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He’s joking, or at least, I hope he is and I mock gasp, playing up our opposing positions on the French fry debate.
Our young, pretty server sidles up to the table, her heart eyes fixed on Tom. This surprises me and it doesn’t. I’m used to women throwing themselves at Felix, and I quickly learned not to care. But Tom…he’s a different story.
There’s no doubt she finds him a catch, but I don’t like the way she bats her eyelashes at him.
“I’d like to see you try.” She ignores the rest of us at the table with only eyes for Tom.
Tom belts out a laugh and throws down his napkin. “Challenge accepted. And if I don’t succeed, at least I’ll be happy in my defeat.”
“Or more like a carb coma.” Mandy, our server, giggles and leans closer to him to grip his bicep. “I think you’ve got this.”
She winks and Tom laughs. Again. Damn, she’s flirting with him and he likes it…or does he likeher? Or is this his way of getting back at me for kissing him without telling him about Felix?
The little bit of watermelon gazpacho I consumed churns, sickly sweet, in my stomach, pledging to make an appearance. I grimace. I’ve had enough. Not only of this meal, but this night.
“We’d like the check.” I push my bowl toward her and Mandy straightens, features suddenly sliding into professional mode. Finally, she remembers she’s on the job.
“Yes, of course.” She starts to stack our plates. “Let me get these out of your way, and I’ll be right back.”
Mandy leaves and Felix grabs at my chair, dragging it next to him so he can drape an arm around me. Tom’s jaw clenches and nostrils flare.
Felix leans in close. “I hope you’ve saved room for dessert, babe.”
I vomit a little in my mouth and wrinkle my nose in disgust. I don’t like the impression he’s giving. Despite putting distance between us, I make the mistake of glancing at Tom. My stomach sinks.
He’s tense, demeanor grim. So many questions darken his once clear blue eyes, and I can no longer bear to hold his gaze. He’s clearly misinterpreting what’s going on. I can’t blame him. I know what it looks like.
Felix’s Oscar-worthy performance, now clasping my hand in his and playing with a few loose strands of my hair, would make anyone believe we’re madly in love or at the very least together.
If only Felix would get lost. That’s what I want more than anything right now. But I’ve played this role for so long I’m unsure how to break character. And if I did, I might cause a scene.
Worse yet, what would my father say? He wouldn’t like it. He’d remind me of what’s at stake for him. Not me, always him.
I don’t know who I am, just who I am supposed to be.
The jarring scrape of Tom’s chair as he pushes it back and stands causes me to snap out of my head.
He looks to Felix. “Thanks again for dinner. I’m going to walk off the fries and take a look around town. I’ll see you both back at the condo.”
Then he’s gone without so much as a look my way. Nausea boils in my stomach, seeping from my pores, and the sensation only intensifies as I watch our server amble after Tom.
They stand facing each other at the entrance to the restaurant. Mandy says something to Tom and he laughs. They continue to chat, and I’m unable to sit still and keep my mouth shut.
“What do you think that’s about?” I point at Tom and Mandy.
“You’re fucking kidding, right?” Felix stiffens at my side. “Who gives a fuck?”
His vitriol doesn’t slow down the unsettling thoughts dominating my brain. “She’s flirting with him, isn’t she?”
“Big-time and she woulda flirted with me, but I made it clear that I was with you.” He leans in and plants a kiss on my cheek.
The blistering heat of Felix’s expectant gaze causes me to sweat, but not in a good way. I ignore him, unable to look away from the two locked in conversation.
Mandy hands him her phone, and Tom laughs but doesn’t take it. Her phone hangs between them, and I wish and pray he lets her down easily.
An icky feeling forms in my chest. Tom isn’t mine. He has every right to be with whomever he wants. And after what he saw between Felix and me, I wouldn’t blame him.
Tom stares at her phone and rubs a hand over his mouth and chin thoughtfully. I can’t tell if he’s looking at it like it’s a bomb or a present. Then he takes the phone from her. Oh no. Bile charges up my throat.
