“Great. And, what about you?”
I blinked, having barely looked at the menu.
“Same—Wait.” I scrunched up my face realizing she’d asked for vegetarian chicken wings. “No– I want wing–wings.”
Crystal let out a little giggle and my attention cemented on her.
“He wants wing-wings. The ‘big boy’ kind.” [MH1]She winked at the waitress before turning her attention back to me and nudging my arm with her elbow. “You want her to put the sauce in a little cup for you or–?”
“Absolutely not. I want bone in, honey barbeque. That soup does sound good, make it two.” I stared back at her and passed the menu toward the waitress without shifting my gaze. Eventually a smile broke and once the woman moved on, I whispered with a laugh, “You’re something else.”
“Am I?”
“You know you are.”
She used her straw to stir her tea and averted her gaze.
“You know my brother?”
“Hmm?” She fought a smile and hesitantly met my gaze again.
I sat back and tried to act like I wasn’t damn near holding my breath on the answer and she shook her head and laughed.
“I wouldn’t say I know him. He was friends with my neighbor, Oak O’Brian. I used to see him coming and going over at Oak’s house when we were kids.”
“Right.” I relaxed a little and slid my hand over hers. “You don’t ever go back? Like, to visit?”
She stiffened, and I teased my thumb along the edge of her hand until she forced a smile that I knew in my soul was fake.
“I’m gonna go back in a few months. It’s a have to kind of thing,” she quietly admitted, and for a minute I thought that was all she intended to say. “I’ll be twenty-one. I intend to stop by on my way to Texas and grab my sister, Joplin.”
“You’re going to Texas for your birthday?”
I could get behind that. Texas was warm. It was as good a vacation spot as any and the thought of her little ass on the beach...
“No. I’m moving there.”
“What?” The word flew out of my mouth, and I turned to confront her, my body twisting in the awkward confines of the booth.
The fear that instantly took over her features made me inwardly curse myself. I gathered her hand in mine to soften the response and tried to laugh it off.
“What the fuck do you mean you’re leaving for Texas? Wh-why? What’s in Texas?”
Her lighthearted shrug baffled me further.
“A chance at a future.”
“I’m offering you that. Right here. In Illinois.”
She huffed, amusement carrying in her breath as she smiled and shook her head.
“Crystal, I’m fuckin’ serious.” I slid my fingers between hers and hugged her hand.
She avoided my gaze and twirled her tea with her straw.
“Why?”
“I’ve struggled long enough here in Illinois. I’m always moving from apartment to shitty apartment, begging for shifts and doing odd jobs. I don’t have anything solid because I’m constantly juggling instead of planning. I can’t do this anymore. I need good paying, steady work and a lease in my own name.”
