Before

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"You sure you're cool with this?"

"Yep."

"I mean..."

"I said I'm fine."

"I know but-"

"Do you want to call him and cancel?"

"Well no."

"Well there you go."

"Alright, if you say so..."

"I do say so."

"Fine."

"Can we just talk about something else?"

"I really like this song?"

"Good. Me too."

"Who is it?"

"...The Beatles?"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yep."

"Huh."

"I thought you were into music?"

"I am. I just... didn't recognize the song."

"But... it's... nevermind."

"Is this really bad? I mean, I should know this..."

"Well yeah. You should."

"Are you sure you're Ok?"

"Jesus Christ on a rubber crutch will you stop asking me that?"

"Ok! Ok! I just... I mean..."

"He hates this song."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh..."

"You look good."

"Thanks."

"Have fun tonight."

"Yeah... I will."

Mittens

credit

“Hey”

“…”

“…Or not.”

“Huh? Were you talking to me?”

“Well yeah, I just…”

“…”

“You’re wearing mittens.”

“…How very insightful”

“It’s just not something you see every day”

“…”

“Cause most people prefer gloves”

“…”

“Can’t say I understand why really, I mean, it’s not like these people are WWI snipers who need their

fingers spaced so they can do something dexterous. These are just normal people, wandering around the city, maybe carrying a few bags or something but it’s not like you need fingers for that.”

“…”

“…”

“What if they have to dial their phones?”

“Huh?”

“The glove people, what if they have to dial their phones, they’d need fingers for that, right?”

“Oh… yeah…”

“What?”

“Nothing, I just… thought I was annoying you.”

“You were.”

“Oh”

“But I figured someone ought to correct you of your bias against glove-wearers”

“So… I’m not annoying you?”

“Oh, you are.”

“Oh.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Here.”

“What is it?”

“What does it look like?”

“A pink sticky note?”

“…”

“With a phone number… I thought you said I was annoying?”

“I did.”

“Oh.”

“But you’re the first guy I’ve ever met who tried to pick me up by talking about mittens, so I figure that’s

worth coffee.”

“Wow. I can’t believe that worked.”

“…”

“…”

“Is this your bus?”

“Yeah, yours?”

“Yep.”

“So… are you getting on?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“My jeans are frozen to the bench.”

“Oh. That sounds like quite the predicament.”

“It really is.”

“Would you like some help?”

“Nah, I’m good. It’ll thaw eventually.”

“Oh, alright then.”

“…”

“…”

“I thought this was your bus?”

“It was”

“So why are you sitting back down?”

“Where I was going wasn’t as important as keeping a pretty girl company while she waits for her butt to

defrost.”

“That’s… oddly sweet.”

“I know.”