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Reeling in the Years	By : Flagg1991 Category: +G through L > The Loud House Views: 5080 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House or its characters and I am not profiting from this story in any way.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
The next day, Bobby arrived at the Loud house at five in the afternoon: He walked all the way from his house, and he was sweating, so before knocking on the door he took a moment to cool off in the shade of an oak tree. Whew. Good thing he left that stupid sweater at home...if he wore it he'd probably be dead by now. It looked nice, but the short-sleeved plaid shirt he wore now looked good too, right? He wasn't hip to square fashions, so he honestly didn't know. His mom liked it.
When he was good, he got up, climbed the stairs, and knocked on the door. In one hand he held a bouquet of flowers, and in the other a box of chocolates: From a last minute call to Lincoln, he learned that Lori liked the kind with caramel in the center.
The door opened, and Lori appeared. Bobby suddenly felt very nervous, but forced a grinned. "Hey," he said, "I got you stuff." He thrust the flowers out, and her eyes brightened.
"Bobby, they're beautiful," she said, taking them.
He held the chocolates out next. "And this. They have stuff in 'em." He winced. "I mean...caramel. They have caramel. Inside of them." Jesus, man, you're floundering.
She took the chocolates and cocked her head, a sly smile touching her lips. Bobby's heart raced faster. "You're spoiling me."
Bobby shrugged. "You know...sweet stuff for a sweet thing."
Her cheeks turned red, and panic filled Bobby's chest cavity. Aw, man, did I say something wrong? Is it too early for something like that? Way to go, Santiago, you blew it like a hurricane. Anything else you'd like to add, smart guy?
"Let me put these away then we can go," she said.
She ducked back inside and closed the door, and Bobby was alone, the back of his neck burning. It wasn't his fault. He didn't have experience at this kind of thing: He told the guys he'd laid dozens of women, but the only thing he ever laid was a tube sock, and the only date he'd ever been on was the time he stepped on a date on the sidewalk – you know, the fruit...called a date. Oh, he talked a big game...but when it came to reality, he was a loser. Hell, Daggy probably had more dates than him.
Man...that's depressing.
The door opened and Lori came out. "I have flowers on either side of my bed now," she said.
"Brightens up the room," Bobby said.
"It does," she agreed. "My side of the room is kind of plain. My sister Leni's is pink."
"Pink?"
"Yep. She painted her half bright pink." From the tone of her voice, Bobby inferred that she didn't like pink.
"Gross," he said.
Lori laughed. "Yeah. Very gross. Pink's pretty, but that's just too much." She lifted her shoulders. "So...where are we going?"
"I thought we'd talk a nice walk through town, then have dinner at –" Bobby tried to remember the name but couldn't – "that Italian place by the bowling alley."
"Pasamero's? I love that place. Italian food is my favorite."
They were going down the stairs now. "Oh?" he asked. He knew that...from a second last minute call to Lincoln. By that point, little man was sounding frustrated, and listed every like and dislike Lori had. If nothing else, Bobby thought, he was well-armed. "Mine too. Their alfredo is amazing."
Bobby had never tasted their alfredo in his life. In fact, come to think of it, he didn't know what the hell alfredo even was. Didn't he have an uncle named Alfredo in Mexico?
"I like their veal."
Their what?
"Yeah, that's good too. You can't really go wrong with Italian food."
They were at the end of Franklin Avenue now. Bobby pressed a button on a pole, and a moment later a walk sign lit up on the other end of the street. They hurried across, Bobby glancing around to make sure no assholes in hot rods were going to plow into them. "If it's not too late, maybe we can see a movie at the Palace after dinner. If you want, I mean."
"Sure," Lori said, "that sounds nice."
For a while they walked in silence, enjoying the afternoon warmth. "So," she said, glancing at him, "what do you do for fun?"
Bobby shrugged. "I drive. I hang out. I don't have too much free time because I work nights, and I like to sleep a little in the afternoons before I go in."
