SEPTEMBER 14, 2015
SOME DAYS I WAS MODEST. Others, I’d stop in front of a mirror and smile.
Today was one of those days.
I waited an entire day before I went back to the diner. It was another rule of mine. Don’t seem too eager.
And I wasn’t… I definitely wasn’t.
I pulled into the parking lot of the diner. Sat there for a moment, trying to calm the rapid flurry of butterflies threatening to fly away with my stomach. I was really doing this. I was going to take him up on his offer. I was going to indulge in this weird thing happening between us.
My hand hesitated over the shifter. I could put my bus in reverse and leave. Move to another town, and he’d become one of those faces I could have known. I probably should have.
So why don’t you?
Pulling the visor down, I did a quick check of my face. I didn’t wear a lot of makeup. A little eyeliner. Some mascara. Usually Chapstick, but if I felt spunky, then I’d use a subtle pink gloss instead.
Today, my lips were liquid pink.
It was a Mary Poppins kind of morning. The sky rolling with clouds, a storm on the verge. I imagined her floating down, an umbrella in her hand, feet touching at the heels.
There was already a water set on the table when I walked in. Hudson was wiping one down and glanced up, a slow-burning smile tugging at his lips.
That’s why.
He’d better be careful with how many of those he gave out, because they were like receiving little gifts. The more he gave, the more I wanted.
I pointed in question to the table with the water, and he nodded.
I didn’t pull out my laptop.
Hudson wandered over with a menu in his hand.
I dug inside my canvas tote, a smile brewing. “I have to tell you a secret.”
He sat across from me, setting the menu between us. “I’m all ears.”
I laid a baggie of Oreos on the table, a loyalist to the original kind. I didn’t touch that flavored shit. “I have a bad habit of enjoying dessert before my meals.”
His eyebrow dipped in question. “You do?”
I nodded fervently. “I figure if I’m always full from dinner, then I’ll never get to enjoy dessert, so why not eat it first to ensure I get the best part of the meal?”
He smirked. “So you’re one of those then?”
“It gets worse…”
His eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”
I pulled out the Oreos, sat them on top of the baggie, and then reached for a butter knife hiding within a rolled-up napkin. Hudson didn’t let out a peep as I proceeded to twist them open and pick at the cream, forming shapes. When I was done, I sat the knife down and smiled up at him.
“Is that the phases of the moon?” His head tilted, eyes grazing over my masterpiece.
“That’d be correct,” I said, beaming from ear to ear.
He chuckled. “So, not only do you eat dessert before your meal, but you also like to play with your food?”
“I like art in all its forms.”
“Is that why the inside of your bus was covered in drawings?”
“How did you…?”
My eyebrows dipped, and then it hit me. The day he pulled over to help me. He had the eyes of an eagle.
“My bus is as close to a home as I have. Especially since I’m always on the move. I spend so much time behind the camera, translating my outlook on life with images, that it sometimes feels refreshing to capture a memory differently. Use my hands in a different way.”
“Deep,” he said, hunger hidden beneath his words at. A desire brewing between us once again.
I picked up the full-moon Oreo, offering it to him. It was my favorite, laden with the most cream.
Disgust pinched at his lips.
I giggled. “You don’t like Oreos?”
He shook his head. “I’m not a big fan of chocolate.”
“Have you ever had one?”
He shook his head again.
I laughed, insisting by pushing the baggie closer to him. “Then you have to try it. Oreos are so much more than chocolate. They’re a religious experience. A nostalgic novelty at its finest.”
He scowled at the baggie. “Maybe… but I don’t like them.”
“How do you know you don’t like them if you’ve never tried them?”
He pondered that for a moment. “I could say the same to you.”
“How so?” I asked through a giggle, enjoying the light banter.
“How do you know you won’t like our fish if you haven’t given it a try?”
My mouth gaped. “How?” I couldn’t finish the question. I thought back to that first day in the diner when he was sitting by the window and Lucas read off their specialties. “You were listening in, weren’t you?”
He glanced around the room. “It’s a small diner.”
“Or maybe it’s because I interested you?” I posed.
The chemistry between us grew palpable. “Fine,” he said, meeting me head on. “I’ll try one if you try one of our fish dishes.”
My face screwed up.
He crossed his arms. “That’s my offer and I’m sticking to it.”
I chewed my lip, seeing in his gaze that he wasn’t going to waver. “Fine.” I stuck my hand out to shake. I never was one to back down from a challenge. Especially if I’d get my way out of it.
Once the deal was made, he was up and out of his seat, shouting to Martha to cook something I tried to block from my brain. The last time I had fish was when I was fifteen. After spending a night hugging the toilet, I vowed I’d never try it again.
Then again, what are vows for, but breaking?
When he sat back down, his smile was eating up his entire face. “You’re going to love this dish. It’s Martha’s best.”
My stomach sloshed a little.
We bantered back and forth for a while until Martha came out presenting a plate doused in a white cream sauce. “This is award winning,” she said, setting it down in front of me.
I kept my face even, though I was beginning to panic on the inside. I didn’t want to get sick again.
She turned to Hudson, making small talk for which I was grateful for as I slowly picked up my fork and knife.
Here goes nothing.
I cut off a small corner, and then plunged it into my mouth. No need to prolong the inevitable. I found my worry slowly dissipating within the glorious flavor of cream, garlic, and briny fish. It was remarkable. So much so I cut off another piece, then another and another until the plate was cleared and I was sitting back, thanking Martha for making it.
She left us, taking the plate with her as my gaze settled on Hudson.
“Now it’s your turn,” I said, pushing the baggie toward him.
He hesitantly picked up the full moon, inspecting it as if something would jump out at him.
Around him, I couldn’t stop giggling.
Pressing it to his lips, he nibbled a small bite, and then set it back down. I glanced at it. There was barely a crumb missing.
“Hudson!” I said, laughing so hard I snorted.
“What?” he said innocently.
“That doesn’t count! You have to actually take a bite.”
With a groan, he picked it back up, and then shoved the whole thing in his mouth. I waited for the light bulb to go off, but then his face morphed into disgust and he held a finger up, excusing himself.
He was drinking a glass of water when he returned.
“Nope. Don’t like it,” he said. “Sorry.”
I was still laughing. “You tried it. That’s all that matters.”
He studied me for a moment. I fiddled with the Oreos, trying to pick the best one.
“You know… there’s something about you. Something that scares the hell out of me.”
I raised my eyes to meet his. “What’s that?”
“You make me smile.”
My forehead wrinkled as my heart bloomed inside my chest. He was full of saying things I could have never predicted. He was an anomaly.
I shoved an Oreo into my mouth when Lucas came barreling up to the table. He looked like a spooked cat. “That batty old lady is coming in. Can you take her? I don’t think I can take another jab at my intelligence.”
“I’m coming,” Hudson said. Pushing up from the chair, he offered me a small smile. “Until tomorrow?”
I grinned. “Until tomorrow.