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“What kind of place is it?” I ask as we make our way through the chilly night.
“It’s this cute little wagon diner,” she says, and the smile on her face widens. “Probably not up to the standard you’re used to, but they serve the best burgers!”
Her eyes are beaming with anticipation as she speaks and she’s walking with such determined and wide steps that I almost struggle to keep up.
“And they serve German beer!” she adds gleefully. “Have you ever tried an Augustiner Helles?”
I shake my head. “Can’t say that I have.”
“Oh, you’re in for a treat, then!”she promises. “This is going to be fun.”
I’m cautiously optimisticand have to admit that her cheerful mood is contagious. It almost seemed like the bright and headstrong girl I met at The Velvet Rooms had completely disappeared beneath a shadow of fear ever since Kat moved in with me. She has been running around with her shoulders up to her ears, seemingly tiptoeing around the place as if she was afraid I could be bothered by her presence.
I prefer this upbeat and confident side of her. It’s a lot easier to forgive her for taking the reins out of my hands when she’s this enchanting. She seems to be really looking forward to this diner, walking in hurried steps, as if she couldn’t get there fast enough. I haven’t seen her this enthusiastic before, but revel in the sight of it.
That and the way her legs look in the new Louboutin heels as she stalks along the pavement. She’s wearing a Dior dress, short but still decent and her new Burberry trenchcoat with a classic check cashmere scarf in blush colors. She still doesn’t refer to these clothes as her own, but she’s carrying herself in them with a lot more confidence than before.
She will get used to this, all of it—and she will accept it as her own. I will make sure of that.
“Here we are!”she announces, pointing toward a shabby looking wagon diner across the street.
“Are you serious?” I ask, coming to an instant halt as if I’d run into an invisible wall.
“Yes, I am!”she insists, a crease forming between her brows. “Don’t be such a snot, I know it doesn’t look like much, but trust me, the food is worth it! And so is the beer!”
She waves for me to follow her, already marching toward the entrance. She isn’t the first person to call me a snot, but the first who gets away with it without repercussions.
For now.
I catch up with her and open the door before she can beat me to it. The interior is just what you’d expect based on the outside look of this food joint. It’s small, with a long bar to the left and a handful of cramped booths along the right side. The dark red seat upholstery is made of plastic-like material and torn in several places, and the whole place smells of drippings.
Kat cranes her neck, as if she was looking for something—or someone.
“I don’t think they’ll seat us here,” I add for consideration.
She looks at me, startled. “Oh, no, I was just… nevermind.”
A waitress in a light blue retro uniform comes walking in our direction, and doesn’t even stop while she yells: “You can have a seat wherever you like. I’ll be right with ya!”
She sends a quick smile our way before she turns to serve other guests. Most of the booths are occupied, just like the high chairs that are lined up along the bar.
Kat gives me an expectant look, finally ready to hand the reins back to me. “Bar or booth?”she asks.
“Booth, obviously,” I say, pointing to one at the far back, right beneath one of the windows facing out to the street.
There are cuts and holes in the upholstery and the wooden table is covered in carved in profanities and love declarations. A surge of warm nostalgia hits me when I look at it, bringing me back to my days as a college student.
“What’s so amusing?” Kat wants to know, after we’ve taken our seats opposite to each other.
I hadn’t even noticed the smile that crept ontomy face unwittingly as the memory took a hold of me.
“Nothing,” I lie. “It’s just that this table reminds me of something.”
“Of what?”she asks, looking intrigued.
“Oh, just this bar I used to go to, in college,” I say. “Captain Seaweed’s. A sleazy joint that served the cheapest beer and the best nachos in Massachusetts.”
She giggles.
