“What’s up?” he asks, scanning the QR code with his phone and pulling up the menu.
“Nothing.” she says, pinching the corner of her eyes between two fingers.
The sound of his thumb tapping the phone fills the space between them. Eyes closed, she tilts her head back, shivering as the sun sinks into her skin.
“They’ve got noodles” he says to his phone. “And their beer list looks pretty solid.”
“Mmm” she intones. “I’m not super thirsty”. The sharp taste of tequila sits still in the back of her throat. A burst of laughter filters through the window, and she opens her eyes. More to stop the images, flashing rapidly through her mind, than to look across the table at him. For a second the room spins.
“Here” he hands her the phone. “Have a look”
The phone is warm in her hands. As she scrolls through the menu, her hair falls across her face.
“What are you getting?” she asks, buying time.
The table creaks as he leans over, hand outstretched. She flinches back, dropping the phone as he touches her temple.
“What .. – ” he sits back in his chair, forehead wrinkled.
Her heart beats in her chest. She traces the line of his hair with her eyes. Words sit at the tip of her tongue. Breathing deeply she opens her mouth.
“Is this because of last night?” he asks.
Her nostrils flare.
“It’s okay” he continues. “I’m not disappointed.” She stiffens. He looks out the window. “it caught you by surprise. And..” He trails off. The heat of the sun burns her cheek.
She looks around. Gut twisting she takes a sip of water, wishing the sour taste to wash away. She takes a deep breath.
“It’s kind of silly, really” he jumps in. The corner of his mouth lifts. Something in her chest tightens.
“Silly..” she says, tasting the word in her mouth “it was silly….” he ducks his head, trying to catch her eye.
Outside, a leaf falls from the sycamore tree. Her jaw tightens.
She looks back at him. He squints at her, head tilted to one side. She swallows, leaning forward.
“Maybe silly is the wrong word.” he cuts in. She falls back into the hard wood of the chair. “I know you got upset but…” he tries a smile “it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Listen – ” she starts
“No, honestly” he leans forward grabbing her hands. His fingers are cold. “it’s fine!”
“It’s fine..” she says slowly. Pulling her hands from his, she lifts the phone from the table. “It’s fine..” she mumbles pulling up the menu.
The tapping of her thumb on the screen fills the space between them.
Home Sweet Home 