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“And beer. We need beer. Or not-beer for you.” Luc waved for the waitress. “We’d like a large pepperoni pizza, I’ll take whatever you have on tap, and do you have a hard cherry cola for the lady?”
The waitress nodded and headed to the kitchen.
“How’d you know I liked those?” She was surprised, and luckily not annoyed that he ordered for her.
Luc shrugged, proud of himself. “I guessed. So, tell me about those people who eat pineapple on their pizza.” Luc egged her on, knowing as an O’Conner, she wouldn’t be able to resist.
“Pineapple is not a pizza topping. It’s a side dish or a dessert, but not a topping for pizza.” She huffed with the innocence of an annoyed child, but she certainly was no child.
“Okay, okay. I’ll take your word for it on the pineapple. But why hate on bacon bits? They seem like a fine pizza topping. No different than pepperoni, really.”
She gasped. “Are you serious?” Then she let out a little laugh, as if she’d been masking it. “I’m really just kidding about the bacon bits. I don’t like them, so they never get near a pizza of mine. I like old-fashioned toppings: pepperoni, mushroom, and sausage.”
“What about green peppers? They go great with pepperoni or sausage.” Luc couldn’t believe they were actually having a serious conversation about pizza toppings.
She thought for a moment, tapping her finger against her lips. “Green peppers? Um, I prefer not. It’s a vegetable; it just has no place on a pizza. But if someone, say you for example, liked it and wanted it on a pizza with pepperoni or sausage, I’d eat it. And before you say anything, it’s nothing like mushrooms. Mushrooms are a traditional pizza topping, and are usually cooked. Green peppers are always so crunchy. But I could be flexible on the matter.”
“Good to know.” And good to hear that she might be contemplating sitting down to pizza with him someday after tonight.
“Here you go. Pepperoni pizza, one beer, and one hard cherry cola. Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked, as she set down extra napkins and plates.
Luc looked at Kassie. As soon as she shook her head, he answered. “No. I think we’re good.” It had been a nice afternoon so far. He felt like they were really getting along without any alcohol or loud music, just the two of them.
“Mm-hmm,” Kassie said as she took a giant bite out of a slice of pizza.
Strings of cheese pulled from the pizza to her mouth, and instantly he wished he was a piece of that cheese. She pulled the cheese from her lips with her fingers. Luc should’ve been disturbed that this sort of thing was turning him on, but he wasn’t.
“Did you have fun bowling?” Luc asked, trying to keep the conversation moving.
“I did. I don’t do that often, so it was nice. Thanks for inviting me.” She smiled and quickly looked down at her plate.
“Yeah, I had a nice time, too. It was fun. Almost as fun as the other night at Mario’s.” He said it knowing full well it’d get a rise out of her, or maybe a cute, embarrassed laugh. Either way it was good.
Kassie covered her face in embarrassment. “Oh, please don’t bring that up! I really should not do shots, like ever.”
“Yeah.” He raised his eyebrows knowingly. “I know all about that.”
She tilted her head and stared at him. “Oh, really? Do you have something embarrassing you’d like to share with me? I won’t tell. Because, you know, it’s just between friends?”
He debated his words, but it didn’t stop them from exiting his mouth. “Yeah, recently I found myself in a situation. I had way too many shots and too much beer on top of it. I was in a rotten mood, and I thought the alcohol would make me feel better. Instead, it just made me confused. I ended up leaving with some bunny that I had no intention of leaving with. My decisions were so clouded, and my brain so hazy, that I didn’t know what I was even doing.”
“So? What happened?” She smirked as if she knew the answer already.
There was no way she’d be prepared for what he was going to say. But at least she didn’t seem offended by what he was saying.
“Well, she was your typical bunny, doing things that bunnies do. I won’t go into details, because I’m a gentleman. Too much alcohol and a pissed-off mood led to very bad choices. A decision to just blow off some steam backfired.”
“Backfired? How?”
“Well, she called me Lucky Macaroni. Lucky was bad enough, but Macaroni? What the hell? I sobered up really quick and realized the poor choice I had made.”
Kassie stifled a laugh. “I’m guessing that airheads aren’t your type?”
“Nope. I’m not even sure what my type is anymore.” But with every second he spent with her, it was becoming much clearer. “It was more about the company I was keeping. I think I’ve outgrown the bunny game.”
“I remember the bunnies Kaden went through. I tried to look the other way, but with social media it proved difficult sometimes. But he grew up and out of that stage. When he met Ali, he just knew she was it for him.”
“Yeah. I totally believe that’s how it works. One day you meet someone, and you just know. Everything changes.” He tried not to stare at her too long, but she didn’t seem to mind.
