Page 7

Skyler banging on the bathroom door brings me back to reality. “Come on out, Calla. I know you’re dressed.” I slowly open the door and step out, looking down at the floor and fiddling with my fingers. Skyler’s eyebrows go up, and a big smile spreads across his face. “Hey, I knew there was a hot body under all those layers you wear! Put these shoes on and let’s get going.”
I didn’t pay any attention to what Skyler said about my body and quickly put on the beige strappy shoes. I look in the mirror one last time, and then I’m pulled down the stairs and past my mom, who also looks shocked at how I look. She gives me the creepy mom smile again and tells me to have fun and not rush home. Maisie hugs me quickly and says I look pretty. Then, when she sees Skyler, she hides behind my mom. I’ll introduce the two of them properly another time.
It only takes five minutes to get to the restaurant, and before I know it, Skyler parks his car. That’s when the nerves start to show. I open the door to the car and nervously walk to the front door of the restaurant. Skyler smiles at me and says, “Don’t be nervous, Calla. Jaxon is going to freak out when he sees you.”
I don’t believe Skyler for a second, but what he says gives me the little push I need to take a deep breath and go into the restaurant behind him. He walks past the hostess and toward the back of the restaurant. I follow him because he seems to know where he’s going. He takes us to Jaxon and Ezra, who stop talking when they hear us coming.
Jaxon’s hair is styled just right, and he looks so good. He has on black slacks and a long-sleeved dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He has a black and silver Rolex on his wrist, which makes me a little nervous because I knew he had a fancy car, but the watch makes me think he has even more money than I thought. Will he act differently toward me when he finds out I don’t have any money?
The look Jaxon gives me when he stands up to greet me makes me stop breathing for a moment. I feel like he’s really studying me because his eyes are moving up and down my body. Normally, this kind of thing would bother me and make me feel more than uncomfortable, but with Jaxon, it’s kind of… hot.
“Jesus Christ,” he mumbles before clearing his throat. “Calla, you look so beautiful.” I smile shyly and tuck my hair behind my ear as I lower my head a little. Jaxon lifts my head up with his fingers, which he has been doing a lot lately. “You too. I mean, it’s not beautiful. You look very, um, handsome,” I say, hoping I can die in a hole because I’m so awkward.
Jaxon chuckles softly and then slides down in the booth, motioning for me to sit next to him. I look at Skyler with wide eyes, and she smiles back at me to make me feel better. I move down next to Jaxon and sit down several times until I’m comfortable. Jaxon watches me with a smile on his face the whole time. I don’t know what I’m doing that makes him laugh.
“I’m sorry we’re so late. I got held up,” I say, not wanting to blame Skyler. I don’t like that he made us 20 minutes late for dinner, but I know he was just being a good friend.
Jaxon smiles at me and says, “It’s okay; I know who’s to blame.” He looks across the booth, and I follow his gaze to see that he’s looking at Skyler with a knowing look.
Skyler raises his hands. “Okay, it wasn’t all my fault,” Skyler says, looking back and forth between Ezra and Jaxon. Honestly, the way he looks right now just proves that it is completely his fault. “Calla had on a terrible outfit, and I fixed it. You’re welcome.”
I know Skyler is just kidding, but a girl has to stand up for herself at some point. “First of all, my outfit wasn’t ‘shit,’ as you put it. It was a little too casual, but that’s what happens when someone doesn’t tell me where we’re going. Second, you were late to begin with. So, like Jaxon said, it’s all your fault,” I say. I lean back against the bench, cross my arms over my chest, and give Skyler the darkest glare I can.
I was hoping for the scared looks I was afraid of, but instead, I got three laughs from the guys, which made me even more mad. Jaxon bent down to talk to me in my ear. “I’m sorry, but you look like a cute kitten like that.”
When I turn to face him, he has that smirk on his face that always shows up, and his eyes are shining as he looks at me. “Oh,” he says as he turns to Skyler, and his face suddenly loses all playfulness. “Just to be clear, if you say anything bad about Calla again, I will rip your limbs off.”
I let out a little laugh, and when no one else does, I stare at Skyler’s blank face. Skyler seems to be sweating a little, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows nervously. Ezra puts his arm around Skyler to protect him and glares at Jaxon. There sure is a lot of glaring at this table for a joke! Jaxon wouldn’t really hurt Skyler… correct?
The server was nice enough to come over and talk to everyone while he took our orders. Ezra and Jaxon ordered Coronas, while Skyler ordered a Shirley Temple. I only asked for water. After the waiter left us alone to look over the menu, Jaxon said to me, “You can get a drink. It doesn’t matter what you want; the price doesn’t matter.”
I smile at Jaxon a little bit. “Thanks, but I’m okay with water,” I say. He thinks I’m too sweet to order a drink because of the price… He was also right. I open the menu and start to read the choices. They have burgers, pasta, chicken tenders, and anything else you can think of because it’s an American restaurant. I really don’t know how to pick. When I see something move in front of me, my eyes dart around the pages—yes, pages—of the menu. Skyler is holding up his menu so that I can only see his eyes. He is widening them and pointing to Jaxon.
