“We should make this a thing.” Brinley beams. “The team could come here after every win!”
“No.” I shake my head. “Sorry, um, it’s just, it’s complicated.”
Brinley doesn’t get a chance to say anything else because someone pushes into my side of the booth.
“Well, this is a first,” Maia teases, sliding a plate of fries in front of me.
“What is?” Brinley wonders, grabbing a fry off the plate without hesitation.
“Em being here with someone else,” she pauses, “especially two someone’s.”
I shove Maia back out of the booth, and she laughs. She whips out her notepad and winks at me.
“You guys ready to order?” she wonders, glancing at Declan before looking back at me.
“I’ll take an iced tea.” I begin when no one else says anything. “And the fries are enough.”
“What would you recommend?” Brinley asks. “I’ve never been here, so I don’t know if I should get this Greystone burger or play it safe with the chicken tenders.”
“Brin, you’re gonna get the chicken tenders anyway; let’s not beat around the bush.” Oh, look at that. Declan Sanderson knows how to speak.
“Fine.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll get the chicken tenders with ranch and barbeque sauce. Oh, and an orange soda!”
“And for you?” Maia’s eyes land on Declan.
“I’m good.”
“Goober, you have a long practice tonight; you’ve gotta eat something.”
Irritation burns in his eyes as Brinley calls himGooberagain, and I’m almost certain I see them turn a little orange.
“Fine, I’ll, um, get the Greystone burger.”
“Did you want everything on that?” Maia wonders.
“Um, yeah, sure.” He looks down at the menu and reads over everything on it. “Could I add an over-easy egg? And maybe some bacon?”
“Sure.” Maia smiles as she writes it all down. She shoots me one last. “I’ll have that right out for you.”
“Thanks babes,” I reply, and just like that, the awkward silence is back. I dig my nail into my middle finger and then slide out of the booth. “I’ll be right back.”
“Alright.” Brinley pauses before saying, “Oh, could you add a strawberry milkshake to our order?”
“Sure, Brin,” I respond, and I feel Declan’s eyes hit me. Like he’s the only person in the world allowed to call her that. But I didn’t mean to; it just slipped out. I avoid his eyes as I head to the counter, where Maia fills our drinks. Once I reach her, I feel like I can finally breathe.
“And who’s that?” she wonders, gawking at the man sitting a few feet away. “He’s cute.”
“Please don’t say that.”Again.
“And the girl referred to him asGoober, so I don’t think anything is going on there—”
“That’s Declan.”
“Wait, the Declan?”
“Yup.”
“Why are you here with him?” Her demeanor completely shifts, and suddenly I remember why she’s my best friend. She always has my best interest at heart.
