8. Chapter Eight - Millie
I whip my head around when Kayla’s voice suddenly comes from behind me. She sounds off. We”ve known each other forever, from sharing our algebra homework to applying to universities together to starting the Siren’s. However, I can”t quite place the tone in her voice.
”Yeah, sorry about that,” Asher adds nonchalantly, strolling in behind her and arriving at the table in two big strides as if he owns the place, destroying our little moment. Luca’s and my hand are still resting on the table, but our pinkies are no longer connected. I didn”t even realize one of us let go.
What I do realize, is that Asher is clutching Kayla’s hand in his, and she’s blushing. It’s subtle, barely visible in the dimmed lights of our little enclosure, but I know that look.
And, she”s looking frazzled. Her long brown hair, which usually falls down her back in a pretty straight line, is tangled, as if she just ran through a storm. And the clothes that were neat before I left her in the rehearsal room are now disheveled, one of her boots riding higher than the other does, and her sweatshirt twisted.
When she realizes I”m observing her, she immediately shakes his hand off, swipes a strand of her hair behind her ear as she sits down next to me, and pulls up one of her boots, all while avoiding eye contact.
”First, I had to get fuel, and then we got held up by the horde of paparazzi in front of the restaurant.” I shake my head subtly. They’re not even trying to hide that this is a setup anymore. Why else would they send us here first by taxi and take Asher’s car?
”There are paparazzi?” I look at Asher with furrowed eyebrows, annoyance making my stomach bubble. ”They definitely weren”t there when we arrived.”
Asher nods, and Kayla crosses her arms in front of her chest. ”According to the host, they got tipped off. He apologized profusely and assured us that security is on their way.”
”I bet it was our taxi driver,” I say and push out a heavy sigh, rolling my eyes. He seemed like the kind of guy. Good thing we kept our conversation in the car generic, but I wouldn”t be surprised if some part of it still manages to make it into tomorrow”s gossip magazine headline.
”Fucking menaces,” Kayla agrees and pinches the bridge of her nose between her eyes. ”At least the line-up is out, so we won’t be getting a dressing down from Naroa for being seen here together and spoiling it.”
”So true,” I add more quietly and take a sip of my drink. It’s good. The grapefruit is refreshing, and what I assume is syrup perfectly counterbalances the bitterness. I could do without all the greenery thrown into the glass, but fancy decoration is just expected from a restaurant of this caliber, I guess.
Do I feel like a fool for ordering lemonade instead of a fancy wine? Kind of. But I don’t like wine. Kayla looks at my drink longingly, and I hand it over to her without asking.
”Anyways, we didn”t want to interrupt. What were you two talking about?” Asher jumps right into the conversation. I eye him. He’s only a bit taller than Luca, but next to him, with his wide shoulders and his man bun making him seem taller, he just looks giant.
I bet he’s an extrovert. He seems like the kind of person to always stand out in a group because he can make friends with anyone and hasn”t met a stranger, like...ever. The one everyone wants to be friends with, except for introverts because they’d probably grow annoyed of him after a while.
My eyes jump to Luca. He shoots me a quick wink before he answers his friend by lying straight to his face. ”My fascination for quantum physics.”
I swallow a chuckle right at the last moment, while Kayla places the glass back in front of me, giving my arm a thankful squeeze.
”Sure you were,” Asher shakes his head in fake annoyance and gives him a soft slap on the back of his head. ”Millie, I can only apologize for this brute. I hope he didn”t make you uncomfortable with the intense and direct approach he is known to have.” He emphasizes the last few words to point out the sarcasm.
”No worries, he was a gentleman.” I laugh and pop an ice cube into my mouth. Thank God they”re bite-size here and not those giant ones that barely fit in your mouth. ”Already introduced me to his sister and everything.”
”Sure he did,” Asher says, sarcasm still clouding his voice as he snorts a laugh through his nose. I don”t bother correcting him, and I don”t need to, because our waiter comes back with entrees and takes Kayla”s and Asher”s drink orders.
