Reunion

“Fucking, duh,” She wipes some stray grass off her pants, giving Ethan a smug smile. “Heard you were having a little trouble with your lawn, but fuck…” she looks around, “You butchered it.”

Ethan stammers, trying to even himself out. “I did a-” he decides not to bother defending himself. “Layla didn't mention it was going to be you coming by.”

“Hm?” Charlie moves toward the truck, her truck, wiping her brow with her forearm. “Well must have slipped her mind,” she reaches into the back, pulling a bottle of water out from an unseen cooler. “Nice underwear by the way. You greet all the girls like that?” Taking a gulp from her water, Charlie gives Ethan a mischievous look.

Ethan looks down at himself and frowns. If it was almost any other woman in the whole world, Ethan would feel slightly more modest. But not Charlie. Sighing, he looks around the area. The lawn looks… Pretty good. “Thanks, and no.”

Smacking her lips, Charlie shakes her head. “How long has it been, City-boy? Six years?”

“Five,” Ethan looks around, keeping an eye out for neighbors. Talking to Charlie in his underwear was one thing, but…

“Hm, right,” Charlie takes another gulp of water, “so you just moved it, huh? Sorry about your grandma. She was ah… well, she was pretty fucking cool.”

“Thanks,” Ethan takes another look around, both to check for neighbors and inspect his lawn. “So you’re in landscaping now? How did that happen?”

“Ehh,” Charlie gulps down more water, finishing the bottle. “You know how it is. Started out as a summer job, then a couple years later it’s my job-job, and now I’m a fucking lifer.”

“You’re Twenty.”

“Twenty-fucking-one.” She points with the empty bottle, then throws it into the back of the truck. “And don’t you fucking forget it. I’ve got three months on you, City-boy.”

Rolling his eyes, Ethan groans. “How do you even remember that?”

Laughing, Charlie moves in closer. “What? You don’t remember your friends' birthdays?”

Ethan starts to answer, his jaw shifting.

“Hm. Guess not…” Charlie turns, starting to walk back towards the mower. “I gotta get back to work. Got to finish this shit show then head up town.” Turning around, walking backward to the mower, Charlie points. “I’ll be at the bar tonight if you wanna chit-chat. You can tell me how you fucked up this lawn so bad.”

“I don’t dri-”

The sound of the mower cuts him off. Frowning, Ethan heads back inside, quickly looking for a pair of headphones.