I raise my eyebrow and give him the “what?” with my eyes.’Look’ expression. Skyler keeps looking at Jaxon and then at me. I still don’t know what he’s trying to say. After 30 seconds of him making weird eye movements, Ezra comes in to save the day and mouths, “Talk to him,” while looking at Jaxon. It’s my turn to open my eyes wide now. I look at Jaxon, who is still looking at the menu without a care in the world. My heart races and my hands start to sweat.
I know Skyler is trying to get me and someone else together, and for some reason I really like that. I know that Jaxon and I will never be together, though. He is too good-looking, sure of himself, and rich to live with someone whose family lives paycheck to paycheck. My looks and personality are pretty normal. But Jaxon makes me feel something I’ve never felt before. I feel like I’m going to throw up, but I strangely trust him and want to get to know him better. He’s not the arrogant, growly guy he shows the world.
I decide that I need to be a woman and follow Skyler’s advice. Have a conversation with him. How hard can this be?
I clear my throat, and Jaxon turns to look at me with interest right away. I say, “Um,” as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Did you make up your mind about what you’re ordering?” I ask. Very little stuttering. Yes!
“Yeah, I’m getting two of the build-your-own burgers. I come here a lot, and I always get the same thing, but I feel like I have to look at the menu every time,” he says with a laugh. I smile at him. “So, you’re one of those people who stick to what they like?”
“Yes, that’s me,” he says. “I don’t think that’s you.”
“No, I love trying new foods. What if I find something I like better than what I picked? I’ll never know.”
“But,” he says, “if you order something else and don’t like it, you’re stuck with it.”
“I guess,” I say. “I’ve tried all the drinks at Cafe at least twice. I’m unpredictable with my drinks, so I’ll always keep you on your toes,” I say with a laugh, and he smiles back at me. That’s when I see the dimple in his right cheek, which makes him even more attractive. I swoon on the inside until he asks me something. “What are you going to eat?”
I bite my lip and look at the menu, flipping through the pages. Jaxon lightly touches my hand while I’m on the salad page. “Calla, order what you want.” I was going to order a salad, but not because I want to look “thin” in front of Jaxon or anything like that. I will eat a lot of food in front of other people and not be ashamed.
“Okay, I’ll order what I really want if you promise not to make fun of me,” I say, and he grips my hand tighter tighter. “I will never judge you. Not ever.”
“Okay. I was going to get the same thing as you, but I always make a mess when I eat a burger.”
Jaxon laughs, as do Ezra and Skyler, which reminds me that they are also at the table. I also laugh with them. “No, I’m serious, Jaxon! The ketchup gets everywhere, the tomato never stays on the bun for more than a few bites, and my hands get greasy. And don’t forget about the onions that—” Jaxon stops me by putting two fingers on my lips. His plan works to make me stop talking, but it doesn’t help me slow down my thoughts. He’s touching my mouth. He’s touching my lips. He’s touching my lips!
Jaxon’s eyes get a little darker and he looks at my lips instead of my face, which makes me think he has the same thoughts as I do. He slowly moves his fingers down my lips, catching the bottom one just right and pulling it down before letting it go. Jaxon suddenly takes a deep breath and starts to lean forward very slowly. The waiter comes back to take our orders after only a second of his trance. When I look at the waiter, Jaxon groans, and Ezra smirks and whispers something into Skyler’s ear, which makes Skyler laugh.
The conversation starts up again after we all order. I should say that I was the only normal person in the group who ordered one burger. It’s crazy that all the guys ordered two burgers and six sides for us to share.
Skyler and I talked about school, and Jaxon talked about his time in college. I found out that he studied business and graduated in three years instead of four. His father gave him the family business, and he used his degree to help him run it. He told me that his dad died a few years ago. He looks like he’s been through hell. If it were my mom who died, I would be.
After that, the mood got better, and before I knew it, the food was ready. While all the guys eat, I can’t stop staring at the huge burger in front of me.
“Are you going to eat, babe?” Jaxon asks.
“Uh, yeah. I just, um… Don’t know how to…”
Jaxon looks at me in the strangest way, like he’s really confused but still trying to figure out what I’m saying. I make it clear that “It’s huge!”
Skyler says, “Just grab it with your hands, Calla,” as he takes a bite out of his burger that is too big for a person. “Okay, well I don’t have monster hands like you all do, so it’s not going to be graceful by any means,” I grumble under my breath. I think they all heard me because they all smiled.
I can already feel the grease getting on my fingers as I grab the big burger. This is exactly how I like it. I open my mouth as wide as I can and try to bite into the burger, but my mouth doesn’t even reach all the way around it. I bite down anyway, and ketchup starts to drip out of the other side of the burger and onto my plate. “Look!” I say, pointing with my eyes to the mess I’ve made with just one bite.