mundane_bingo Prompt "Waiting for the bus to arrive"
Rebecca was giving him that look again. He glanced over at her for a second and then back to the road; the bus station wasn't far off, but people tended to barrel down the back streets like madmen.
"Aand, this is us! All out, all out, mind the step..."
Dale was driving everyone to the bus stop because he was big, male, and had a truck. And that was pretty much it. The bus stop wasn't in the best area of town, and they were a bunch of women who would be waiting for potentially a long time, not to mention loaded down with all the stuff they were taking home for spring break. Once they were on their way to the airport, yeah, it wouldn't be so bad, but right now he was happy to haul people and their stuff to the bus station and wait with them so they didn't get molested.
"Everybody got everything?" Rebecca nodded. Beth loaded up her camera bag, her purse, six different straps hanging from her shoulders.
"Yeah, I think I got it."
Everyone shook their heads at her, Rebecca mumbling something behind him about how could she carry all that crap, and Beth laughing and claiming practice. Dale went to the front counter of the hotel where the bus stop was and asked how long it would be.
"Fifteen, twenty minutes I think?"
"Cool," Dale smiled, picked up a couple candy bars for everyone. "Thanks."
The candy bars at least gave everyone an excuse to avoid the uncomfortable silence. Rebecca was one of Beth's friends more than his, although he'd talked to her some around the lunch table, and Kimmy, the third one who'd been riding in the back, was a classmate of his who he only knew from when she spoke up in class. She stood off to the side, though, texting someone on her phone.
Which left Beth to check her camera one last time and Rebecca to continue to give him sidelong glances. Dale ignored the looks and waited for her to finally say what was on her mind.
"You're not really gay, are you?"
And there it was. Dale's eyebrows shot up, though he tried to avoid looking at her at least for the first minute or so while he figured out how to respond. "What makes you say that?" was his first reaction. He had the feeling he knew the answer.
"You don't..." she shrugged, looking down the road again. "I don't know, you just don't act gay. I mean, I know you said you had a boyfriend and all..."
A boyfriend he couldn't wait to see again, too. The quicker he got her and Beth on the road, the sooner he could get back, pack up, and head out. Damn, why wasn't the stupid bus there yet?
"... but you just don't..."
"Do this?" He'd seen Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A few times. He also was familiar with all the lisping, hip-swaying, flamboyant moves of the screaming drag queen camp gay stereotypes. He even went through a few of them on Halloween, when Rocky Horror Picture Show was involved, or whenever the party seemed to call for it. And usually alcohol had occurred by that point, although not always.
But it just wasn't something he did. Him, Dale, as an everyday thing. He liked to go out on his rollerblades and play street hockey, or ice hockey in the winter. He liked to read now and again when the weather was really bad, or late at night. He liked action movies and piles of food and hockey as a sport to watch and beer, and he wasn't shy about any of it. He also wasn't the kind of person to make a big scene out of his emotions, which was why he wasn't sliding into a tirade or flouncing off with his sexuality questioned by a new friend.
Rebecca did wince, too. At least she knew it was a stupid question now that she'd asked it. "Yeah, pretty much. Like that."
Dale sighed. "Yeah, well. I've never ..." He didn't know how to describe it. He wasn't even sure he should try. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm gay. At least, my boyfriend sure thinks so." Man, that was a joke he was never, ever going to repeat around Aaron.
"Thinks so?"
Yep, that would be why. "Joking. Look, I don't know what to tell you, Beck. I'm very, very gay. Queer? Whatever the kids are calling it these days. I have wild hot very gay sex with my ridiculously sexy boyfriend and ..." Something. He trailed off, shading his eyes with his hand. Why was he even trying to convince her?
"I still don't think he exists," Beth chirped, not looking up from her phone. But she and Dale had had this debate several times, and it was more along the lines of teasing because every time Aaron had been to campus, she'd either been cramming for a test or out of town, herself. "Still think he's a figment of your imagination."
"Well, he's a damn good figment of my imagination, then, because..." And commence the eyebrow waggling. Beth choked, laughed, and then stretched up a little on her toes.
"Ooh, hey, bus is here."
Thank god, he was running out of ways to answer that. "Seriously," he mumbled to Beth, as her friend was gathering up her things. "Seriously, how do you answer that? Am I gay, it's like asking, are you sure you're tall? Yes, I'm sure I'm tall, I can put my chin on your head."
Beth laughed, patted his arm. "She doesn't mean anything, she's just... very convinced that what she sees on TV is the way things are. And she watches a lot of reality television." Her lips pressed together and her eyes went wide and innocent as Rebecca came back over to the bus. Dale helped them load their things on the undercarriage, trying not to laugh.
"See you when we get back." Hugs for everyone, resting his chin on Beth's head to make his point, which got him tickled. "If you're lucky I'll even have pictures of me and my boyfriend for you."
"Dirty pictures?" Beth waggled her eyebrows.
Dale snorted, grinning. "You'll never be that lucky. Safe trip!"
