"Saige, be serious. Besides, I do kind of have something to hold over your head, and you have to do whatever I want, so…what do you want to eat?"
I sigh. "There is one place I kind of want to go, but it's too far to walk."
Dax shrugs. "So? I'll get an Uber."
Twenty minutes later, we walk into that little Mount Pleasant café, and the host leads us to the back corner booth. I order the grilled cheese with extra fries and a soda while Dax orders a burger.
"Is this where you grew up?"
I shrug. "Not really."
He rolls his eyes. "How enlightening."
"Well, what do you want me to say?"
"I just want you to answer my questions like a normal person."
"Well, this isn't really a normal situation, is it?"
"No, it's not, but you might as well get used to it." I frown, and he reaches across the table, placing his hand on mine before adding, "I'm not your enemy, Ripley."
I quickly rip my hand away, bringing it back into my lap as the server arrives with our food. "Yeah, Dax, you kind of are. My memory clearly isn't as short as yours."
"Come on, Saige…I'll answer your questions if you answer mine."
I think it over while chewing my fries. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
He raises an eyebrow. "You come here often?"
I shake my head. "Are you serious?"
"You said you'd answer my questions."
"No. I grew up not too far from here, but I haven't been back since. My friends and I used to come here every Friday after school. The last time I came here, only my boyfriend showed up, and he dumped me. My best friend was hiding in his car, laughing at me, so I never came back. It was this booth,actually." I shove another fry into my mouth. "I think they're still together."
"Then why the fuck did you want to come here?"
"I like the fries," I say, shrugging. "Anyway, it hasn't bothered me in a long time—nothing has, really. I mean…the blood and guts in the back of my car bothered me,obviously, but I don't care enough about anyone anymore to let the things they do to me hurt me. I expect it now."
"Well, good for you."
"I guess." I have Elias to thank for that. But while I'm glad nothing hurts anymore, it also means nothing ever feels that good. "What's Dax short for?"
"It's not short for anything."
"You're lying. It must be something embarrassing."
"No, I'm not. My parents are insanely wealthy, Ripley. Name rules don't apply to us. My sisters and I are lucky we didn't end up named after random fruits and vegetables. Actually, I have a cousin in France named Meringue."
"I can't tell if you're joking or not."
"If I were joking, you would know. I'm very funny. She didn't think so, though; I wasn't very nice to her growing up."
"Wow…shocking."
"Why are you afraid of Nolan?"
"I'm notafraidof him—I just find him incredibly creepy. He looks like a vampire. He kind of acts like one, too."
