“I’m never going to look at a duck the same way again…,” Desmumbled.
“Can I take my fingers off my ears now?” Mindy asked a little too loudly, her eyes sweeping around thetable.
I smiled andnodded.
The younger girl looked around the circle and frowned as she lowered her hands. “I’m going to guess I should be happy I missed that conversation. You guys look like you’re going tobesick.”
Max made a coughing sound, turning in his chair. “Is it too late to change myorder?”
Itwasn’t.
We must have all been thinking about ducks and/or pretty waitresses that came by every few minutes to check on us more than any other table, because no one really spoke much after our food was dropped off. We ate silently, and every once in a while, I’d meet Aaron’s gaze as Ichewed.
“I want to go check out some of the shops around here before they close. Text me when you’re ready to go,” Mindy said, pushing her chair back. “Anyone wanttocome?”
When no one immediately said anything, it made me feel bad, so I pointed at the food I still had left on my plate. “I’m going to finish eating, but I’ll go look for you whenI’mdone.”
She gave me a little smile and flicked her brother on the ear on her way out of the restaurant, apparently assuming he’d pay for her meal. That made me miss my own brothers andsisters.
“I’m going to get a beer. Any of you want anything?” Aaron asked a moment later, standing up. His hand squeezed myshoulder. “Ruby?”
“I’m fine,” I told him, perfectly okay with my glass ofwater.
He gave me a faint smile just as Max said, “Get me a beer. You know whatIlike.”
“Get me one too,” Despipedin.
Aaron snickered, releasing the hold on my shoulder. “I’m not buying either of you shit, come with me or givemecash.”
“So you can forget to give me my change? Nah,” came Max’s response as he pushed away from the table too. Des groaned but got up too, following his friends to the bar. I only watched him for a second before looking back down at myplate.
Brittany made a noise, her elbows on the table, as the three men walked away. “You know, I was at a friend’s house once, and her parents are Filipino. They had this crispy pork thing out that I thought wasamazing—”
“Crispy pata?” I asked,grinning.
She nodded, dipping a french fry into a giant pile of ketchup she’d squirted on her plate. “I was eating the shit out of it until her mom told me it was knuckles. If I would’ve been anywhere else, I would’vethrownup.”
“It is good, but yeah, it is a little gross when you thinkaboutit.”
She tipped her head to the side and looked at me. “You can’t really tell you’re Filipino, except for the shape of your eyes.” She blinked. “That sounds really racist. I’m sorry. Mindy’s been rubbing off on methisweek.”
I snorted. “I get it. My mom has really red hair and she’s super pale. I got a weird mix of both of them. No one can ever tell whatIam.”
“Noshit?”
“It’s true. One of my sisters has red hair and the other one has black hair like our dad,” I told her, casually glancing at the bar where Max, Aaron, and Des had justheaded.
My eyes froze there for amoment.
Leaning forward across the counter of the bar was the waitress, and she was smiling and laughing, talking to the three of them who were all smiling and laughing athertoo.
Was thatindigestionor…
No. That wasn’t indigestion making my upper chest feel tacky. It was me being jealous like crazy in the blink ofaneye.
I had no right to be jealous. No right at all. Zero. Zilch. She was pretty and outgoing. She could do whatever shewanted.
Stop freaking looking, Ruby. You wouldn’t be looking if it was anyone else.Which was thetruth.
