“Girl, youarehungry.”
She covers her belly with her hand and her cheeks heat. “It’s been a busy day.”
I load up our plates, and she takes them back over to the table. I follow behind her with napkins and two cans of coke, which I place on coasters. “Sorry, do you want a glass?” I ask.
“No, this is good.” She taps the top of the can with her fingernail and pulls the tab open, taking a small sip as I struggle to take my eyes off her lips. I clear my throat and sit beside her.
It’s not a small sofa by any account, but something about being this close to her and alone…the room feels smaller than it is, heat radiates off her. I open my can and take a huge gulp, fidgeting in my seat.
She groans as she takes a bite of her noodles, and I’ve never been jealous of food before now.What the hell?
“Oh my god, Olly, this is delicious,” she says, around a mouthful of food.
I can’t help but smile in satisfaction over the fact not only did she call meOlly,she’s enjoying my favourite Chinese as much as me. “I train one of their daughters. They have the best takeout and restaurant for miles. I’ll give you a menu to take home,” I say.
“Please. Chinese is only my favourite food group.”
“So, how did this come about—you teaching self-defence?” she asks.
I turn slightly, so my body is angled towards her. “I wanted to make sure women had a way of defending themselves.”
She takes another bite of her food, and I can’t help but watch her. It’s like she’s awakening something in me I didn’t know was dormant.
“So, did you know that guy was a jerk? Is that why you swooped in and saved me?” she asks.
“Something like that.” The picture of Rachel cornered against the wall with that prick has sprung to mind more than once since that night. And it earned Henry, my sparring partner, a few over aggressive punches.
We eat the rest of our food in comfortable silence except for the sound of our chopsticks.
“Thank you for letting me crash your dinner,” she says before sipping her coke.
I shrug. “It was nice to have the company.” I pick up our plates; she stands, grabbing the empty cans and following me over to the sink. I run the tap, ready to wash them.
“Here, let me do that,” she says, her shoulder brushing mine.
I bump her with my hip. “Nope. Why don’t you go open your fortune cookie,” I say, nodding to the side where I left them. “Oh, and take that menu, too.”
“So bossy, Oliver.”
I leave the plates in the drainer and dry my hands as she passes me a cookie. “What does yours say?” I ask, ripping open my wrapper.
“I can’t tell you—it won’t come true,” she says, holding the thin piece of paper towards her chest.
I let out a laugh. “I think you’ll find that’s not the case with fortune cookies,” I say, snapping mine in half and pulling out my fortune. I cock an eyebrow.
“Well, what does it say?” she asks.
“Oh, you want to know mine, but won’t tell me yours?”
She looks to hers and then back to mine.“Fine.” she holds hers out to me, and we exchange fortunes.
I read hers and can’t help but laugh.Love is on the horizon. The stars predict he will be tall dark and handsome.
“If you love something, set it free. If it returns, keep it and love it forever,” she says, reading mine aloud. She peers up at me and sighs like it’s a powerful sonnet.
“Tall, dark and handsome, huh?”
She blushes, snatches it back and slips it into her bag. After she passes me mine, I go to chuck it in the bin. “You can’t throw it away. You have to keep it.”
