I can listen to music.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I grabbed tacos and chips and guac—”
“Say no more. I’m totally down for this adventure. Tacos are my love language.” I stand and grin at him, but he’s not smiling back, and I feel my face fall. “Something’s wrong.”
But he shakes his head, denying it.
“Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go eat.”
“Gideon, are you and Willow okay?”
He blows out a breath, clenches his jaw, and then meets my gaze with his. “No. We’re not okay. But we will be. Come on, I’m hungry too.”
“I don’t want—”
“Let’s go, Rebel. I’m fucking hungry.”
He didn’t just get tacos and chips.
The man bought out the restaurant.
“There’s enough here to feed eight people.”
He shrugs and pops the staples on the top of a brown paper bag, revealing the freshly fried corn chips, then opens a tub of guac, another tub of queso, and yet another of salsa.
“I have tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. I didn’t know what you would order.”
He got everything.
Because he didn’t know what I would want.
But I need to play this cool. It’s not a romantic gesture. We have to eat, and it’s not like he can text me to ask me what I want.
“Thanks.” I dip a chip in the queso and sigh when I chew. “We’ll have leftovers.”
Gideon passes me a plate, and we dig in, and less than five minutes later, I’m sitting crisscross in a plush leather chair while he’s sitting on the couch, and the beginning credits ofThe Gooniescome on.
“A classic,” I say, nodding in satisfaction.
“Never seen it.”
I stop chewing and stare at him. “How? I thought this was a staple in everyone’s childhood.”
“I didn’t have a normal childhood” is all he says, and the hard look of his face tells me that he won’t say more.
“Well, then you can watch it now.”
This burrito isbomb, and when all my food is gone, the chips are just a memory, reduced to crumbs on the coffee table, and my belly is as full as it’s been in a long time, we lounge back and watch the movie.
“This town is full of idiots. All of them should have CPS called for losing their kids.”
“It’s amovie, Gideon. It doesn’t have to be realistic.”
He smirks but crosses his arms over his chest and stays quiet for a while.
The kids have just found the pirate ship when Gideon lets out a huff.
