“Can I get you started with some drinks? The usual for you, buddy?” she asks Lev.
Lev slides off his headphones, eyes still on the menu, but the subtle nod he gives tells me he’s listening.
“And for you, sir?”
Her voice is soft, but not timid. And after all my time observing people, I can tell there’s something careful about the way she carries herself. Like she’s used to holding things together even when they’re falling apart.
“Aleksei.” I let my name curl off my tongue with a smirk.
“Aleksei,” she repeats, her smile widening.
I don’t miss the way Kirill’s jaw tenses as she says my name.
“We will put in our food order too,” he adds.
Sloane nods. “Of course.” Then she looks over at Lev with a conspiratorial smile. “I’ll make sure the chef gives you extra curly fries today. Pinky promise.”
Lev looks up and stares. Not just a flash of a glance, but full-on eye contact.
“Th-th-thank you,” he says, just above a whisper.
Across the booth, Kirill freezes, like something in him just broke wide open. He’s staring at his son like he’s not sure if he’s dreaming. Like one wrong move might shatter it.
And I get it. Because I know what this means. Lev doesn’t speak often. When he does, it’s usually with effort or if Kirill prompts him. To see him look at her and say thank you on his own…it hits Kirill hard. It hits me too.
She turns to us, not realizing how monumental this was. “What can I get you guys?”
We both order, and she jots everything down before heading toward the kitchen. As soon as she’s gone, Lev slips his headphones back on like nothing happened.
I lean in closer toward the table. “Are you going to tell me who Sloane is, or do I need to start digging?”
He shoots me a warning glare.
“All I’m saying is, the boy needs a mother. And he obviously likes her.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He doesn’t answer right away. “Too young.”
“That’s not the reason.”
“She’s just a girl who works here. That’s all.”
I let him have the lie. For now.
Fifteen minutes later, she’s back with our food. Chicken nuggets and fries for Lev, burgers for us. Lev looks down at his nuggets like they are something sacred. Then, without aword, he unzips his backpack and pulls out a chocolate bar, still wrapped, and holds it out to her.
The shift is instant. Her face crumples, tears filling her eyes that she can’t blink away fast enough.
“Oh, wow,” she breathes, her voice cracking. “Thank you, Lev. But I can’t take that. It’s yours.”
“Take it,” Kirill says firmly.
She peers over at him, her lips parting like she wants to argue, but she stops herself and just nods. “Okay. Thank you, Lev. You’re always so sweet to me.”
She turns and struts off, still clutching the chocolate to her chest like it means more than she knows how to say. Right before she disappears into the back, she peers at Kirill, and I grin.
