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Max looks at him with a challenge. “Trust me. I bet I could eat three.” He sighs dramatically. “But I promised Lake I wouldn’t eat like a starved animal.”
I have no idea how big their burgers are, as this is the first time I’ve eaten here, but from what Banner told me, they are huge, with loads of toppings. And if he struggles with one, then I believe him when he tells Max not to order two.
When Banner goes to argue, Lake butts in. “I wouldn’t bother. I can tell you right now he’s going to bet you money that he can, and you’ll lose. He’s a dustbin. He can eat anything and everything put in front of him.”
“All right, then,” Banner says, watching Max glance over the menu hungrily.
I pull off my coat when it gets too warm and throw it around the back of my chair. When I sit back down, Lake takes my wrist in her hands.
“Oh, my God, you got a tattoo?”
I smile at her shocked expression. “I did. Yesterday, actually.”
She looks up from my wrist, her eyes soft. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, swallowing past the lump in my throat. Max glances over, and from the look in his eyes, I can tell he knows what the tattoo means and who Lara is. He doesn’t say anything, but rather conveys his approval with a chin lift.
“Did it hurt?”
I shake my head. “No. It just felt like tiny cat scratches to be honest. Some bits were sharper than others.”
Max scoffs and my eyes go to him. “You’ve never been scratched by a fucking cat if that’s what you’re comparing it to.”
Before I can open my mouth, Lake turns to him, snapping, “Will you stop whining about Thor. You’re being a baby.”
Max’s eyes nearly bug out of his head, and instead of answering Lake, he turns to me and Banner and pulls up the sleeves of his top. His arms are covered in red scratches, some looking worse than others.
“I look like I’ve been self-harming. The old lady who works at the corner shop told me I could go to her if I ever felt that alone again,” he tells us, and I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. “The fucking rat hates me. I’ve even had to get a ‘beware of the cat’ sign made for us because it attacked the postman the other day. He was gonna sue us. I know it.”
“Stop being dramatic,” Lake orders, struggling not to laugh. “Thor is amazing. You must piss him off.”
“I piss Splinter off? That fucking rat has gone for my balls more times than you do when you’ve had a cider.”
“I wish you would stop calling him that,” Lake snaps, her face turning bright red. I choke on laughter, finding the two highly amusing. I haven’t laughed like this since before Lara. It’s clear she loves him. No one who didn’t would be able to handle his behaviour. As entertaining as it is, he must be stressful at times.
“I’m confused. Are we talking about a cat or a rat?” Banner asks.
“A cat,” Lake says, at the same time Max says, “Rat.”
Lake turns, narrowing her eyes at her boyfriend. “I wish you would stop saying he’s a rat.”
“Splinter?” I ask, trying to think where I’ve heard that name before.
Banner suddenly starts laughing. “Oh, my fucking god,” he says, trying to catch his breath. “From the Ninja Turtles?”
Max grins, nodding. “Yep. Fucking thing looks and acts like him too. Sneaky little bastard.”
Lake ignores him and faces me, rolling her eyes. “Did your nan tell you she saw us at Lexington’s German market?”
“No, she didn’t. Did she go with Granddad or a group of friends?”
Lake grins. “A group of friends. They were checking out the foods. I didn’t even realise it was her at first. I was eating some Bangladeshi food that they were giving out for free, Max started screaming, and that’s when I saw her.”
“He started screaming?”
“Yeah. At first, I thought he saw a spider, but when I saw your nan and her friends, I walked over. One of her friends had pinched his bum.”
“Fucking bruised too,” Max says, never looking away from the menu.