It catches the attention of nearby tables, and I nearly choke on a laugh as heads turn.
Kicking my chair back, I keep going, and going, until I can’t even reach anymore. Holden grabs the crust and continues to stretch it, eyes getting wider and wider until the cheese finally sags and breaks. I catch it before it falls to the ground.
Everyone whoops, clapping loudly.
“Damn, man! I think you just beat your own record!” Declan says.
“Oh, he definitely did!” Piper says, turning her phone around to show everyone a picture. “Look at that!”
I stuff the gooey cheese into my mouth, then reach for a napkin. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this, Dec.”
“Oh, I know!”
One by one, we finish the competition. No one gets anywhere close to my length, though. They never do.
I have to admit, it’s a fun evening. Exhausting, because of the extra effort it takes to socialize, but fun.
Finally, with the table cleared, we file out of the restaurant. Holden lingers behind, chewing his lip as we walk toward thecrosswalk. He shoves a hand into his pocket before clearing his throat.
“So, would you, maybe, want to come back here sometime?”
I turn to him, confused.
He stops walking, cheeks turning pink. “You know. Have a cheese contest of our own?”
My mind had been so caught up in the fun evening that I nearly miss the fact that Holden just asked me on a date.
“Oh! I’m… Well, I’m seeing someone,” I say quickly. Declan and Piper both turn to look at us.
His attention darts to Piper. She must have given him a nudge. Dammit. “Oh. Okay, then.”
As he hurries off, Piper slows her pace. She folds her arms over her chest as she waits for me to explain. I try to tell her with my eyes that I don’t want to talk about it, but as soon as we cross the road and the rest of the group are out of earshot, she turns to me. “Are you really seeing someone or did you just reject the poor guy out of spite?”
She sounds frustrated.
I don’t want to lie to her, but I don’t know how to explain this either. “I think I might be, yeah.”
Her expression is unreadable. “Uh-huh.”
“What’s that mean?”
She shrugs. “You expect me to believe that?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m serious, Piper. I really might be.”
She studies me, then her eyes get huge. “Oh. Well, shit. That explains why you’ve been so forgetful then.”
I don’t reply. That has nothing to do with Miles and more to do with my fucking head being impossible.
“Guy or girl?”
I grit my teeth. “Can we not do this?”
“Oh, come on. Please? Just tell me if it’s someone I know.”
“No.”
“No, you won’t tell me, or no I don’t know them?”
