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“Noted for next time.” I mumble, as I stand up from my spot on the floor, steadying myself against the wall.
Caroline places a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go next door for brunch. You need to eat something,” she says kindly. “We can beat the crowd since class isn’t over yet.”
“Food sounds great.” I agree and obediently follow her out the door, avoiding eye contact with Mandy.
When we step through the door of Yolk, the ultra hip brunch restaurant next to Namaste, I am immediately taken aback. Everything from the marble tiles to the crushed green velvet chairs and booth seats scream luxury. I’ve never even been to such a beautiful restaurant, and certainly not for breakfast. I’m more of an Ihop kind of girl, to be honest.
The hostess leads us out the door onto the back patio. It’s May in Oklahoma, and it’s still cool enough in the earlier part of the day to sit outside and enjoy the weather. I’m thankful for the outdoor seating. I’m too sweaty and gross to feel comfortable tainting their plush velvet chairs with my sweaty backside, and the fresh air will hopefully help me feel better while I wait for my food.
Our waitress comes to take our drink order, and we all settle on infused water with cucumber and lemon. As she walks away, we study our menus. It doesn’t take me long to decide on Eggs Benedict, my favorite. Satisfied with my choice, I close my menu and the other two follow. As soon as the menus hit the table, the incredibly attentive waitress is back. “Have we decided?” She asks, holding her pen over her notepad.
“Yes, I’ll have a green smoothie.” Mandy says, not making eye contact with the server at all. She places her menu on top of Caroline’s and goes back to her social media scrolling.
I mentally add this to the reasons why I can’t stand Mandy. You can tell a lot about people based on how they treat their server at a restaurant, and she is basically acting like ours doesn’t exist.
“I’ll have the same.” Caroline pipes up, handing the stack of menus to me.
Suddenly, I feel like I can’t order food. They’re already in better shape than me, and I don’t want to stand out more after my embarrassing stunt today.
“Make that three.” I tell the server, with a soft smile. I already know I’m going to regret this decision.
“So, I have something to tell you, ladies,” Mandy says in a singsong voice. She digs in the change portion of her wallet and slips something onto her left hand. She holds up her perfectly manicured fingers and braces for our response.
Caroline gasps loudly, causing the rest of the restaurant to turn and look our way. She pulls Mandy’s hand closer to investigate the giant rock that is now dominating her left hand. “Mandy, it’s beautiful. When did this happen? How did he do it?” Caroline pries.
She grimaces a little. “It’s almost embarrassing to talk about.” She starts. “Last night was our one year dating anniversary, so he tried to recreate our first date. He took me out for dinner and then for a walk in Bricktown. Just as we reached the bridge, he got down on one knee and proposed.”
“Aw, that sounds sweet.” I say, taking a drink of my water, trying to avoid the sting. If only she knew that I would kill for a “boring” proposal like that.
“I guess, but he could have at least taken me out to a nice restaurant. Not Bricktown Brewery.” She says with a shrug, not bothering to hide the disappointed look on her face.
“No, Tyler’s right. It’s cute.” Caroline adds, trying to console her friend. “Do you have any ideas about setting a date yet?”
“Not yet. It’s going to be huge, like the event of the century, so it’ll probably take another year and a half, if not two years, to plan it.” She takes a drink. “It has to be perfect.”
The two of them lose themselves in conversation about venues and colors while I quietly sip my water. It’s not long before the waitress is back with our smoothies. As she places mine in front of my face, I try to hide my disgust. What in the hell did I order? I lean over and look at the thick green concoction in my glass. To add to my disgust, the drink gurgles and a large piece of spinach surfaces to the top.
My tablemates immediately each take a sip with satisfied looks on their faces as if they are eating a four course meal. I follow, not knowing what to expect. It doesn’t taste like much at all, to be honest. It’s like a flavorless, ugly milkshake. Why would anyone order this on purpose? I look at the ladies with me again and their perfectly toned bodies. This is exactly why I’ll never look like them. I like the taste of food too much.
“So Tyler,” Mandy says while absentmindedly stirring her smoothie, “How long have you and Elliott been together?”
Sigh. Here we go. “Just about three years,” I say, mimicking the stirring motion she is making.
“Oh. I didn’t realize it had been that long,” Mandy says nonchalantly. “Any plans on getting married yourselves?”
“Um…well” I start, trying to decide how to answer, just as we are interrupted.
“Hey ladies!” A high-pitched voice breaks through the nervous conversation and a gorgeous brunette pops up in between Mandy and Caroline. She obviously shops at the same place as these other two. She is also wearing the same crop top and legging set, with a high ponytail, only in pink. They look like they could model for a Lulu store poster, the same outfit all in different colors.
“Jess!” Mandy says, standing from her seat to move to hug her. “Guess what?” she says, but then holds her left hand up to show off her ring before Jessica can guess.
“Holy crap! Congratulations!” she squeals and hugs her friend. “I’m so excited for you!” Mandy and Jessica hug tightly. When they release, Jessica leans across the table towards me with her hand out. “Hey, I’m Jessica.”
I shake her hand. “I’m Tyler.”
“This is Elliott’s girlfriend,” adds Caroline.
“Oh, I work with Elliott. He’s a great guy,” Jessica says with a smile. “It’s so nice to meet you. Well, girls, I have to get over to my table. We just took a spin class and I am starving.” She waves to us and turns, walking back to her table. Her perfect ponytail swaying behind her, against her tanned and toned back.
