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I swear my mouth waters so much I almost feel the need to wipe it to ensure I haven’t drooled everywhere.
I look up at Clair, and she nods as if telling me to dig in. You don't have to tell me twice.
I’m not sure what’s in front of me, but it smells so good that I don’t care. I pick up my fork and take a bite. The flavor explodes in my mouth, and I was right. I’ve never had anything like this before. I can’t hold back the moan that passes through my lips as I take my second bite, and it’s somehow even better than the first.
I hear Clair chuckle and realize I was so focused on the food that I don’t know if that was at me or something Arie said.
I look up to find them both looking at me. Though I probably should, I can’t find it in myself to be embarrassed even after moaning over food.
Clair smile’s as she watches me, but Arie looks even more uncomfortable if that’s possible. His cheeks are now a dark shade of red.
“Told you it was good. That’s the crab pad thai; it’s Spencer’s favorite.” Clair tells me. “Oh, but in case it hasn’t kicked in yet, remember Spencer likes spicy food, so that dish probably has some heat to it. If you don’t like it, we have this too. It’s chicken pad thai, and it’s Roderick's favorite, meaning there's no heat to it.” She says while she pushes over another bowl to sit right next to the one I already have.
I look back and forth between the two bowls before looking up at Clair and then again at Arie, who once again is looking anywhere but at me, though his checks are still red.
I take a bite of the chicken dish and am shocked that it’s also delicious. Though, I think I prefer the crab one.
“They're both good, but I think I prefer both the heat and the crab in this one over the chicken.” I tell her as I push the other bowl back to the center of the table. I’m unsure if she will eat it, but I know I won’t. This one bowl would probably feed me for a few days with how big the portion is.
“So Arie, is Kai here today as well?” I hear Clair ask as I continue to eat.
“Um, no, it’s just me and pa today.” He responds. His voice sounds less sure than it did when he initially was talking to her.
“Oh darn. Well, no biggie. I was hoping to be able to introduce Jade to him. The boys will be taking her to one of the frat parties tomorrow before the term starts back up, and I was hoping to let her meet someone besides them. We all know the boys can be a little intense.” She chuckles, and again Arie chuckles with her. It still sounds forced; maybe he’s just shy.
“No big deal, I’m sure you will meet plenty of people at the party and even more when you start classes.”
I choke on the bite of food I was in the process of trying to swallow. Then, grabbing my water, I take a sip between coughs attempting to force it down. By the time I can breathe again, my eyes are watering from the fit my body just had, but I ignore it and instead look at Clair. She looks back at me with concern evident on her face.
“Excuse me, what?” I ask her, my voice comes out scratchy from the coughing, but at least it comes out.
“Oh, I’m sorry, dear. I thought the boys had talked to you about this already.” She reaches out and puts her hand over mine, where it now rests on the table. I have to fight the urge to pull it away, reminding myself she’s touching me to offer comfort. I feel my body stiffen up against the contact anyways.
She must see my eyes dart to our hands, or maybe she felt me stiffen up because she pulls back and gives me a sad smile before placing her hands in front of her on the table once again.
Shit. Now I feel like an asshole.
I go to apologize, but she starts talking again before I can.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Just talk to the boys and see what you want to do. There's no pressure. If you don’t want to go, that's fine. If you want to go, that's fine too. Even if you want to try it, we can always pull you out if you decide it’s not for you. I just want you to have the option if you want it.” I watch her as she speaks to me, her tone nothing but soft and comforting but I can’t stop myself from looking for the malice in her eyes.
So often, I have been told what is best for me and had people try to pull the rug out from under me. Having been given choices that had sickening ultimatums, I expect this to be no different, no matter how nice Clair is. No matter how much I want this place where I can belong, I know it will never work.
But as I look and watch her, I see none of that. Instead, I see that everything she said was genuine. The malice never comes.
The fight leaves me, and I feel my shoulders sag as the tension that was pulling me tight depletes like the air out of a balloon.
I nod, not knowing what to say, and that seems to be enough for her as her smile returns.
“Let me know if you guys need anything else, Mrs. Spade.” Aries tells her, I look up at him just as he turns to go, and our eyes meet. Just like that, his cheeks are bright red again.
I open my mouth to ask him if I did something wrong, but before I can, he nods at me and turns around, walking away quickly. I look back at Clair to see if she noticed. Maybe this is normal for him? Instead of looking like she thinks his behavior is odd or being unbothered by it, she is silently laughing with her hand over her mouth as if to hide it.
“What?” I ask her lamely, feeling even more confused the longer I sit here.
“Nothing, dear.” She says as she waves her hand in the air as if clearing it of something, and I feel my brow pinch in confusion.
“It’s just that Arie seems to have developed a crush on you.” She tells me through a few more giggles.
