I said not a word to her as the minutes ticked by. The waiter came back around and took our order, along with bringing drinks for both girls. I really couldn’t wait for this date to be over with. Not that I was already counting down the minutes, but…
Okay, I definitely was.
God, and there was a movie after this? Shit.
“So,” Michelle’s voice broke the silence of the table, “Calum. Kyle says you work in tech or something?” She sipped her drink. Kyle’s arm rested behind her on the booth, and she settled back into it, looking like she fit perfectly beside him.
“Yeah, I’m in business with some friends—” The word was almost acidic on my tongue, for right now, Trent was nothing more than a bastard who’d slept with my girl. “—we design websites, work on security fixes for a few apps.”
“Interesting,” she said, though she said nothing else. Michelle held her arms on her lap, and I couldn’t help but let my eyes drift. She and Kyle were so close, having seen each other for most of their high school career. They already had more time together than Hilary and I did, and I wondered if they would remain together or not. It was hard to picture Kyle with any other girl.
I stared at the restaurant around us, at all the other filled booths and tables. It was a Friday night, so the restaurant grew busier by the minute. Soon enough this whole place would be full. The volume of noise in the place kept growing louder steadily, too.
I had no idea how much time passed before Kyle spoke to Bree, “Have you decided what you’re majoring in yet?”
Drawing my gaze away from the restaurant, I glanced to the girl beside me, watching as she squirmed in her seat. She shook her head, saying softly, “No. I…I still don’t know.” She didn’t sound confused about it; she sounded as if she truly didn’t care what she majored in. Bet she’d be one of the people who took up a job at a local retail establishment and constantly complained that their college degree did nothing.
Well, with no drive, of course that degree would be nothing more than a fancy piece of paper that would eventually do nothing but collect dust.
Hmm. Maybe that was harsh thinking.
Kyle’s next question: “Going to transfer, or keep going to SCC?” It was clear both he and Michelle were trying to keep up the conversation, because neither Bree nor I were particularly talkative.
Maybe I wasn’t her type, either. Hard to imagine not being a girl’s type, because I liked to think I was handsome and fit in the ways most girls liked, but I guess it wasn’t too far out of the question. I mean, look at her. With that hair, with her shining personality…she and I were on two opposite sides of the spectrum.
“I don’t know,” Bree spoke the most noncommittal answer ever.
I met my brother’s stare, and I could feel him silently yelling at me, telling me to try harder, to be nicer. Ugh. That was the last thing I wanted to do. Even if I was prince charming for the night, I would never be Bree’s prince. She and I would never work out, even if I was interested in pursuing her. I’d leave eventually anyway, head back to the city, which would leave her here alone.
Some people might be able to make long-distance work, but I was not one of them. I didn’t even care to attempt a long-distance relationship. I needed my girl close, needed to be able to see her, to touch her.
As if proving me correct, I felt a foot hit mine. I shot a glare at Kyle, and he gave me a wordless look that told me to talk to her.
Inwardly, I wanted to beat my brother up for this—it would only be a matter of time before I got him back for this awkward, horrible double date. Whose idea was this? His, or Michelle’s? Either way, I was so not having it.
I turned toward Bree, watching her fingers fiddle with the perspiration on her glass. She wasn’t even looking at me, not expecting anything from me. I was kind of glad she wasn’t overly into the situation while I wasn’t, but at the same time…my pride was a little hurt when I realized that meant she had no interest in me whatsoever.
“What classes are you taking?” I asked, not that I cared…I just didn’t know what else to say to this girl.
Her thin shoulders shrugged. “A little bit of everything.”
I nodded along with her, saying, “Cool.” Cool it was not, but again, there was nothing else to say to that.
This was officially the worst blind, double date ever.
Thankfully, we’d gotten in before the rush, so our food didn’t take too long to come. Kyle got his chicken fingers, while Michelle got a burger. I opted for the chicken alfredo, while Bree got nothing more than a side salad. I hoped she wasn’t avoiding eating because of me and this stupid date. I knew girls thought guys didn’t want to see them eat, but that was a lie for most of us.
Besides, if there was one person at the table that could stand to eat a little excess and gain some weight, it was Bree. I bet she was barely over one hundred pounds, not an ounce of fat anywhere on her.
Michelle and Kyle talked as they ate, but Bree and I were silent. I was silent because I was trying to eat as fast as I could, hoping that would help this night be over with sooner, but I did notice that Bree wasn’t eating. She only took her fork and pushed the lettuce around, acting like she was eating.
“Don’t like it?” Michelle’s voice snapped Bree out of her trance, and Bree nearly dropped her fork onto her lap.
“No,” she said. “It’s fine. I’m just…I’m not hungry.”
“So no popcorn at the movies, then?” Kyle spoke with a smile.
Bree shot a look at me before muttering, “I don’t think so.”
I finished my plate before anyone else did, and I leaned back, once again scanning the restaurant. I would literally rather be anywhere but here; that was not an exaggeration. Kyle was right. Bree seemed nice, but she definitely wasn’t my type. Even if I wasn’t reeling from what I’d seen a few weeks back, I wouldn’t go for her.
Michelle pushed her plate away, wiping her mouth with her napkin. She set a hand on Kyle’s leg beneath the table, saying, “Can I scooch by?”
“Sure,” Kyle spoke, practically leaping to get out of the booth and let her free, probably to go to the restroom.
Once Michelle stood near the table, she gestured for Bree to go with her. I let my eyes travel along her once. If Michelle was older, if she wasn’t my little brother’s girlfriend, she’d be more my type than Bree…
With a sigh, Bree inched closer to me, snapping me out of my mind: “Excuse me.” She did not even look at me as I moved, giving her the space to get out. She and her sister walked off, leaving me and my brother at the table.
I sat back down, and was instantly greeted by a frown.
“Dude,” Kyle spoke, “what’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a jerk.”
“I am not,” I said with a frown that mirrored his. If he thought this was me acting like a jerk, I could be a whole lot jerkier. This was me trying to be nice even though being here was not what I wanted to do.
“You’re hardly looking at her, you’re not even talking to her—”
“Hey, she’s not exactly welcoming, either,” I shot back. “I don’t think she wants to be here, same as me.”
Kyle looked like he wanted to strangle me. “That’s the thing with Bree, Calum. She doesn’t want to be anywhere.” His words came off strange, and all I could do was blink in response. “She doesn’t go out. She doesn’t have friends. She doesn’t do anything. When I told Michelle you were coming home for a while, after I told her what happened to you…” He shrugged. “We both thought it would be good.”