"It's hard every day. My folks stay quite involved in my life." She picked up a menu and moved to stand beside me, pressing her shoulder to mine as she shared the menu. "To say that I'm ready for college to be over with would be an extreme understatement."
"I am, too, but for different reasons." I pointed to the club sandwich. "That looks good."
"You wanna share it?" She smiled up at me.
"Nope, but I'll eat what you don't eat of yours." I pulled out my wallet. "And, it's my treat."
"No, it's mine. You got last time."
"And? I'm the man, remember?" I smirked at her and tried not to fall in love with the way she studied me. Her expressions ranged from serious to cute to fucking hot within a matter of minutes, and I enjoyed her openness a lot. It was refreshing.
"You've yet to prove that you're a man." She wagged her eyebrows and caught me off guard.
I started to tell her that I'd be happy to whip out my proof right there in the sandwich shop, but she moved up and started to order. The way she leaned forward left her ass sticking out at me. Had we been dating, I'd have reached out and touched her, ran my hands along her, just to remind her I was there and quite attentive to her subtle invitations.
"And for you, sir?" The lady behind the counter turned her attention to me.
"I'll have the double club with chips and a drink." I shouldn't have been spending money on lunch, but it was hard as hell to try and take a girl out and not spend anything.
"That's twenty-one even." The woman smiled as I handed her my card.
"It's my turn." Val put her card up there, too.
"Stop it." I lifted my eyebrow at her and wagged my card at the woman. "Please. Show the girl that it's a guy's place to pay for lunch."
"You two are too cute." The woman took my card and swiped it. Much to my horror, she glanced up and gave me a weary smile. "It's not going through. Let me try it again."
"Or just let me get it." Val bumped me with her hip and gave the woman her card as my card was denied again. "Just call the bank later today and see what's up. It was my turn, anyway."
I try to let it go, but I knew what was wrong. I was broke. I don't know why the hell I thought there would be enough in the account for anything. We could barely cover our bills. There was no such thing as extra in my life.
I'd have to skip class a few times in the coming week to get in more hours. If I didn't have twenty bucks in the bank for a sandwich, then I didn't have it for gas for the bike, either. Worry ran through me as I tried to remember how much gas I actually had.
"Hey, you okay?" Val handed me a straw and sat down in the booth closest to us.
"Yeah, just thinking about my damn card not working." I shoved it in my back pocket. "Well, next time it's my treat, and I promise to have the money to pay for it."
"I don't care who pays for it, Tate. I'm just glad we're here." She reached across the table and touched my hand, which surprised me a little.
I lifted her hand to my mouth and breathed in deeply before kissing her knuckles.
"Be careful around me, okay?" I winked and pulled out my phone.
"Why is that?"
"I'm highly bipolar around you, it would seem." I chuckled and dropped my phone back into my pocket. "I'm just checking for a text from my mother. She's all I have."
"Where's your dad?" Val leaned toward me as she took a drink of her coke.
"Actually, I'm an orphan." I dropped the first bomb, not knowing what to expect from her, but quite relieved when the sympathy that passed across her face quickly disappeared.
"Really? And the woman that raised you is who you're referring to as your mom?"
"Yeah. Sarah. She's all I've ever known. She's a good woman, but chooses the worst men in the universe to get into relationships with." Was I really opening up about this shit? I was.
"That's not good. My mom and dad have a good relationship by most standards, but I've never once in my life seen them hug, kiss, or say that they love each other."
My turn to not overreact. "Wow. Seriously?"