I believe her name’s Tini, from what I could make out from Lina. I stare closer at her on the off-chance that she’s right, taking in her oversized tee and short, black curly hair. She has a stare that could kill and it’s directed at me as she awaits my answer. I shrug, hoping to break the rising tension.
‘I don’t think so,’ I say, a small shake in my voice.
They’re all silent now, eyes flitting between me and Tini in the anticipation of drama. I hold my breath and look to Lina. She is just as confused, but breaks the silence with a soft, tinkling laugh.
‘Have you two met?’ Lina asks.
I shake my head, but Tini squints harder.
‘I don’t think so...’ she says, but she does not look convinced.
A murmur builds again between the group, allowing me to exhale and retreat back to my position as a fly on the wall. I try to rack my brain for Tini’s face, just in case she was in fact right, but I see nothing. I don’t know her. I should not feel this uneasy.
‘So, how didyou twomeet?’ another girl, Emilia asks.
Lina’s smile springs to life and she squeezes my arm in excitement. The feeling lingers even after she loosens her grip. Itbeats like a pulse, almost drowning out her voice as she recounts the story.
‘At the bar! I saved her from a string ofterriblespeed dates,’ she says.
The group bursts into laughter, soft applause and a couple of coos, as I nod emphatically in agreement.
‘Don’t know what I would have done without her.’ I add this to more fanfare.
We risk a glance into each other’s eyes, pausing there for a moment. The sun seeps through the leaves, dotting tendrils of light across her face that frame her almond-shaped eyes and button nose even more beautifully than before. I debate leaning in, seizing this moment while the girls around us are distracted and finally learning what her lips taste like. But it’s not right. She deserves the best and this wouldn’t be it. For now, I’ll bask in this small moment with just us and our stares.
Tini cheers, slapping the table in triumph. ‘That’swhere I know you! You’re that girl! The dating girl! My friend sends me your videos!’
My heart sinks into the pit of my chest, my jaw tightening as the group erupts into chatter. I don’t dare look Lina’s way. This wasn’t how she was supposed to find out. She wasn’t supposed to find out at all.
An excited line of questioning breaks through the chatter, none of which appears to be directed at me. I try to think of something to say to shut it down, but Tini’s already fishing out her phone as a couple of girls excitedly gather around her screen. Within a few seconds I hear my voice spitting back at them as they scroll through my videos and pass comments. My whole body goes stiff under the weight of this new cringe, lightened only by the fact that Lina’s not watching with them. She hasn’t moved from the seat next to me and continues to keep her eyes on my face.
‘What’s this about?’ she asks, a soft but intrigued smile spreading across her pursed lips.
‘Oh, I—’
‘She is going around Europe dating everyone in the name of “research”,’ Tini says.
‘Are you now?’ Lina asks.
While slightly teasing in tone, she does not look even remotely put off. Her eyes twinkle as she shuffles even closer and softly places her hand over my knee.
‘What number is Lina?’ one girl (Beth? Heather? Jessica? Maybe?) asks.
Tini looks up from her phone to stare me down, eyebrows raised in challenge.
‘Oh, they’re numbered?’ Lina asks.
‘And rated,’ Tini says.
‘Well, now, I really must know more.’ Lina grins.
She squeezes my arm, wrapping her body around it, and I look down at her warm and still-welcoming face. She has the prettiest smile. I could get lost in it. It makes the tension release from the tops of my shoulders.
‘Go on. What number am I?’ she says, pushing softly.
Her eyes lock into mine and again, we’re the only two at the table. As I meet them, I hasten to believe her. Nothing else matters but her and I in this moment.
‘You really want to know?’ I ask gently.
