I shrugged. “Maybe business or something…” I took a sip of water. “Are we done with the questions yet?”
“Of course not,” he replied, smiling. “Who’s your favorite author?”
I mulled it over and frowned. “I’m not sure if I could pick just one.”
“Favorite genre, then?”
That I could answer. “Science fiction and fantasy. Pretty much anything that’s not in the realm of reality.” I looked out the window next to us. “Reality is pretty boring.” At least it was, up until I met Thomas.
“Why’d you pick a school so far from home?”
I knew that question would come up eventually. “My grandma used to live here, and I loved coming up to visit her. We don’t have woods like these in Dallas, and this place always seemed kinda...magical.” I shrugged and let out a soft laugh. “Does that sound crazy?”
“Not at all... So your grandma doesn’t live here anymore?”
I shook my head and looked around the restaurant. “She died when I was nine.”
His face paled. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table. “My turn. Do you have a girlfriend?”
He laughed and shook his head. “No.”
“Why is that so funny?”
He shrugged. “If you knew me better, you’d think it was funny too.” He leaned back and crossed his arms, his jovial mood slowly vanishing. “What about you? Is there a Mr. Emily back home I should be worried about?”
The weight of his stare made me want to look away, but I held my ground. “Not anymore. We broke up over the summer.”
“I’d say that’s too bad, but I’d be lying. Was it serious?”
“Not for me.”
Thomas cocked a brow, but didn’t get to say anything as Amber returned to our table with our food. I was glad for the distraction. I didn’t want to talk about Derek.
“Here you go, sweetie,” she said to Thomas, placing his plate in front of him as she flashed him a huge grin. She placed my plate in front of me without saying a word. “Enjoy your meal,” she said before leaving to attend to another table.
“This burger smells awesome,” I said, trying to ignore Amber’s obvious distaste for me. I picked it up and took a bite. “Oh my god,” I said, completely forgetting that I had food in my mouth. I swallowed and took a sip of water. “This is really good.”
Thomas grinned. “Best burgers in town.”
Amber came to take our empty plates after we’d finished. “Would you like any dessert?” she asked. The question was intended for Thomas and the dessert was clearly a metaphor for sex.
I kind of wished they’d just do it on the table and get it over with already.
“You want anything else?” he asked me.
I shook my head. “Thanks, though.” I forced a smile at Amber, trying to be the bigger person.
Thomas politely smiled up at her. “No, thank you.”
Her face fell, but she quickly composed herself. “All right then.” She set the bill on the table. “Have a good day,” she said before stalking off.
I pulled a twenty out of my pocket and reached for the bill.
“Put that away.” He set cash down on top of the bill. “I invited you, so I’m paying.”
I shrugged and stuffed the money back in my pocket. I had to watch Amber throw herself at Thomas for the past hour, so I might as well get a free meal out of it.
My pocket vibrated and I pulled out my phone. It was a message from Beth:
@ the library. Don’t c u…
I bit my lip and ignored her text, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.
“Is something wrong?” Thomas asked.
I shook my head and stuck my phone back in my pocket. “It’s nothing.”
He smiled. “You’re a terrible liar.”
I looked out the window at the passing cars. “I told Beth I couldn’t make lunch ’cause I was going to the library instead. Well, apparently she went there and saw that I…wasn’t.”
“Why didn’t you just tell Beth you were having lunch with me?” He didn’t seem offended, just amused.
Amber came over and leaned across the table to pick up Thomas’s empty glass, practically shoving her tits in his face in the process.
“That’s why,” I muttered after she left.
He looked confused. “What’s Amber got to do with this?”
I crossed my arms. “Oh, come on. You can’t honestly tell me you never had a thing with Tits McGee over there,” I said, hitching my thumb towards Amber.