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Even though I’m not scheduled to meet Abel for another half an hour, my anxiousness over seeing him coupled with Henna’s twenty questions has got me ready to get out of here.
“So where are you and this friend of yours going?” Henna’s eyes follow me as I head into the dining room to grab my purse off the table.
“Tachiais.”
“Tachiais?” she questions. “You don’t even like sushi.”
“I like sushi,” I disagree. “It’s just not my favorite thing in the world.”
“Uh huh.” She studies me for a long moment. “Well, you have fun with yourfriend,” she calls after me as I head toward the door.
“I will. Don’t wait up.” I give her a little wave as I quickly exit the apartment.
——
“So,” I gesture aroundthe restaurant. “Tell me the truth. You’ve never been here, right?” I ask.
I spent half the day researching every Sushi restaurant in the city, trying to find the perfect one that I was certain Abel hadn’t been to.
He doesn’t answer, instead he slowly shakes his head, a wide smile forming on his mouth.
“Shit. You have?” I bite down on my lower lip.
“A couple of times, actually.”
“No way.” I shake my head in disbelief.
“Yes way. But.” He leans back, his smile still firmly in place. “To be fair, there isn’t a Sushi restaurant Ihaven’teaten at in Chicago.”
“That’s not possible. There are tons,” I tell him, having not actually known just how many there was until today.
“I’m aware.”
“So then what? This was some kind of set up?” I narrow my gaze at him.
“I wouldn’t say set up.” He chuckles.
“How is it that you’ve eaten at every Sushi restaurant in the city when I didn’t even know most of them existed until today?”
“Sushi is my mom’s favorite. And because I’m the youngest, and was the last to leave the house, and because my father despises Sushi, I was the one that got roped into going with her every time she got a hankering for it. We hardly ever went to the same place twice. Needless to say, it didn’t take us that long to mark them all off the list.”
“So then why lure me here under false pretenses?”
“I didn’t. I suggested Sushi, you agreed.”
“Yeah, because you conveniently left off the part where your mom is some kind of Sushi queen.”
“I think someone is a little salty that she lost,” he teases from across the table.
“I’m salty because the game was rigged,” I fire back.
“So,” he leans forward, rapping his fingers lightly on the table. “Do you wanna know what your dare is?”
“Well, tell me already,” I interject when he doesn’t continue.
“Nah.” He grins. “I think I’ll make you sweat for a while.”
“You’re an evil, evil man.” I slowly shake my head, not able to fight the smile that slides across my lips.
