Fan Fiction ❯ Josephine the Stegosaurus ❯ Ruby Tuesday ( Chapter 3 )

The sun was out at eight o'clock, but invisible behind the layers of haze that formed the permanent morning pall over the District of Columbia. Interstate 95 North, the main artery into the city from Northern Virginia, was clogged from the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac down to the bridge over the Occoquan twenty miles south. It was always the days in the middle of the week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, that got the bad traffic. Even a few dozen out of thousands taking their weekend early or late can ease the strain on the road. The Edsall Road exit is the last place to seek refuge when going North on 95 during the morning rush hour. Past that, it's a parking lot until you get to Maryland.

This particular day was a Tuesday, unfortunately for Josie, and her commute from her apartment in Arlington, though joining the parade far past Edsall, promised to be a very slow one. Most days, she would make the voyage with her best friend Miranda in the passenger seat, with the same destination since she worked at the museum's gem shop on the second floor, but she said she would take the day off. Her green station wagon crawled forward when the others did, and then idled until another space opened up. The pristine dome of the Jefferson memorial was peeking through the cold branches of the cherry trees that in two months would droop with the weight of delicate blossoms. Beyond it, inside the city, an off-white needle protruded into the cotton gray sky, a line visible in the half-sunlight halfway down the tower that marked where the construction was halted for a while, resuming years later with a different kind of limestone. To her left, far away and blurry, was the Washington National Cathedral, a sight most would miss on their commute, but one Josie always loved to pinpoint. Although she was a self-proclaimed agnostic, she loved the modern version of Gothic architecture, and each time she visited, she would scope out the tinystone headof Darth Vader high on one of the towers, the design being a winner of a contest held when it was being built.

She felt the eerie floating feeling she always got driving over the bridge, looking over at the parallel Metro rail and wondering as always how graffiti got onto the outward-facing metal panels over the water. Twenty more minutes of stop-and-go driving later, the hollow sound under her tires was replaced with solid asphalt again, and she glanced at Jefferson on her left.

“Still standing…” she muttered. It was a tradition in her family to peek past the Roman columns of the memorial whenever they went by to make sure he hadn't gotten tired and sat down since they last checked. Each time, one in the car would then exclaim `Wow, he must be getting tired by now.' For this reason alone, the Taylors had been ingrained with more respect for the indomitable, uncomfortable Jefferson than for Lincoln, who obviously chose to serve his days as a statue in a comfy recliner.

Josie sighed as she reached the familiar grid-like intersections of the city, still on 14th Street. The old white marble buildings were all in this area, and it would only be a couple of blocks to get to the garage she needed to get to. The first few government institutes would be on her left, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and then the newer Holocaust Museum. The traffic was hardly flowing here, so she relaxed to the classic rock streaming out of her dinky stereo. The first leg of her journey was for waking up, and from now until work was when she prepared herself with a little bit of music. The other marching ants on the road were too busy with their own business to mind her antics, anyway.

“Gooooodbye, Ruby Tuesday. Who could haaang a name on youuuu. When you change with every new day, still I'm gonna miss you!” She closed her eyes, certain that the cars in front and behind would stay stock-still during her off-key solo. “Still I'm gonna miss y—AAAH!” she screamed when she heard a tapping on the passenger side window. Her head snapped to the right, shaking loose a few wispy strands of stick-straight hair from her ponytail. “What the—oh God.” Her blue stare turned steely when she spied the guilty knuckles. They just happened to be attached to a certain tall, dark, handsome son of a bitch who, by the grin on his face, had been enjoying her performance. She tried to cover her blush by glaring, and lunged past the passenger seat to lock the door. A bit too late. She cursed as the door swung open and Bryan looked down at her sprawled over the seat, her belt still in place, and the stereo still blaring. She had no choice but to sit up again. Her glaring remained.

“What the HELL are you doing? Did you know stalking is a federal crime? Just because you're not in a state doesn't mean it's legal.” Her eyes widened as he took her threats as an invitation and sat down next to her.

“I just thought you might be lonely since Miranda carpooled with Derek today. I thought I'd be nice and get off here to wait for you to come by. Miranda told me what time you usually get here, and what kind of car you drive.”

“That bitch. I'm gonna kill her,” Josie said. Her tone betrayed the threat as mere annoyance.

“She also said it might be good for you to get involved with a man,” said Bryan. He reclined in the seat while his eyes twinkled. Josie gaped and made an indignant noise in her throat. Screw hyperbolics, I really am gonna kill her!

“Well, she's wrong,” Josie huffed, unable to come up with anything better to say. Bryan decided to humor her.

“Fair enough. I just thought you'd like some company. It is a pretty long drive,” he said. Josie adopted a suspicious glance, but watered down her fury towards him. He didn't seem to be trying anything fishy. Yet.

A few minutes passed in an awkward silence while it became apparent that the car was going nowhere anytime soon. Josie groaned in frustration and leaned back into her seat while Bryan sneaked his hand to the iPod attached to a wire coming out of the tape deck. Soon, Don McLean's voice began to echo through the car. Josie smiled despite herself and let out a weary laugh.

“This is my favorite song.” She started murmuring under her breath, “I could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while…” she looked to her right when Bryan joined in humming the tune with her, “…something touched me deep inside, the day the muuusic died…”

When the tempo picked up, they both started bouncing and tapping unconsciously, while their humming grew into full-blown belting by the third verse. Even if Josie wanted to stop, her will wasn't that strong when compared to one of the most infectious songs ever written. It turned into one of those stupid moments of cutting loose that, if caught on video, would be sufficient evidence to blackmail either of them. Since there was no camera to be found, however, and since Josie's assumption that fellow motorists stuck in traffic keep to themselves held true, Bryan and Josie rocked out to all ten or so verses of “American Pie” in peace.

