“What do you mean ‘what?’” he goads. “What’s that smile?”
“I just find it funny that you like the waffles here too,” I tell him honestly.
“You like them?”
I nod. “Of course.”
“And you just thought to come here all alone to enjoy a plate.”
The reminder that Teeny is going to be here soon makes my smile drop. I look around, suddenly worried she’s watching us from an obscure corner like some lurker or spy. Maybe she’s even recording us to use as some video evidence to confront me later. “Um, actually, no. I’m meeting Teeny.”
His smile drops too. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” I say, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice. “She’s just running a little late. I guess Sadie hurt herself at track practice, so…” A stretch of silence sits between us while the happy chatter of diners surrounds us, along with the clatter of silverware against ceramic plates. I see Andrew hesitate, obviously deciding if he should leave or stay, when I tell him,“But you can stay until she gets here. You know, we aren’t breaking any rules by running into each other.”
“Yeah.”
While I didn’t expect some celebratory-level excitement, I also didn’t expect the indifferent way he responds in a glum voice. It seems we’ve reached an impasse. No matter what, it’s not an ideal situation. While we’re sitting here, pretending there’s nothing going on, it doesn’t make it any better that we’re hiding all of this from Teeny. As soon as she walks into this diner, I have to act as if I don’t know his favorite ice cream flavor is cookies and cream and that he knows how much I hate having my bare feet touch hard flooring.
“Did you want to order a coffee or something?” Just as I ask my question, my phone buzzes on the table. We both look at it with an air of anticipation while the question hangs above us. Is it Teeny?
Sure enough, when I flip my phone over, I see a new message from Teeny.
Teeny
I have to take Sadie to the emergency room. Looks like she may have sprained it, but I want to make sure she didn’t break anything. Sorry but looks like I’m going to have to take a rain check on brunch. I promise I’ll make it up to you!
I should be worried. I should feel awful that my best friend will be spending all morning, and most likely a portion of her afternoon, in a packed emergency room. And I do. If I had some magical powers to telepathically heal Sadie’s ankle, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But then I see the man in front of me, looking at me from the edge of his seat with his gaze flitting from the phone in my hand to me.
“Is that Teeny? She almost here?”
I shake my head. “She’s actually heading to the emergency room with Sadie. I guess she hurt herself pretty badly.” I look at Andrew just in time to catch one of his eyebrows tilting upward in amusement. “She’s not coming.”
“Oh?”
I narrow my eyes at his piqued interest. A silent rebuke. “You’re not worried about your niece?”
“I’m sure she’s in good hands,” he answers calmly. A little too calmly. “My sister knows what she’s doing.”
I shake my head, doing a horrible job of hiding the smile creeping up my face. “You’re horrible.”
“Sure,” he agrees, adding a small, uninterested shrug. “But aside from being horrible, there’s a small silver lining to it.”
“Yeah? And what’s that?”
“I don’t have to leave.”
I lean back in my seat, crossing my arms, and shoot him with a flat look. It’s not fair how he plays this game, using a moment of misfortune to two people we both care deeply for and this chance meeting to spend some so-called innocent time together. He’s playing dirty, using his rooks and bishops while I’m barely learning how to use my pawns. “You aren’t playing fair, Andrew.”
He leans back too, his posture mirroring mine. “I’m taking what I can get,” he corrects. “You know, beggars can’t be choosers.”
“And you’re the beggar in this situation?”
“Feels like it sometimes.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“Am I?” he asks, goading. “Or am I realizing the cost of a secret friendship?”