"Safe sex!"
Rebecca blushed. Beth cackled.
Dale flashed them a two finger salute, laughing.
"Aand, this is us! All out, all out, mind the step..."
Dale was driving everyone to the bus stop because he was big, male, and had a truck. And that was pretty much it. The bus stop wasn't in the best area of town, and they were a bunch of women who would be waiting for potentially a long time, not to mention loaded down with all the stuff they were taking home for spring break. Once they were on their way to the airport, yeah, it wouldn't be so bad, but right now he was happy to haul people and their stuff to the bus station and wait with them so they didn't get molested.
"Everybody got everything?" Rebecca nodded. Beth loaded up her camera bag, her purse, six different straps hanging from her shoulders.
"Yeah, I think I got it."
Everyone shook their heads at her, Rebecca mumbling something behind him about how could she carry all that crap, and Beth laughing and claiming practice. Dale went to the front counter of the hotel where the bus stop was and asked how long it would be.
"Fifteen, twenty minutes I think?"
"Cool," Dale smiled, picked up a couple candy bars for everyone. "Thanks."
The candy bars at least gave everyone an excuse to avoid the uncomfortable silence. Rebecca was one of Beth's friends more than his, although he'd talked to her some around the lunch table, and Kimmy, the third one who'd been riding in the back, was a classmate of his who he only knew from when she spoke up in class. She stood off to the side, though, texting someone on her phone.
Which left Beth to check her camera one last time and Rebecca to continue to give him sidelong glances. Dale ignored the looks and waited for her to finally say what was on her mind.
"You're not really gay, are you?"
And there it was. Dale's eyebrows shot up, though he tried to avoid looking at her at least for the first minute or so while he figured out how to respond. "What makes you say that?" was his first reaction. He had the feeling he knew the answer.
"You don't..." she shrugged, looking down the road again. "I don't know, you just don't act gay. I mean, I know you said you had a boyfriend and all..."
A boyfriend he couldn't wait to see again, too. The quicker he got her and Beth on the road, the sooner he could get back, pack up, and head out. Damn, why wasn't the stupid bus there yet?
"... but you just don't..."
"Do this?" He'd seen Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A few times. He also was familiar with all the lisping, hip-swaying, flamboyant moves of the screaming drag queen camp gay stereotypes. He even went through a few of them on Halloween, when Rocky Horror Picture Show was involved, or whenever the party seemed to call for it. And usually alcohol had occurred by that point, although not always.
But it just wasn't something he did. Him, Dale, as an everyday thing. He liked to go out on his rollerblades and play street hockey, or ice hockey in the winter. He liked to read now and again when the weather was really bad, or late at night. He liked action movies and piles of food and hockey as a sport to watch and beer, and he wasn't shy about any of it. He also wasn't the kind of person to make a big scene out of his emotions, which was why he wasn't sliding into a tirade or flouncing off with his sexuality questioned by a new friend.
Rebecca did wince, too. At least she knew it was a stupid question now that she'd asked it. "Yeah, pretty much. Like that."
Dale sighed. "Yeah, well. I've never ..." He didn't know how to describe it. He wasn't even sure he should try. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm gay. At least, my boyfriend sure thinks so." Man, that was a joke he was never, ever going to repeat around Aaron.
"Thinks so?"
Yep, that would be why. "Joking. Look, I don't know what to tell you, Beck. I'm very, very gay. Queer? Whatever the kids are calling it these days. I have wild hot very gay sex with my ridiculously sexy boyfriend and ..." Something. He trailed off, shading his eyes with his hand. Why was he even trying to convince her?
"I still don't think he exists," Beth chirped, not looking up from her phone. But she and Dale had had this debate several times, and it was more along the lines of teasing because every time Aaron had been to campus, she'd either been cramming for a test or out of town, herself. "Still think he's a figment of your imagination."
"Well, he's a damn good figment of my imagination, then, because..." And commence the eyebrow waggling. Beth choked, laughed, and then stretched up a little on her toes.
"Ooh, hey, bus is here."
Thank god, he was running out of ways to answer that. "Seriously," he mumbled to Beth, as her friend was gathering up her things. "Seriously, how do you answer that? Am I gay, it's like asking, are you sure you're tall? Yes, I'm sure I'm tall, I can put my chin on your head."
Beth laughed, patted his arm. "She doesn't mean anything, she's just... very convinced that what she sees on TV is the way things are. And she watches a lot of reality television." Her lips pressed together and her eyes went wide and innocent as Rebecca came back over to the bus. Dale helped them load their things on the undercarriage, trying not to laugh.
"See you when we get back." Hugs for everyone, resting his chin on Beth's head to make his point, which got him tickled. "If you're lucky I'll even have pictures of me and my boyfriend for you."
"Dirty pictures?" Beth waggled her eyebrows.
Dale snorted, grinning. "You'll never be that lucky. Safe trip!"
"Safe sex!"
Rebecca blushed. Beth cackled.
Dale flashed them a two finger salute, laughing.