"I didn't know you had a job," Lori said, a note of appreciation creeping into her voice. "Nights. That has to be rough."
Bobby scrunched up his lips. "Not really. A little, I guess."
"Where do you work?"
"My friend's dad owns a company that manufactures furniture and I work in the warehouse." The 'friend' was Blades. Bobby had been working for Blades Sr. (that's not what he was really called...in fact, if you called him that he'd probably belt you in the mouth) for just under a year.
Lori nodded. "Not bad. You used to work at Flip's, right?"
"Yeah," Bobby said and rubbed the back of his neck, "when I was fourteen my dad ran out on us and I to get a job to help my mom. Flip's the only guy who'd hire me."
Lori turned to him, her eyes softening. "Oh, I'm sorry. About your dad, I mean."
"It's fine," Bobby said. "It's just...you know, my mom couldn't do it alone, so I decided to find something." The decision to work was entirely his, and in fact his mother didn't like the thought of him working to help her. She said she could do it on her own, but she couldn't, and they both knew it. "I figured it was the right thing to do. She had me and Ronnie Anne to worry about and not much money."
"That's very admirable of you," Lori smiled. "I like that in a man."
Bobby turned away as he blushed, and when he did, who should he see standing on the corner but Blades, Daggy, and Poppa Wheelie. They were clustered together, Daggy holding a pocket radio in his hands and messing with the dial. Blades and Poppa were both bent over, a cigarette jutting from Blades's mouth. Aw, great. Maybe they wouldn't..
Daggy looked up, and he and Bobby locked eyes. A grin spread across his face and he nodded toward Bobby. Blades and Poppa looked up, Blades taking his cigarette out of his mouth and lifting his brows as if to say What? You actually got her on a date? Bobby couldn't suppress the grin that came to his lips. He nodded. Told you you'd wanna be me, asshole.
When Blades cupped his hands to his mouth, Bobby paled and shook his head. "Hey, Bobby!" he yelled. "Bobby Santiago!"
Bobby whipped his head away and Lori looked over. "Who's that?" she asked, her brow furrowing.
"No one," Bobby said, and moved to her other side, putting her between them and him, "just my former friends."
"Hey, Bobby! You still coming to that party tonight? The one with all the beer and rock and roll?" He, Daggy, and Poppa laughed.
Bobby's blood boiled. "They obviously haven't grown up the way I have." As if to punctuate this, Daggy spun, hugged himself, and ran his fingers along his back to simulate making out. Lori saw, and looked away, her cheeks turning a shade of red that Bobby couldn't help but find beautiful. "Real mature, guys!" he called. He leaned, and, behind Lori's back, flipped them off. "Fuck you," he mouthed as he waved his finger.
A block later, they reached the town square, a grassy area overlooked by the county courthouse and a rush of shops. An old man sat on a bench in front of a bronze statue and tossed pieces of bread to a gang of ducks, and a woman in a dress pushed a baby carriage along a narrow ribbon of concrete. Pasamero's was at the corner of Main and Union, a block up from the bowling alley. Metal table and chair sets flanked the door, which was shaded by a green awning. Bobby popped ahead of Lori and held the door open. She smiled and thanked him.
Inside it was dimly lit, the middle of the room dotted with cloth covered tables and either wall lined with red vinyl booths. Lori went to one of the booths, and Bobby slid in across from her. A waiter came over, laid menus in front of them, and took their drink order. When he was gone, Bobby opened his menu and scanned it. He couldn't pronounce half the shit they sold. Lori looked at hers, her eyes darting back and forth. "Ummm, I don't know what to get. It all looks so good." She looked up. "How about a pizza?"
"Sure," he said, "sounds great."
What the hell's a pizza?
The waiter returned and Bobby ordered a cheese pizza – whatever the hell that was. He nodded and went away. "So," Lori said, and sipped soda through a straw, "your sister and my brother, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, I guess," Bobby said. "Ronnie Anne really likes him. Like really likes him." He chuckled. "It's kind of cute. I've never seen her this way over a boy."
