"Whatever is closest is fine." He puts the truck in drive and pulls out of the lot. "But really, you don't have to stop. I can eat when I get home."
"Lisa, your body is clearly telling you it needs food. It's not that big of a deal." He drives another mile before pulling into the first burger place, he sees. Luckily, there isn't anyone in line. "Do you still like the same thing?"
Nodding I keep my focus anywhere but on him. I don't want him to see the shock on my face over him remembering what I like from this specific place.
He places my order and we pull around to the window. Very few cars are out at this time of night and I count them as they pass the restaurant. Anything to keep my mind busy and my focus off him. I'm not ready to talk about how we can be in the same circles without having anything going on between us. That conversation is meant for back roads and dashboard lights. Not this well-lit area under the awning.
He must sense my need for distraction because he doesn't say anything. I try to hand him my card to pay, but he waves it off. This definitely feels like it could fall into date territory so easily. After a few moments, the guy working the window hands him two bags and drinks. Devin passes them off to me so I can get them situated. It's a routine we've done many times before. The actions so familiar. I set the drinks in the cup holders in the console between us. He pulls away from the window as I search through the bags to see which one is mine.
"Do you want your food now, or do you want to wait?" His bag of food is in my lap, and I need to know if I should unwrap his burger.
"You can eat first." He turns on the radio and changes it to a station local to our county. Music much like what he plays comes through the speakers. "We can talk when you're done."
I don't wait for him to say anything else. Setting his bag aside, I grab mine and eat the fries first. People who can eat them cold are monsters, including Delilah. She actually prefers them cold. It may be the biggest thing we disagree about in our friendship. In the grand scheme of things that isn't too bad. Unless, of course, you count the fact that I dated her brother against her wishes and in secrecy. That might be a huge roadblock in our friendship.
Devin drives out of town and toward the area Stella lives in. It's still technically part of Asheville, but they kind of exist on their own out here. There aren't any stores nearby and most of the people who live out here don't have neighbors close to them. I'm all for adventure, but I like only having to drive five to ten minutes for anything I need.
He notices I'm almost done with my burger and as I chew, he asks, "What did you want to talk about?"
The time for communication has come. I swallow my food and take a drink. Prolonging the answer, a little longer. It's pitch black out here aside from the glow of the dashboard. It casts a soft blue light on his face, and I remember all the times we did this over the summer. His hands on this wheel as he told me his dreams. And me with my feet on the dash, the window down, letting in the night breeze and sounds of wildlife.
Now isn't the time to go down memory lane, though. We need to be on the same page if we're going to be around each other as much as I think we will be. There's no time like the present to find out the first bit of information. "How often do you play at the bar?"
"As much as they'll let me right now." I watch him as he runs a hand over his face. "If they bring in more acts sooner than later, it will be less. But Angie has me on the calendar for both nights every weekend."
That's going to be a problem. Well, not if we can agree to a friend’s only relationship. I can't have anything else with him without hurting his sister, and that's something I refuse to do. "Okay." I take a deep breath and ask what I've been dreading since I came into town. "Did you tell Delilah about us?"
"God, no." He scoffs and turns down a road I haven't been on. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't be out here. But I trust him, even if we both hold some sort of hurt between us. "I'm still here, aren't I? Delilah is sweet and cuddly to most people, but if I had told her she would have lost her shit on me."
That's actually really good to know. "You know she can never find out, right?"
"What if we decide to give us another shot?"
This isn't exactly what I expected him to say. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though. Not after the way he acted the other night when he overheard the roommate conversation. It was only a matter of time.
"Um, I don't think that's a good idea." Not only because it'll be against Delilah's wishes, which I have no intention of breaking again. But because it will never work out between us. When he catches the eye of a record label, and I have no doubt he will, where will that leave me? I've made the decision to stay in one place. I can't do that if he's traveling around the country. If I know him the way I think I do, he'll want me to go with him.
Devin pulls over on the side of the road. At first, I think it's because he wants to eat his food, but as soon as the truck is in park, he takes off his seat belt and turns toward me.
The heater blowing full blast is the only sound for a few seconds. He takes a sip of his soda and sets it down. "Why not? I like you and I think you still like me, too. I don't see a problem here."
I sit up straight and face him full on. "What do you mean you don't see a problem?" I throw my hands up in the air. "It's a huge problem. Delilah told us last time we were off limits to each other. We went behind her back and dated anyway. Do you honestly think this time will be any different?"
He shrugs and holds his hand out. I'm not sure what he wants so I place his food in his hand. He's not getting any sort of affection from me. Not after that doozy. "Yes, I do."
"How?" I shake my head and wipe my hand over my face. "If you can give me solid reasons why you think it would be different this time, I'll consider it." I won't, not really, but he doesn't know that. Anything to stop this conversation from going any further.
He laughs, like this is going to be easy. "I'll be able to see you more because you're working at the bar again. And I don't think Delilah will have an issue with it because she's in a relationship now, and happy. There's no reason for her to have anything against us dating. She won't want her best friend and brother to be unhappy."
He can't be serious. There's no way in actual hell he thinks that is the reason she didn't want us together. "You realize her being happy had nothing to do with it, right?"
"What other reason could it be?"
"You don't know your sister at all. It's because she didn't want to be overlooked by other people yet again. From what she's told me, she's always been someone in the background to your successes. This is about her boundaries and having something to herself. She wants to be someone's first choice." Did I say too much? Probably. But I don't really care. He needs to get it through his thick skull about how his sister feels.
"That's ridiculous," he grins. "She doesn't feel that way."
He is never going to get it. "You should probably talk to Delilah. She can shed some light on how she's feeling. Until then, we need to agree that we'll be nice to each other when we're in the same spaces. Especially while I'm living with Delilah. Work will be fine because you’re on stage and I'm on the floor. Can we be cordial?"
