, so I check they are all running smoothly and help where needed.”
Crap, he is being more honest than I thought he would be.
“So, a Jack of all trades, master of none,” I say with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I guess,” he says with a laugh.
The tension from earlier seems to have been broken, and we stick to more neutral ground, favorite music, bands, cars, and guns. Before we know it, we’re on our fourth cup of coffee and have been here for two hours. We’ve laughed and gotten to know each other a little. I found I'd actually enjoyed our time together. Tank seems to have a gentle ease about him. He smiles, and somehow you want to tell him all your darkest secrets. He’s told me all about his sister Kate, and you can tell he really loves her. I’d actually like to meet the crazy, multi-colored-haired whirlwind.
We’ve discussed a few topics, our taste in music is similar, both liking classic Rock. I also love country music, but Tank isn’t too fond of it. We both prefer action movies to lovey-dovey rom-coms. Both of us like whiskey and tequila, plus we both favor a Glock when it comes to our gun of choice. Although, I do have a bit of a love for Desert Eagles. Checking my phone, I notice the time.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Tank, but I need to go. I’ve been here longer than planned,” I tell him as I get up.
“Yeah, we do seem to have been talking for a while,” he says, confused.
“You okay?”
“I don’t think I’ve spent this much time just talking to a woman, and I liked it.”
“Anyway, it was nice to see you again,” I say as I grab my bag and head out the door.
“Pandora, wait,” he calls after me.
I stop and let him catch up.
“When can I see you again?”
“Tank, I enjoyed chatting with you, but at the moment, I’m not looking for anything.”
I try to let him down gently. My life right now just doesn’t have space for a man or relationships. It’s just way too complicated. Am I happy being alone? To be honest, no, I’m not. I would love to have someone to come home to at night. Someone caring about me, but my life doesn’t work like that. My work takes me all over the country and sometimes the world. How do you fit a relationship in when you’re gone a lot of the time?
“I get it, I really do, but I’ll be honest, something about you makes me want to get to know you better, and I don’t mean sex. Though you're gorgeous darlin’ and I definitely wouldn’t turn you down,” he says on a chuckle. “I want to know what’s in your head and heart, as well as your bra and panties,” he finishes with a cheeky grin.
I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up and escapes before I can stop it.
