“All natural, huh?”
“All natural.” Kivani took another bite, and Dakota watched his throat move as he swallowed. “I’ve never set foot in a gym. Seems boring.”
Dakota pushed his lettuce around his plate, suddenly regretting his order. The salad tasted delicious, and the ranch dressing only made it taste better, but he really wanted that burger. He took a long drink of water and tried not to stare at Kivani’s fries.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it and took another bite of his salad.
It buzzed again. Then again.
“You can get that if you need to,” Kivani said.
“It’s fine. Probably just spam.” But Dakota’s stomach was already knotting up because he knew it wasn't spam. He pulled out his phone and saw Bennett’s name lighting up the screen.
The phone rang in his hand. Kivani was watching him, waiting, and Dakota knew he couldn’t just let it ring. Not without seeming weird about it. He swiped to answer and held the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Dakota.” Bennett’s voice was too smooth, too familiar in a way that grated on Dakota’s nerves. He could hear music in the background and the sound of other people talking. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days.”
“I’ve been busy.” Dakota kept his voice flat, his eyes fixed on his plate.
“Look, I know you’re mad, but we need to talk about this. You can’t just disappear and expect everything to be fine.”
“I’m not expecting anything.” Dakota’s hand tightened around the phone. Across from him, Kivani had stopped eating and was looking at his fries like they were suddenly fascinating. “I told you we were done.”
“Baby, come on. We can work this out. Whatever I did, I’ll fix it.”
“You can’t fix it, Bennett.” Dakota’s tone was harsh. A couple in the next booth glanced over. He lowered his voice and turned slightly away from Kivani. “It’s over. I’m not coming back.”
“Where are you? Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you. We’ll talk about this like adults.”
“No.” Dakota felt his throat getting tight, his breathing shallow. “Stop calling me. I mean it. We’re done.”
“Dakota—”
He hung up and set the phone face-down on the table, his hands trembling slightly. He picked up his fork and stabbed at his salad, trying to pretend like nothing had happened.
Kivani was eating again, his attention focused on his burger. He didn’t ask who had called. He didn’t say anything at all. But there was no way he hadn't heard at least Dakota’s side of the conversation. The silence stretched between them, and Dakota’s face burned.
“So…” Dakota said, his voice too bright. “You said people don’t ask questions here. Is that like a town rule or something?”
Kivani looked up, and his expression was gentle. “More like common courtesy. Everyone’s got their stuff.”
“Right. Yeah.” He gave up on the salad and pushed it to the side. “That’s good.”
“You want some fries?” Kivani pushed his plate toward the middle of the table. “I always order too many.”
Grateful for the olive branch, Dakota took a fry. It was hot and salty and so damn good. He ate another one then another.
“So why did you really move here?” Kivani asked. His tone was casual, but the question had weight.
“I told you. Fresh start.”
“Yeah, but fresh start from what?”
Dakota ate another fry, buying himself time as Kivani studied him. “Just needed to get away from some stuff. Bad situation. Bad people. The usual.”
“The usual,” Kivani repeated, like he was tasting the words. “That’s pretty vague.”