When the song wound down, she was smiling without a trace of embarrassment, and Bryan stared at her with a sidelong look of infatuation. Their eyes met, and it became clear to Josie, frighteningly enough, that her previous animosity towards this perfect stranger had all but dissipated. She chuckled to herself lightly and shook her head. Okay, so maybe he's not so bad after all…he's certainly still as handsome…

“Can I tell you a secret?” Bryan said. He was still looking straight at her.

She looked into his eyes and became strangely breathless. “What?”

Bryan grinned. “Miranda told me your favorite song, too.” He anticipated her lashing out at him like she would have done earlier, but instead, she nodded and scoffed like she should have known it already.

“That is so cheating.” Josie's condemnation was diffused by her mouth's upward tilt. “Look, traffic's moving.” She grabbed the clutch and started the car in motion again. They both looked ahead to see the other vehicles lurch forward several feet before groaning to a stop again. Josie sighed, but her expression was more contented than frustrated. “I guess there was an accident or something.”

“Mmhm.” She was startled when his voice sounded louder than she expected, and turned to see him staring straight at her. Damn it, why does he have to look at me that way? She took a shuddering breath.

“What?” she asked.

“It's just…” Yes…? “you're the only paleontologist I know who has a cartilage piercing,” he said, though it seemed like he was about to say something else. He is so fucking tactless.

A flash of disappointment crossed Josie's face and she moved the car a few inches forward.

“Bryan, I'm pretty sure I'm the only paleontologist you know. And can you drop the whole thing? I mean, I don't really care if you think paleontology is dorky, or useless or whatever, but I love studying it, and I want to spend the rest of my working life with million-year-old piles of bones.”

“That's not what I meant.” He shook his head. “I mean, you're unexpected. I never know what you're going to do, how you react, what you like. You're just completely unpredictable, and I like that.” Josie snapped her head towards him as she slammed on the brakes, not causing too much trouble since they were only going 3 miles per hour. “You fascinate me.” Her blush was practically fluorescent, and she looked away quickly. “So, when'd you get it?”

She rubbed a hand along the back of her neck, flustered. “Hmm?”

“The piercing.”

“Oh. I got it when I was sixteen. Never felt like taking it out.” The tiny silver ball shone through the tendrils of wine-colored hair curling around the top of her ear. It was subtle, like her own style. She wore a solid green top and black slacks that hugged her slim body nicely, with a full-length black coat and tan plaid scarf to keep out the February cold. It was dressed down enough for a retail clerk and a bar visit after work, but still mature enough to pass for a woman with a Ph.D.. She wore mascara and lipgloss, but otherwise her graceful features stood out on their own.

“Well, it suits you,” said Bryan.

Josie mumbled, still a bit anxious. “Thanks.”

A few more minutes passed, with some Eagles and Simon & Garfunkel playing in the background when she pulled the car into the garage entrance, lowering the window and flashing her badge by the scanner. She parked in her designated spot, and swiftly started walking to the elevator obscured in a corner of the poured concrete area. Bryan almost had to run to catch up with her.

“Hey, why the rush?” he said. She shrugged, but looked down at her feet. Ugh. It was so much easier to look at him when I was convinced he was an ass. They stepped into the elevator when prompted by the ding and shuffle of sliding metal doors. She felt a lurch beyond that of the moving platform when she realized their proximity, and her heart started thumping in her chest. Her knee bounced subconsciously and she checked her watch. “Are you all right Josie?” Nope, all wrong. This is all wrong.

“Yeah, fine,” she said. The elevator doors scraped open again, and they exited. She let out a small sigh in relief.

“Let me walk you to the museum, it's on the way to the Capitol,” said Bryan.

“No, I'll be fine.”

“I insist.” Bryan stepped in front of her so she was forced to stop walking.

She paused and looked up at him. “Okay.” They walked side-by-side down the street to the National Mall, where Josie would stop and Bryan would take a left and head down the path to the Capitol.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. She hadn't spoken in a while, the internal conflict of emotions keeping her silent so she wouldn't blurt something out she didn't mean to.

“No…” Bryan looked disappointed with her answer, but they kept going until they got to the museum, where they stopped and he looked at her expectantly.

“Well, goodbye Josie,” he said.

Something about his tone, and the finality of his `goodbye' froze her to the spot as he walked away. His shoulders slumped, and all she wanted was for him to look at her again with those deep passionate eyes and tell her he would see her again soon. She panicked.

“Wait! Bryan, wait,” she shouted, her breathing becoming thin. Oh, what am I doing? He turned around, but he seemed somehow cold. “Can we…maybe meet for lunch today?” She swallowed, looking small and alone beside the colossus marble steps to the museum. She bit her lip.

Bryan smiled to himself, his head down, and then looked straight into her eyes, as though he had waited to hear her say that all morning. Josie felt a forceful urge to run over and kiss him senseless. “I'll see you at noon.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice a weak whisper. Once his back was turned, she let out the breath she didn't know she held, and ran up the stairs into the building. What have I gotten myself into? She slumped against the door and looked up at the giant motionless African Elephant standing before her in the rotunda. Letting out a long sigh, she started her trek over to the escalator down to the shop, telling herself all the while that it was just lust.