”Is everything alright?” I ask Kayla, while the two guys are deep in discussion about a certain beer on the menu and where it’s from. Luca’s guess is Germany, while Asher insists it’s from the Netherlands.
I didn”t even realize they serve something as normal as beer here. The whole drink menu consisted of drinks I”d never heard of, combined with brands I couldn’t even attempt to pronounce correctly. I had no idea beer was among them.
”I”m not so sure,” Kayla answers quietly and scrunches her nose as she digs around the small salad with her fork, trying to pierce one of the tomatoes. ”The paparazzi got pictures of Asher and me walking inside the restaurant, so I”m kind of expecting Naroa to blow up my phone any moment now.”
Fuck. The media might like her better than me, but I’m pretty sure she’s making tomorrow’s headlines either way.
”I”m sure it”ll be fine,” I try to assure her, and myself, patting her arm distractedly. ”Maybe the two of us should just leave together. We could paint it like a coincidence that you arrived here at the same time.”
”I don”t think that will work.” She chuckles, followed by a deep sigh. “They saw us get out of the same car, and when they started crowding us, Asher took my hand. It’s one hundred percent going to make the news. Social media is probably freaking out already.”
I”ve heard many of those sighs recently, but she dismisses all my worried questions about what’s going on with her. I can tell something is gnawing at her, though, and I hate seeing her unhappy. Hopefully, whatever is on her mind will resolve itself soon. But this evening is not the time to worry.
“I’m sure Naroa’s got it,” I assure her, patting her hand.
Both of us shift our attention to the guys sitting in front of us in an attempt to join the conversation.
I feel like an ass for thinking it, but I kind of wish Asher and Kayla didn”t make it here. Luca and I had such an amazing conversation. Talking to him felt comfortable, and I was really warming up to him, but now it feels like all the butterflies in my stomach are hibernating.
Don”t get me wrong, they”re still there, but it”s harder to feel my feelings now that two more people are sitting at this table with us.
”Do you already know which teams you”re playing in?” I try to enter the conversation. Luca and Asher glance at each other before both their faces split into wide smiles.
”Oh, we know,” Asher starts, quickly interrupted by Luca.
”And it”s going to be a shitshow.”
”So much fun,” Asher adds. ”But a shitshow.”
I tilt my head and look at them, confused. ”Why? Are they adding real toddlers to the mix?”
”No, worse,” Asher chuckles and rubs his hands together mischievously. Like a little raccoon about to wash his food in a river stream. ”They”ve split up the Walker brothers. Reed and Tanner are with Team Friendship, that’s us, and Adam and Jackson with Team Hollywood. Boring name if you ask me.”
Kayla”s and my eyes grow wide. None of the Walker brothers are really known for their mellowness, and everyone knows that together, they”re a rowdy bunch. And from what I’ve read in interviews, they’re taking this match as the perfect opportunity to fight out some year-long grievances.
”I am totally placing a bet that one of them will break at least one bone before the match day,” Kayla announces, shock clouding her voice. She forces herself to talk more quietly when the waiter comes to collect our now empty plates. ”What are they thinking?”
”I”m pretty sure they’re counting on getting more views if they get into a brawl,” Luca says softly and crosses his arms in front of his chest. It makes his biceps pop.
Just something I”m noticing, no biggie. I totally don’t find that panty-drenching hot.
”As long as I”m not in the middle of it, they can beat each other up for all I care,” he adds and takes a sip of his water.
”They better not do it before game day, though,” Kayla adds, shaking her head. ”From what Naroa let simmer through, there aren”t any backup players.”
”No wonder there aren’t. The training is brutal,” Luca sighs deeply and rubs his hand across his face. ”They did the smart thing by not participating. It’s not at all what I expected.”
”What did you expect?” I ask him, feeling Kayla staring holes into my face when she notices the teasing undertone I can’t hold back. ”Did you think they”d just put you on the field and televise bodybuilders huffing and puffing after five minutes of actual play?”
”I, and a lot of the other guys, were surely hoping that,” Luca answers me with a wink, and one of his dimples shows on his cheek as he smirks.
