By the time he got back with our order, my brain vibrated with the effort to stop myself from blurting out anything inappropriate.
“Are you okay?” Sal frowned, setting up beside me.
“Yes. Let’s test our content.” I scooted forward and accidentally bumped into his leg. “Ah, sorry,” I said.
I tensed, tightening my posture, and touched my cap. Hopefully, I wasn’t blushing like some idiot.
“It’s okay,” Sal said. After a few seconds of game-testing and no eye contact, he leaned over the table and cleared his throat. “Can I address something kinda personal?”
My heart whirred. Did he already know what I was going to say today? “Yes,” I whispered.
The second I met his gaze, he lowered his bright eyes and sucked in sharply, like it was too much to handle.
He traced the top of his iced latte. “I get the sense you’re not comfortable talking about some stuff. But I like to think we’re getting close enough to address some tougher topics, if you’re into that. We could be closer or stay where we're at.”
Being closer meant we could be honest. “I’d like to be closer friends.”
He sighed and flicked his thumb across the underside of his chin scruff. “Something must’ve happened, and that sucks, and is super sad. Tragic.”
I knit my brows. Did he mean something happened in their relationship?
He placed his palm over his chest. “But I want you to know, I’m not going to make a move on you.”
What did that have to do with anything? I sat up straight, a headache throbbing under my skull and discomfort prickling through my skin. No one asked him to make a move. I wasn’t some rebound chick hoping he’d notice me. With every word, he twisted a coil deep inside me.
He gestured over. “I don’t assume someone being friendly means they’re interested in me. You can touch my arm or laugh at my jokes, and I’ll assume it’s just normal, because that’s what my friends and I do. I’m sorry for whatever happened to you–”
“You didn’t do anything.” I flustered, typing the wrong input into the game. Fucking code bugged with one period in the wrong place.
“No, but I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to make you more comfortable. You already know I’m in a happy, committed relationship, but that doesn’t–”
“Happy? With Janice?” I scoffed.
He widened his eyes and inched back in his seat. “What?”
Shit. The bile was coming up already.
“You made her a whole damned island, and she acts like saving you a piece of pie is the biggest sacrifice,” I said.
His lip twitched up. “It is a popular pie.”
“It’s ridiculous. She wouldn’t even stop to take your picture because it’d ruin her birthday aesthetic.” I rolled my eyes.
“Is that it?”
“I don’t know. Should I check your arms and legs for nail-prints?” I huffed, eyeing him.
He stiffened, color draining from his face. “Hey, that’s not okay.”
“You’re right. It isn’t okay to hurt someone you care about just because they talk too much or say the wrong thing or…anything other than dire safety. I don’t know why you’re giving her anything. I shouldn’t be helping.” I slammed my laptop shut.
“Zero, what’re you doing?” He reached across the table.
I snatched my stuff and got up. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving because I think you’re hitting on me.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes. And another thing: it’s stupid to celebrate yourself for a whole week. If anything, she should take out her mother one day for going through labor for her.”