"She seems great," Lori said.
"She is," Bobby said, his chest welling with love. "She's a really cool kid. She means a lot to me."
Lori smiled and rested her head in her palm. "I can tell. I can see it in your eyes."
Bobby's first instinct was to turn away, because he didn't show his emotions easy (speaking them was different, though not by much), but he forced himself not to. If he was going to show them to anybody, it was going to be Lori Loud. "Yeah, we're really close. Sometimes it's kind of like I'm a father figure or something. You know? Even when our dad was around he wasn't much of a dad, so...I dunno." He crossed his arms on the table.
"That's really sweet," Lori said. "I'm pretty close with my family too. Sometimes I feel like I've been sort of a second mother to my younger siblings." Her eyes darkened. "I don't always do the best job."
"Neither do I," Bobby admitted and sighed. "It's hard. When you have a kid of your own, you know what you are – you're a parent. When you've got younger siblings, you're kind of like a parent, but you don't know it, and one day it hits you."
Lori nodded. "That's pretty deep."
Bobby couldn't help smiling. "I don't know about that. I just...sometimes I worry I'm not doing right by my sister, I feel like I should do more...I just don't know what."
Lori surprised him by reaching across the table and resting her hand on his: Her touch was warm and light. Bobby's flesh tingled and his heart stopped dead in its tracks. Their eyes locked and she smiled beatifically. "You sound like a great brother."
Bobby didn't know what to say, so he said, "Thanks." Thankfully, the pizza arrived before he had to say something else. It was a strange disc-shaped piece of bread covered with melted cheese and ringed with a ridge of crust. The waiter used a metal roller to cut it like a pie, then used a flat instrument to transfer a slice to Lori's plate, then to Bobby's.
"Enjoy," he said, and left.
Bobby looked down at it. It smelled good. Lori rubbed her hands together. "I love pizza. It is literally one of my favorite foods."
He poked it with his finger, and red shit oozed out. Ugh! Lori looked like she was enjoying it, so he shrugged, picked it up and held it the way she did, and took a bite.
Whoa! It was fucking boss, all garlicy and cheesy and stuff. He ate a whole slice and was reaching for another one before Lori had even finished her first one. "Wow," she said, "you like pizza more than I do."
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for Italian food."
After dinner, they walked across the street to the Palace Theater: It was starting to get dark, and the light bulbs ringing the marquee blinked. There was a line at the box office, and while they waited, Bobby studied the movie posters lining the wall, hoping to see something with Brando. Not that Lori would like Brando anyway. Oh well. If it came down to Brando or Lori, Lori won easy. "What do you wanna see?" he asked.
Lori hummed and scanned the posters. "Oh, how about South Pacific?" She lidded her eyes. "It's a romance."
Bobby gaped, and she laughed. "Yeah, sure, okay, whatever you want," he stammered. Inside, they stopped at the concession stand, got a tub of popcorn and two sodas, and went into the screening room, sitting in the back row. Lori laid her hand on the armrest, and Bobby, after a moment of consideration, put his hand on her hand. She looked at him and smiled.
Oh yeah. He felt great.
Then the singing and dancing started. A romance is one thing...but a musical? Come on! After a while, he got into it, and by the end, his arm was around Lori's shoulder and she rested her head against his chest.
"I had a really good time tonight," she said as they stood in front of her door later. Her hands were in his, and they stared into each other's eyes. The night was silent save for the summer symphony of crickets.
"So did I," Bobby said. "We should do this again sometime."
"Yes," Lori said, "soon."
She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
She opened the door and went in, then turned and stopped him as he started down the stairs. "Hey."
"Yeah?" he asked.
She looked him up and down and smiled. "That leather jacket was kind of cute. I wouldn't mind if you got another one."
With that, she closed the door.
I get to keep my jacket and my girl?
YES!
Smiling, Bobby walked home whistling There is Nothing Like a Dame from South Pacific.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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Reeling in the Years