“Of course,” he said briskly, very much not wanting to talk about it. His hands worked at lightning speed as he placed the burger onto a toasted pretzel bun and added a generous helping of waffle fries to the plate. “This order is all set. Would you mind running it out?”
Alexis bit her lip, appearing extremely reluctant to let the subject go. Tom wondered if she knew that his low mood had something to do with Delilah. “Okay,” she said, picking up the plate and placing it onto the tray she already had in her hand. “If you need anything, let me know.”
“I will, thanks,” he told her, grateful for her kindness even though he didn’t want to talk at the moment.
The lunch rush continued for another hour and a half or so, and Tom managed to keep his misgivings out of his mind a little better as he focused on his work. He did his best to stay cheerful, at least outwardly, since he didn’t want Alexis or anyone else trying a little harder to figure out what was on his mind. He simply didn’t feel ready to talk about it.
He took his lunch break once The Lighthouse Grill was mostly empty of customers, making himself a quick sandwich of fried egg, avocado, tomato slices, basil leaves, and provolone cheese. He paired it with a side of coleslaw and mashed potatoes, and his stomach growled furiously as he carried it over to an empty booth to eat it. Normally he didn’t get all that hungry while he worked, but he’d neglected to eat a decent breakfast that morning, and he felt more fatigued than usual, probably because of all the fretting he’d been doing in his spare moments.
His meal was delicious, and it helped revive his spirits almost immediately. He was halfway through his sandwich when Vivian came over to his table.
“Hey, Tom,” she said, smiling at him in a way that made the camaraderie between them clear. “Could I join you for a while?”
Tom swallowed, his heart sinking a little. He had a feeling that Vivian wanted to ask him about Delilah, and that was the last thing he wanted to talk about at the moment. He didn’t want to be rude, however, and he did like speaking to Vivian. Maybe she would be the right person to speak to about the dilemma he was experiencing. He knew he should talk about it with someone eventually, and maybe he’d never feel more ready than he did in that moment.
“Sure.” He smiled at her.
She sat down, taking a sip of the coffee mug that she’d brought with her. “Busy morning today, wasn’t it? We haven’t had a lunch rush that hectic since last summer, I think.”
Tom nodded. “It’ll be summer again before we know it.”
“Very true.”
She seemed to be trying to make polite conversation before bringing up what she really wanted to speak to him about, and sure enough, she cleared her throat gently a moment later. “So… Delilah seems really lovely.”
“She is,” Tom said, finding that he sounded a little hoarse all of a sudden.
“She seems so sweet and down to earth,” Vivian continued, looking just a bit starstruck. “I could hardly believe that she fit in so well with all of us, but she really did. That party was extra fun with her there.”
Tom nodded. “It was. She had a lot of fun too.”
“That’s great. Will… will we be seeing more of her?” Vivian leaned to the side slightly, trying to get a better look at Tom’s expression as he stared down at his sandwich.
A lump rose up in Tom’s throat and he swallowed it back. “I don’t think so,” he said. “At least, not with me.”
“No?” Vivian sounded concerned, and Tom knew it was because of how despondent he sounded, not because she was worried about not getting more time with Delilah. “Is something wrong? You two seemed so happy together at the party.”
Tom hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should say something to Vivian about what was bothering him or not. He decided that she was a good person to confide in, someone who would give compassionate but also level-headed advice. “I overheard a couple of her coworkers the other day when I was out at the film shoot dropping something off for her. They were talking about how far out of my league she is, and I—well, I realized that they’re right. Delilah and I reside in completely different worlds, and I was foolish to think that something might work out between us romantically.”
“Oh, Tom,” Vivian said sympathetically. She shook her head. “I understand how it could feel that way, but don’t let yourself get too pessimistic. It’s worked this far, hasn’t it? And Delilah’s coworkers don’t know everything, do they? She clearly likes you a great deal. That counts for more than the fact that they’re surprised to hear about your relationship.”
Tom pressed his lips together, feeling comforted by Vivian’s words. “Thank you. That’s a good point, but just because she likes me now doesn’t mean that things would work out between us. We’re such different people, with such different lives.”
Vivian considered his statement for a moment and then shook her head. “I know it’s not exactly the same thing, but I had doubts about my relationship too when we first started out. Terrence and I are very different people—he cares a great deal about rules and doing things the right way, and I’m more of a free spirit. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to mesh our lives together when we first fell for each other, but I took the risk anyway. Andit’s paid off. Terrence is a wonderful man who brings so much stability and joy to my life. And I bring him a lot of happiness as well. Don’t sell yourself short, Tom. You and Delilah are different, yes, but you can offer her a lot. She might be looking for someone exactly like you. Someone kind and dependable and down to earth. There probably aren’t a lot of people like that in Hollywood.”
Tom wanted to believe what she was saying, but feared that it would be foolish to. Wouldn’t the smartest thing be to hold onto his skepticism and prevent both himself and Delilah from getting too hurt by things not working out? “Those are good points, Vivian, thank you, but I think Delilah and I have more differences than you and Terrence do.”
“Externally, yes,” Vivian said. “But personality-wise, you two are more similar than we are. I know it’s not the same thing, but my point is that all relationships require some risk-taking. Allowing your doubts to take center stage as you’re starting a romance is rarely a good idea. You and Delilah seem to have a good thing going. It would be a shame to throw it away just because of a couple of people’s thoughtless words.”
Tom didn’t know what to say, but in the next moment a large group of people entered The Lighthouse Grill together. They clearly all knew each other and therefore would want to sit together, which would require some tables to be rearranged.
“Ah, duty calls,” Vivian said, standing up. “Thanks for talking with me. I hope everything works out.”
“Thank you,” he said, smiling at her before she hurried away.
Once he was left to himself, Tom mused over Vivian’s words. He was thankful that he had a chance to process them, since they were making him question what he had been feeling for the past several hours.
I want to believe that what she said is true,he thought, using his fork to stir what remained of his coleslaw around in its dish.But what if Delilah feels that we’re unevenly paired? Or what if she doesn’t feel that way now, but she will soon, once the initial butterflies of romance have flown away?
