He doesn't move until I'm next to him, and we both make our way back to the group. We split off, him going over to Vance, and me heading to Taylor. She wags her eyebrows at me as I approach her, and I take the seat next to her. "What kinda trouble you two getting into down there?"
I laugh. "Nothing. I'm gonna head out."
"And how are you getting home?" she asks with a smirk.
"Chase."
"Ooh la la," she sings.
"You're crazy." I laugh. I don't know why I'm not spilling that he's not just taking me home..that we're also going to grab some food. I don't need her to make something out of nothing. Right? Because it is nothing. I look up to see Chase and Vance smacking hands. Shannon is at his side and their gestures suggest Chase is telling Vance he's heading out. I watch as she says something to him, grabbing his arm. He says something and I watch her smile drop, her confidence deflate, and she watches as he walks away.
"I'll text you tomorrow," I tell Taylor and make my way to Chase, who's now reaching the dirt road that connects to the Field.
"You better!" I hear her yell back. I take my phone out and text Vance, telling him I'm hitching a ride with Chase, explaining that I want to get an early start on my car in the morning. I jog up to Chase.
"Ready?" he asks as I come up next to him.
"Yep." We walk in the dark, the sounds of the nightlife surrounding us. I don’t quite remember where we all parked, until the headlights of his car flash and light up the road, making it a little easier to navigate. My nerves begin to get the best of me as I pull open his passenger door and slide onto the cool leather seats. We both buckle up, and I place my shaky hands between my thighs. I arrived thinking nothing would happen between us, and I’m leaving with conflicting thoughts.
“Cold? He asks, reaching towards his dash, turning on the heat. I smile weakly. I didn’t even notice my arms covered in goosebumps-- I’m too wrapped up in my thoughts. “Thanks.” The little bit of heat pumps from the vents help.
"Where to?"
"Hmm?" I hum looking out the window, watching him maneuver the car.
"It's been a while, what's open? Is Chrissy's Diner still open all night?"
"Yep."
"Perfect."
He exits the dirt road, pulling onto the main paved street. What are we doing? What am I doing? I want this...but am I setting myself up for disappointment? My mind is so occupied with my thoughts that I must miss what Chase has said because he nudges me, pulling me from said thoughts. "What?" I ask turning towards him. His handsome face is illuminated by his dash. He laughs, quickly glancing at me and then back at the road. "You're eerily quiet over there, what are you thinking about?"
I'm not about to tell him what I was really thinking about. "Soup or Pie?" I blurt out.
"What?"
"What to order...soup or pie."
"Do they still serve the best shoofly pie?"
"Uh...Yeah!"
"Damn, I've missed Chrissy's shoofly pie!"
"Oh, man. I don't think I could go a year without her pies." Because Chrissy makes the best pie I've ever had, but you'll never hear me say that in front of my mom, even if they go way back.
I see him shrug. "It's not like I could get pies in care packages."
"Yeah, I guess not. Oh! Her French onion soup is killer!" I tell him.
"Hmm, that sounds good too."
"See my dilemma?" I ask smiling at our stupid conversation, the nerves easing away.
"Yeah, first world problems," he jokes.
"Yeah, Yeah."
"We'll order both," he says simply.
"Hmm…yeah, that sounds perfect!" The diner isn't far from town, so it's not long until Chase pulls into the parking lot of Chrissy's.
"Wow, it looks so different!" he says looking out the windshield at the remodeled diner.
"Yeah, it was closed for a couple of weeks and redone..as you can see. Neat, right?" Chrissy's looks like an old fashion diner straight out of the fifties. It's shiny, with mirror-like siding. The name, ‘Chrissy's Diner’, is brightly displayed in red fluorescent lights high above the front doors.
"Yeah, wow."
"Let's go! Maybe Chrissy is still here!" I say and jump out of the car, closing the door, and rounding the front. Chase follows behind me as we walk up the steps and into the foyer of the diner, then opening the next set of doors. A young girl is at the register, and looks up at us, a wide smile forming. "Hey guys, how many?"
"Just two," Chase says from behind me. She grabs two menus and comes out from behind the counter. "Okay, follow me please." We follow her as she leads us past the pie and dessert case. I can’t help but take a peek at the yummy goodness inside. She then stops in front of a small booth, placing the menus on the table. "Your waitress will be right with you. Enjoy!" she says and leaves us.
We both slide into the booth across from each other and don't bother looking at the menu because we already know what we're getting. I look around the diner and take in the late-night customers spread out. The waitress comes to our table and says, "Look at you two. You guys are the cutest couple I've ever set my eyes on."
I look up at the waitress, totally dumbfounded, and I hear Chase laughing which causes me to look at him. I know my eyes are bugging out of my sockets. He tells the waitress, "Thanks."
"No problem, doll. What can I get you cutie pies to drink?" Chase nods at me, referring me to go first. "Uh, a Coke is fine."
"Sure thing, sweetheart, and for you?" She looks to Chase, and I take in her features. Her blonde hair is proofed out and built up with lots of hair spray. It reminds me of a picture I once saw of my mom before I was born. If I had to guess her age, I'd say somewhere in her late forties, early fifties. She's pretty even with the crow’s feet that crinkle when she smiles. It just tells me she's smiled a lot in her lifetime. It's a pretty smile, a mouth that showcases her perfect white teeth. She's wearing a cute pink top with her name sewed above her breast, something you'd see in a fifties diner. Beverly. She looks like a Beverly. I've always wondered if my name fits me. Do I look like a Veronica? A black modest skirt with an apron tied around her wide hips completes her uniform. It's been a while since I've been to Chrissy's. Beverly is someone I don't recognize, so she must be fairly new.
"I'll be right back with your drinks," she says and twirls on her feet towards the kitchen.
I look at Chase. "She thought we were a couple!"
He smiles wide, forcing me to look at his mouth, but I quickly avert my eyes. "Yeah, I was here."
"We're not a couple," I point out, stupidly.
"That, I'm also aware of."
"Why would she think we're a couple?" I ask, again, stupidly.
"I don't know. Maybe because we're a guy and a girl, out late, together?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"But we are the cutest couple she's ever set her eyes on," He says, making his voice high and feminine like hers. It makes me laugh. Beverly is back with our drinks, placing them in front of us, and taking her pad out of her apron. "Are you two love birds ready to order?" she asks.