"Well, at least I can stare at something appealing."
"Why, thank you," I jest, knowing she was not talking about me.
She laughs at me. "You are the hottest piece of ass in this joint, besides me of course."
"Of course. Hey, thanks for buying."
"Just trying to get into your pants." She winks. "Is it working?"
"Oh yeah, it’s working!"
"You slut!"
"Only for you, baby!"
Taylor's eyes glance at something to my right, causing me to look over my shoulder. A young girl, wearing the same ensemble as the guy behind the counter is approaching us carrying a red tray with food upon it.
"Hey girls," she greets with a smile, opposite from the guy at the register. They should switch positions. We both smile back. "I have one Rockin' Burger and one Deluxe Bacon Burger."
"Yep," Taylor confirms. The young girl places the tray in the middle of the booth between us. "Great. Enjoy your meal!" She turns on her feet and walks away. Taylor doesn't hesitate to dig in. She grabs the large burger with both hands and takes a massive bite. She groans her approval, "V, this is so good."
I grab mine and follow suit. The burst of flavor on my tongue has me moaning my approval. There's isn't much talking while we devour them, and what seemed like seconds--that were most likely minutes--fries were the only thing left on our plate.
"We have to come back here," Tay suggests after sipping on her drink.
"Definitely," I agree.
"Oh my gosh, look who's here!" Taylor says with a fry hanging from her mouth.
"Who?" I twist in my seat to look towards the door behind me. A group of kids just walked in, but I don’t recognize any of them, so I don't understand what Taylor is talking about until my eyes settle upon the last guy walking through the door. I turn to Taylor, eyes wide, "Did you plan this?" She smiles mischievously but says, "I may have mentioned that we were gonna check out this place."
"And if I wanted to go elsewhere?"
She shrugs, "I'd text him."
"Wait, what? How do you have his number?"
"I have my ways."
"Why Tayyyy," I drag out her name in a whine.
"Because I love you, and if it's not going to happen with Chase, I don't want you to miss out because he's an idiot."
I sigh. "I'm going to kill you."
"You'll miss me too much."
The noise of moving tables and screeching chairs pulls our attention to the commotion. The jocks from earlier must have left and we didn't even notice; too immersed in our burgers to care. Devin and his friends have taken residence of the, now empty, table. I’m shamelessly watching Devin as he pulls a table closer to the other. It’s causing his lean muscles under his shirt to flex. He laughs at something his friend says, then his mouth falls in a lingering smile--a smile he's shown me a lot since Monday. It would be so easy to crush on someone like Devin if Chase wasn't in the picture. Devin is good looking. He’s funny, nice, smart, and all-around a good guy. Even though Chase has basically put an end to this whole thing, I can't help but still be hopeful, and that thought alone makes me feel so dumb. My appetite has disappeared as I stare down at my uneaten fries.
"Stop. Finish," Taylor says across from the table, pulling my attention to her.
"I'm full," I lie.
"Woman, I paid for your meal, you better damn well eat it all"
A smile forms on my lips involuntarily, "I love you, Tay."
She rolls her eyes, "You're giving me whiplash. One minute you're planning to kill me, the next you love me."
"It's just you. I'm surprised Wes has stayed with you for as long as he has.You must have a magical vagina." This causes Taylor to burst out in a loud boisterous laugh and now everyone around us is looking our way. "That's a good one, I'm going to have to take a mental note of that."
"I know,” I flip my hair over my shoulder, “I’m hilarious."
A figure approaches our table and grabs our attention. My eyes connect with warm brown ones. "Hey, Devin!" Taylor greets him cheerfully.
"Hey, Taylor...Veronica," he greets her without looking her way.
"Hey!" I greet him. I’m not sure what else to say. I'm taken off guard--this was a setup, and I wonder if he's aware of it.
"May I?" he asks while gesturing next to me in the booth.
"Oh yeah…of course." I scoot over so he can sit. He slides in close, his leg brushing mine, and I feel the warmth spread all over my body. Taylor is smiling so big she looks like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.
"How were the burgers?" Devin asks us, "I've been meaning to come to try this place out."
"Yeah, us too. My burger was amazing," Taylor says from across from us while I remain quiet. Devin leans into me, bumping my shoulder with his arm. "What did you think?" he asks, looking at me and scanning my face. I'm not sure what for. I squirm under his gaze. "Good, really good," confirming what Taylor said. He smiles.
"What?" I ask, slightly intimidated at his smile.
He shakes his head, "Nothing, you're just cute."
His compliment causes my breath to whoosh out of me. I feel all kinds of awkward. I've never taken compliments very well, "Thanks, you're cute too," I say lamely.
He chuckles, "Good to know you think so."
"Who are your friends?" a male voice interrupts us, pulling all our attention towards the imposing tall brunette boy with his arms crossed over his chest, standing at the end of the table.
"Oh. Hey Mason, this is Veronica and Taylor." He gestures to us, then explains, "Mason is my knucklehead cousin."
"Holdin' out, Dev."
"Taken." Tay holds her finger up.
"Shame,” Mason retorts.
"Yep," Taylor agrees, and that makes us all laugh.
With permission, he takes a seat next to Tay. We hang out with Devin and Mason for a while, talking about everything. They even eat with us and most of their friends have trickled over, too. We learned they all attend the nearby school that Devin transferred from. They’re a funny bunch, and my ribs hurt from laughing so much. It’s a much-needed distraction. Tay is quiet in her corner of the booth. It pulls my attention away from the conversation for a second. Her features pinched as her fingers moved over her phone.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask her in a low voice. She quickly looks up at me and replies, "Nothing."
"You sure?" I ask curiously, "You looked in deep thought."
She shakes her head. "All is good."
"Okay."
We don’t leave the restaurant until they have to kick us out to close down. I’m engulfed in a large hug by Devin and a promise from him to see me at school. After everything, I find myself smiling on the way home.
"I had fun," I say, mindlessly, on a slight high. Devin is nice.
"Good, I'm glad," Taylor says.
My phone pings, and I assume it's one of my brothers inquiring about my whereabouts, but it's not. It feels like my heart stops, and a gasp leaves my mouth.