“It’s coming down.”
“Yeah, I can see that. But it wasn’t supposed to snow. I checked the weather this morning before we left.”
“That’s the thing about weather. You can predict it all you want, but at the end of the day, Mother Nature will do whatever she wants. Not unlike?—”
“Don’t,” she snaps. “I understand how weather works, but a freaking snowstorm out of nowhere when it was supposed to be sunny all day is pretty rare.”
“Are you seriously trying to argue with the weather right now?” I ask.
Before Allie can say anything, our server returns with our food, placing a burger down in front of each of us and the truffle fries in the middle of the table. “Hope you guys are staying here,” he says, glancing out the window. “Doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. Anyway, enjoy your lunch.” He bounces off, and Allie scowls after him.
“Was that really necessary?”
“Our server talking to us? I know it’s a crazy concept, but sometimes humans talk to one another. Occasionally, they’re even nice.”
She ignores my blatant sarcasm. “I meant scaring us like that. It’s not like we’re not going to be able to get home.” Her face doesn’t match the confidence in her tone.
“Sure,” I say, not feeling super confident myself. I go to grab a fry, but she bats my hand away.
“Those are mine.”
“They were placed in the middle of the table. They’re obviously meant to be shared.”
“Yeah, but I ordered them.”
“Well, I’m paying for them.”
“Like fuck you are.”
I shake my head, sighing and scrubbing my face. “You’re exhausting.”
We sit in relative silence for the rest of lunch. Allie eats her burger, taking notes on her little pink pad, while I sneak fries when she’s not looking. Every once in a while, I glance out the window at the snow that continues to fall with no apparent end in sight. Our bill comes when she’s in the restroom, and I take care of it before she can return and protest. Of course, she asks about it when she comes back anyway.
“It’s all set.” I attempt to leave no room for argument.
“But—” she tries to argue anyway.
“It’s all set, Alexandra. Just leave it.”
It looks like she’s not going to drop it, but then her face softens, and she mutters a soft “thank you.”
I almost trip over the table as I stand up, I’m in so much shock that she just let something go for once in her life.
The victory is short-lived as soon as we step outside, and I realize we are truly fucked. We were only in the restaurant for an hour and a half, two—tops, and it already looks like there’s a foot of snow on the ground. Cars are swerving and sliding all over the place, and that’s just in the parking lot.
Allie and I exchange a look, but she schools her features, flipping her scarf over her shoulder and walking confidently to the valet stand. “Hope you have good snow tires.”
“Uh, yeah…I don’t even have four-wheel drive.”
“What?” she screeches, startling one of the valets, who appears to be playing Candy Crush on his phone. I look around. There are no cars coming in or going out. Even the brave people in the parking lot have now given up and are waiting it out.
Allie notices the changed expression on my face and winces.
“No. Don’t even say it.”
“I think we should wait it out,” I say, despite her pleas.
“Wait it out? It might get worse!”
