Olly
Well, this was awkward. I had been in the store several times and had never run into Jules before. Today, after seeing each other twice, we were standing face-to-face yet again.
“Olly.” She looked annoyed. I would be, too.
“I…”
“I…”
We both started talking at the same time.
“Oh…”
“Oh…”
She sighed and pointed at me. “You go first.”
“Okay. Sure.” I moved the plastic grocery basket to my other hand. “I just wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“My mom.” I laughed. “She started talking about dinner because she’s making our favorite meal.
“That’s okay.” Her face softened, and she dropped her arms. “What’s your favorite dinner?”
“Birria tacos.” I shrugged. “That’s why I’m here. I need to grab some tortillas. She ran out.”
“Wait, Stacy said your mom makes amazing homemade tortillas.”
“She does.” I didn’t realize tortillas would create a conversation. “She needed a few more because I was joining them for dinner. She doesn’t have time to make more.”
“Oh.” She straightened her body. “Well, if you need help finding anything, let us know.”
“Sure.” I watched as she walked away. There was a battle raging in my head. Do I ask her to dinner, or leave it alone?
We had just met, but eating dinner at my parents’ house shouldn’t have been a big deal. Everyone needs to eat. Plus, she seemed interested in the homemade tortillas. My mom told me she would give me the homemade ones before I left for the store.
“Would you like to try her tortillas?” The words slipped out before I let myself overthink everything. Jules was far enough away that other people in the store stopped to find out what was happening.
She turned around. “What?”
“Do you want to try her homemade tortillas?” I started to walk toward her. I could tell she seemed confused, but she also noticed how everyone was staring at us.
She waited to say anything until we were only inches apart. Then, in a hushed voice, “We don’t even know each other.”
“I know.”
She glanced around and leaned in slightly. “And you want me to go to dinner with you at your parents’ house?”
I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, when you put it that way, it seems odd. I’m sorry I asked.” I turned and attempted to head toward the aisle where the tortillas would be.
“I’ve never had Birria tacos,” she whispered. I had taken one step and stopped. “What is it?”
My back was still turned, and I could tell people were more interested now. I noticed a woman smiling. I smiled back. “Birria? Well–” I turned and walked toward her– “the recipe uses shredded pork. It takes several hours to make because you want the pork to soak up all the flavors.”
“Is it spicy?” Her voice was still low.
I loved the way her face looked. Her eyes softened, and a little crease formed in the center of her forehead. “It can be. My mom usually keeps it at a medium spice.”
“Huh, I can’t believe I’ve never had them.” She smiled.
A woman standing a few feet away. “They’re amazing. You should try them.” A few more people agreed.
“Would you like to join me for dinner tonight and try my mom’s special recipe?” I figured it was the perfect time to present the question again.
“Yes, but only if I get a couple of her homemade tortillas.” She shoved her hands in her pants pockets.
“I can make that happen.” I held up the basket. “I’ll grab the ingredients needed to make some more instead of grabbing the store-bought ones.”
“But that’s a lot of work for your mom.”
“We could help her make more.”
She paused and glanced around. I thought she would finally say no to everything. “Sure. That sounds fun.” Well, shit, she just surprised the hell out of me.
“Perfect. I’m heading to my parents after I leave here.” Holy shit, my mom was going to be way too excited tonight.
“I can join you. I’m just finishing up and was going to head home.” She shook her head. “It’s just dinner, nothing else.”
“Um, okay.” I leaned in and whispered. “What do you mean by nothing else?”
“I’m sorry. I have no idea.” She waved her hand. “Pretend I never said that.”
AUTHOR NOTE:
Huh, well, that conversation was unexpected, LOL! I wonder what “Nothing else” means for Jules?