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He crosses his arms and tilts his head, giving me a lopsided grin. “I knew you’d come around.”
CHAPTERTWELVE
I’ve seenmy fair share of movie first dates. They’re all the same. The couple hits it off instantly. Within minutes, they’re head over heels in love with each other. This is nothing like that.
We’re in a small diner with a distinct hipster vibe. There are mismatched chairs—some with cushions, some without. The vaulted ceiling is painted black with chestnut colored beams. On the wall closest to us, there’s exposed brick while the other walls have abstract art popcorned around them.
Caleb sits across from me, hands fidgeting in his lap as his eyes dart around the room.
I take a sip of my strawberry Italian soda and pick up the menu again. I may not love the idea of a date, but if he wants to buy my dinner, I’m not going to argue.
“Have you decided on what you want to get?” he asks.
“I’m still looking at the menu, aren’t I?”
He tips the top of my menu down and points. “The biscuits and gravy are really good here.”
“Those are hit or miss for me.”
“Well, there’s mac and cheese. You can never go wrong with that.”
I sigh, setting the menu down. “I hate going to new places. I’d rather go somewhere I’ve been to a million times because then I can order blindfolded and know nothing will go wrong.”
He laughs. “But then you miss out on so many good things.” He leans forward to get a better look at my menu. “Let me pick.”
“What?”
“Let me choose something new for you.”
I cover the menu, bewildered. “No, thanks. I’ll go with the mac and cheese.”
He sits back in his chair. “This place has a four-point-nine out of five rating, so trying something new might not be the end of the world.”
“Nope.” I wave the waitress over.
She pulls her order pad out of her apron and taps her pen on the front page. “Have we decided?”
I smile big enough for Caleb to notice my sarcastic confidence. “I’ll have the mac and cheese please.”
She scribbles my order down. “And for you?” she asks, pivoting toward Caleb.
“Well,” he says, mimicking my fake smile and looking straight at me. “I’ve never had the Reuben sandwich, so I’ll go with that.”
The waitress nods as she looks between us. “Okay, I’ll get that started for you guys.”
I slump back into my non-cushioned seat, becoming well aware of its poor excuse for back support, but I’m too stubborn to sit up straight again.
“So, has it been hard going back to school?” he asks.
I shrug.
He twiddles his thumbs, looking down. “How are your parents?”
I shrug again.
He rocks his jaw, staring off. “So you’re justnotgoing to talk this whole time?”
I snap my fingers. “Now you’re catching on.”
