Ryan
“Table for two?” The woman standing behind a lectern asked when we entered Josephine’s Diner.
“Yes, please.” I smiled and glanced over at Lola. “Do you have a booth available?”
“Let me check.” The woman glanced around and then back down at the lectern. “Oh, one just opened up. Give me a few minutes to clean it.”
“Thanks.” I reached for Lola’s hand and squeezed it. “I haven’t eaten here in forever.”
“Same.” Lola took a step toward me. “My parents used to bring my brother and me here a lot when I was a kid. I have no idea why they stopped, though.”
“Okay, if you’ll follow me.” The woman grabbed two menus. She placed them on the table and stepped back. “Enjoy. Your server will be here soon.”
I slid into one side of the booth and figured Lola would sit opposite me. Instead, she waited for the server to leave and sat beside me.
“Well, hello there.” I bumped my shoulder against hers.
“Is this okay? Am I too clingy today?” She sighed.
She attempted to slide out, but I grabbed her arm. “Stay.”
I used to joke with my best friend whenever we saw couples sitting on the same side together at a restaurant. Now, we were doing it.
“Hi, I’m…” The pause broke our moment, and we glanced at the server. “Ryan. It’s good to see you.” The server cleared her throat. “Sorry, um, I’m…”
“Becky. It’s good to see you, too.” It finally hit me, and that’s why I stopped going to the diner.
“Can I get you both something to drink?” She struggled to get the words out, and I noticed her hand holding a pen was shaking.
We ordered, and she quickly left.
“Um, do you want to stay?” Lola turned to face me.
“That’s a loaded question.” I laughed.
Becky and I dated a few years ago. We were fine at first. Then, something shifted, and she became more intense. She called and texted all the time. She even stopped by my house unannounced on several occasions. I remember I wasn’t turned off at first, but as it gradually became more, I didn’t feel comfortable.
The day I broke up with her was odd. She cried and begged me to stay.
I felt bad, but nothing about the relationship made me happy. Honestly, I’m not even sure if she was happy. We had only kissed once. It wasn’t like we had a deep-rooted relationship.
“Here are your drinks.” Another woman appeared. “I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Do you know what you would like to order?”
Lola placed her hand on mine. “We’ll have the fruit plate with vanilla yogurt, please.”
“Anything else?” She wrote down the order on her notepad.
“That’s it.” I smiled. “Thank you.”
“Well, I guess we can stay.” Lola laced her fingers with mine.
“We can.” I shook my head. “That was awkward. I was a few seconds away from saying let’s get out of here.”
“We still can.” She winked.
“But now I’m craving the fruit plate with yogurt.” I rubbed my free hand up and down her thigh. “I blame you.”
“You’re welcome.” She laughed and took a drink of her soda.
“Are you and your brother close?” I left my hand resting on her thigh.
“We are. My whole family is close.” She paused. “They own Pink Petals Flower Shop.”
“Your family owns it?” I knew I sounded surprised. “My mom loves that flower shop. She loves it so much, my dad orders a bouquet every week for her.”
“Oh my word, could that be any more romantic?” Lola clapped her hands together. “That’s why my mom loves the little shop. She seriously reads every review and every comment on social.”
“Most people avoid reading that stuff. She must get a lot of nice reviews?” I took a drink of my soda.
“Yup.” She nodded. “She may see one bad message a month, but she ignores it and uses the others to help make her shop a place for everyone to find happiness.” Lola laughed. “I know, I know, it’s cheesy, but it’s true.”
“I don’t think it’s cheesy. I think it’s sweet.” I started to say something when the server arrived with our order.
“Here you go. This is one of my favorite dishes on the menu. I hope you enjoy.” She stepped back and clasped her hands together. “Can I get you anything else?”
“I think it’s perfect.” I looked over at Lola.
“It’s exactly what I was craving.” She reached for a grape and popped it into her mouth.
“Wonderful.” The woman smiled. “I’ll be back to check on you.”
“I wonder if Becky is still here?” Lola winked and grabbed her fork.
“Who cares?” I covered my mouth. “You’re going to think I’m horrible.”
“Nope.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “We all have a past, Ryan. Some suck, too.” She stuck her fork into a piece of pineapple. “I had a boyfriend who was dating four women at the same time. I only found out because I went out to dinner with a friend and saw him. Questioned him and he confessed.”
“Four?” I knew my eyes went wide. “That one most definitely sucks.”
“Right?” She burst out laughing. “Crazy stalker, boyfriend who dates too many women, we’ve all been there and lived to tell about it.” She stuck her fork into a piece of watermelon and offered it to me. I paused before opening my mouth to take the piece.
When we were at the fair earlier, I had a brief moment where I wanted to bail.
This was my first time experiencing an instant attraction. It felt new and a bit scary. I really didn’t know Lola, and yet, whenever we touched, my body reacted.
Now, sitting and sharing a fruit plate with yogurt, I felt excited to learn everything about her.
AUTHOR NOTE:
EEK, Becky sounded creepy, but so did Lola’s ex, LOL! Instant attraction can be scary, new, and wonderful. I’m glad they are excited to keep learning about each other, because I already love their relationship. We need to pop back over to Jules and Olly now. Jules will be cooking something for Olly on their next date. Do you have a favorite dish we should have her make for him?