Aunt Maddy giggles in the kiss. When they pull apart, she gestures to our booth. “David, have you met Milo Nelson? He’s Jamie’s tutor.”
David turns toward us. “Oh, hey, kids. Nice to meet you, Milo. Jamie, looks like you’re busy at work. Good to see.”
I give him my phoniest smile and return to my paper.
“Nice to meet you,” Milo says to David.
“This is David,” Maddy tells Milo. “He’s my…” She pauses, stammering over an embarrassed giggle. “My boyfriend.”
“Oh,” Milo says, and I look up to see the surprise and enthusiasm running over him. “I didn’t know you were dating someone. That’s awesome.”
Aunt Maddy tucks loose hair behind her ears and fixes her ponytail. “Yeah, it just sort of happened.”
“Maddy catered a function at my office,” David explains. “I couldn’t let our story end there. I had to get to know her more.”
Milo nods, watching the couple smile and laugh together.
Aunt Maddy takes David’s hand and moves him toward the tables on the opposite wall. “We should let you guys finish up,” she says.
“Okay,” Milo says. He clears his throat and says to me, “He seems nice.”
I retch. “He makes me want to barf.”
Milo rears back. “Oh. You’re not into lovey-dovey stuff?”
“I…” My mouth hangs open after the syllable. Is that what he got from that? Do I really want to project that I’m not into romance? I just don’t like David, that’s all. I don’t care if he brings Maddy flowers. The fact that no one will ever do it for me isn’t why he irritates me. It’s that… Well, that… Oh gosh, it’s been ages since I spoke. “Ahh, it’s fine, I guess.”
Milo watches the counter and smiles. “Well, Maddy looks happy.”
I look over my shoulder and witness Maddy smiling at David. I turn back to Milo and reply, “Yeah, she does.”
Milo goes back to his notes, and I think about his comment. Did Kai not tell me about Tabitha because he assumed I wouldn’t care? That if he admitted he liked her, I’d puke in response?
“Did Kai tell you about Tabitha?” I ask.
Milo looks up from the page. “What about Tabitha?”
“That he’s into her.”
Milo furrows his brow and pushes his glasses back. “No, he… Oh.”
He pauses, thinking over something, and I need him to speak, not think. “Oh, what?”
Milo shakes his head. “Nothing. It just makes sense.”
My fists curl. “What makes sense?”
“Kai was yammering about a girl,” Milo says nonchalantly. “I guess, Tabitha was the girl.”
“He was talking about a girl? What did he say?”
“I dunno. I wasn’t really listening.”
“Come on, think. Use that big noggin’ of yours.”
Milo shrugs. “I don’t butt in when he thinks out loud. Last time I did, he punched my arm. I just ignore him these days.”
“Hmm.” In the past, I’ve seen Kai get irate when Milo tried to talk to him. “But you heard something?”
