“Why are you even here?” I asked, willing him to go away. “You had a lunch meeting.”
“Cancelled. Sick kid, apparently,” he said. “And I took the stairs up from the parking garage. I’m trying to fit more cardio in my day.”
Perfect. Busted by the one person who would mock me with the truth ruthlessly. I checked my watch. It was already ten minutes after one. Too late for lunch.
“I had to have missed her,” I told him. “You ruined everything.”
“I’m sure the plant will be here tomorrow for you to hide behind. Or you could just go to the office where she works and ask her if she wants to get lunch.”
I scrunched up my face. “Do people do that? Is that a thing?”
“No, not really. She’ll probably think you’re hitting on her.”
I sneered at him. I was getting very good at sneering, having learned it from the master.
“You really suck, you know that?” I pouted. I couldn’t hit him again, but I wanted to. “I can’t believe you thought I was bi.”
“We shouldn’t be talking about your sexual orientation,” he bristled. “It’s none of my business.”
“I know that. I was just saying-”
“Then why are we discussing this?” he asked.
“I wasn’t. You’re the one. Ugh. You’re so frustrating.”
“So I’ve been told. Look, you missed your lunch date. I’ll take partial credit. Come with me and I’ll buy you a sandwich.”
“A whatnow?”
“A sandwich,” he repeated, like I was thick skulled.
This was another first. We didn’t eat lunch together. We didn’t eat any meal together. This would be yet another line we would cross.
“You want to eat lunch. With me?”
“No,” he said, as if I was dense. “I don’t want to eatwithyou. I’m simply stating that my meeting got cancelled so I didn’t get lunch. I’m hungry. I assume you are too.”
“I am. I’ve been waiting behind this stupid plant for twenty minutes,” I admitted. “Why don’t you want to eatwithme? Are you afraid I’ll embarrass you?”
“Are you high right now?” he asked, and I could feel him getting annoyed. “Stop asking me questions you already know the answers to.”
“I’m not the one who’s not making any sense right now,” I said. “I think.”
He frowned. “Let’s see if you can wrap your brain around this, Flowers. Two hungry people walk across the street to get lunch at the sandwich shop. It’s a popular place for people in this building to go for lunch. Possibly, that’s where you were going to suggest you and Claire go?”
I nodded.
La Bamba’s was pretty much where everyone from this building went for lunch. Javier made the best sandwiches. He was quick, reasonably priced, and he always had the best flavored chips in stock.
“Okay. Well, maybe on our way there we come up with a better plan to introduce you to Claire.”
Immediately, I was suspicious. “That would beniceof you,” I pointed out. E.G. didn’t do nice.
“Hmm. I see why you’re worried, but let’s call it an aberration.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
He huffed. “I promise to be meaner tomorrow.”
