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“Give me the keys,” Lola demanded when they started down the walkway toward the street where the rental was parked.
Reflexively, Carmen clutched her bag like Lola might wrestle it away from her. “No.”
Rolling her big brown eyes, Lola cursed under her breath. “You obviously have a headache. You’ve been rubbing your left temple for like an hour. It's probably because all you’ve eaten today are freaking crackers,” she grumbled as if they hadn’t had the same amount of food. “Come on.” She shoved her open palm closer. “We better eat something here since Redpine will be closed by the time we get back.”
Carmen stared at her and imagined a Neanderthal trying a new approach. Instead of clubbing their mate over the head, they were trying to offer something nice. But with the same aggressive stance and grunting.
“There were a few restaurants on their Main Street,” Carmen said while slowly slipping her hand into her bag. Her head was killing her and they were only a couple of miles from something to eat. Lola was a terrifying driver, but she figured she could only get into so much trouble on such a short drive.
“What did you think I had in mind? Foraging for nuts and berries in the forest?” Lola took the keys like she was being nice under duress.
Carmen couldn’t help but laugh at Lola’s deadpan delivery. She was the most ridiculous person she’d ever met. So singularly over the top, even when doing something thoughtful.
To Carmen’s shock, Lola didn’t try to run over a single pedestrian on their short drive to a burger place on the edge of town. She even parallel parked the car on the street in front of the restaurant without a single flare of road rage.
Once inside the small place, Carmen started for the only empty table near the back. She turned to ask Lola if she’d rather sit with her back away from the door like a mob boss, before she realized that Lola hadn’t walked in behind her.
A cold drip started in her chest and leaked into her stomach. Lola wouldn’t just leave her there, but where the hell had she gone? Suddenly tired, pain spreading from one side of her head to her eye, Carmen sat down and ordered a soda when the server dropped by.
Her disappointment morphed into anger the longer she sat there alone. If Lola wanted to be an absolute weirdo all the time… if she couldn’t so much as share a meal with her… there was nothing Carmen could do about it. Trying to change their dynamic was growing tedious. It was obvious that Lola either had no interest in being a regular person with her, or maybe she wasn’t even capable. Maybe she was a—
The door swung open again, letting in a blast of chilly air into the warm restaurant. Lola, eyes keen and searching, scanned the place before spotting Carmen and starting toward her. Carmen was so focused on trying to read her expression that she missed the little brown bag in her hand until she dropped it on the table.
“What’s this?” Carmen asked, staring at the scrunched bag in front of her.
“Grade-A heroin.” She rolled her eyes, placing an order for iced tea when the server signaled to her from behind the bar.
Carmen peeked into the bag, unsure whether Lola was the kind of person who would pick up a live snake. The fact that Carmen would have been less surprised to find a coiled viper than what she actually found should have been some kind of flag, but Carmen was too busy trying to keep her entire body from reacting.
“People have preferences,” Lola barked before thanking the server for her drink and looking down at the single-page menu. “You shouldn’t take it on an empty stomach,” she added without making eye contact.
In the bag were seven different kinds of pain relievers. Probably every variety the drug store on the corner carried.
Carmen looked up at the cat that had left a rodent carcass at her feet. Aware that they never spoke to each other kindly. That verbal sparring with Lola was her favorite thing in the world. That it made her feel alive and challenged and excited. That she was addicted to Lola’s touch on unhealthy levels. That she would have to make herself completely vulnerable before Lola would ever begin to trust her. Carmen’s heart swelled. It swelled without permission. Without any reason to believe that they could come back from being such unmitigated assholes to each other. It swelled and pushed against her ribs and raced in her throat, making her headache nearly unbearable.
“Thanks,” Carmen said quietly, unsure how big of a deal to make about it since Lola still hadn’t looked at her.
“Yeah,” she replied, which was an improvement fromwhatever.
They’d only finished ordering burgers when Lola’s phone buzzed loudly against the table. Carmen popped two pills in her mouth and gulped them down, grateful that relief was on the way.
“Ugh, what now?” Lola set down her drink and grumbled something about a wardrobe issue on the set in Prague. She put the phone away without responding. “Starla’s having a minor crisis on set halfway across the world.”
“Ah, Prague.” Carmen sighed. “Had a great time finding Elaine a notary there last week. Do you have any idea how much she paid to overnight documents from Prague to Miami?”
“It’s so stupid.” Lola rendered her verdict with a tight jaw.
Carmen pushed her straw through the ice for want of anything else to do with her hands. “What? Don’t you believe in love at first sight? Two people destined to meet each other and fall desperately in love?”
“In lust maybe,” Lola shot back. When Carmen didn’t echo her opinion, she furrowed her brow. “You can’t actually think they’re soulmates or something. That’s insane.”
Carmen waited until the server put down a bottle of ketchup and two sets of silverware rolled up in napkins. Lola read her silence for doubt. Doubt Carmen wasn’t even sure she felt, but she was curious how Lola would react to it.
“I don’t know. I guess I can see it from Elaine’s perspective. After a painful divorce... maybe it seems brave to throw caution to the wind. To be with someone just because they make you happy.”
“What, like true love conquers all?” Lola scoffed. “That’s not how things work in the real world.”
Their food arrived, momentarily cutting off the debate. Carmen took a big bite of her burger, chewing on Lola’s words, digesting the shift in her energy.