”Well, way to build up stamina,” Asher interjects, wiggling his eyebrows. ”I”m pretty sure you need it.”
“Runner,” Luca tells Asher like he’s reminding him, with an eye roll. Whatever that means. Probably an inside joke between the two of them.
”Anyone got a shovel? I’m trying to find the intellectual level of this conversation.” Kayla sounds annoyed. Sure, innuendo becomes annoying if you”re sexualized as often as we are, but this is still a pretty tame conversation.
Asher opens his mouth to answer, but right then, our waiter turns the corner with a new set of plates stacked on his forearm.
”Oh, thank God,” I mumble, shooting the waiter a grateful smile before I add even more quietly so that only Kayla can hear. ”I”m starving, and the salad didn”t help at all.”
”Same,” Kayla says in a normal tone. ”We shouldn”t have skipped lunch.”
”Thank you, Logan,” I say, eyeing his name tag as he sets down the plate. We’re basically spending the evening with this guy. It seems warranted to know his name.
Turns out, it was a good idea to skip lunch after all. For the next few hours, empty plates are replaced by full plates, and whenever we think that we”ve finally reached the last course, our waiter comes around the corner again with his arms fully stacked. I think by course five, he already had to fight to hide his smile.
We”re currently at course number nine now if I”ve counted correctly. Just how many more can there be?
”Thank fucking God, it”s dessert,” I groan when Logan sets the plate down in front of me. ”How many more are there?”
”It wouldn”t be fun if I told you,” he answers cordially, but I can see the corners of his mouth twitching at the collective groan everyone at the table lets out. Yes, the guys are fighting too.
I think Luca is on his fourth glass of water to ”flush out” the food, and I don”t have the heart to tell him that”s not how it works. Meanwhile, Kayla and I are on our second shot of Grappa, since my dad always taught me it helps the food sag in my stomach. By now, I”m starting to think that was a lie, and the damned stuff tastes the way glue smells.
”Such a shame all of this is fucking delicious,” Asher groans and swallows the bite-sized dessert with just that–one bite.
”We poor, suffering people,” I say with an eye roll and take a bite of what I assume to be a macaron. It”s covered in edible flowers and other way-too-fancy decorations, so I”m not completely sure until I bite into it. ”And the hard life we have.”
”Damn right.” Asher pats his belly. ”It”s going to take me hours to train this meal off.”
”Oh, shut up,” Luca says, annoyed. An adorable crinkle appears between his eyes as he continues to scold his friend about body image and putting too much pressure on himself, all with a worried wrinkle between his eyes.
I can”t help but watch him. Even though Kayla is shooting me another funny look, my belly is about to explode. I just can”t take my eyes off him. His whole vibe changes when he’s talking about something he’s passionate about. The fact that it’s because he’s worried for his friend makes it all the more endearing.
I really want to touch him. I’ve never had this happen, but just before the two arrived, when we were kind of but not really holding hands? That’s burned itself into my mind. But I don”t want to get teased by Kayla or Asher, and while they seem very intent on setting the two of us up, they”re also both the teasing kind. Which is fine, but right now... I want whatever is going on to be between us. No spectators. No teasing.
Whatever is between us…is fragile. It’s a flower only just starting to blossom, a fawn on unsteady legs, vulnerable to predators, a soap bubble that could burst any time. And I want to freeze that damn soap bubble, then encase it in resin so it can’t be destroyed.
Maybe it will work out. Maybe it will burst. Only time will tell, but I will be able to say I gave it my best shot.
Finally, I manage to pry my eyes away from Luca, but it makes an uncomfortable feeling overcome me, like a cold breeze continuously blowing on my neck.
Kayla is telling the two of them a story about our last tour, but I have no idea how the topic even came up. Because I have a plan.
I keep my eyes on Kayla as I listen to her and chime in to add details, all while watching Luca from the corner of my eye. Slowly, I slide my foot over the carpeted ground, over to Luca, just like he did with his hand in the car and before the two of them arrived.
When my foot gently taps his, he instantly looks right at me. When Kayla turns to take something out of her bag, I shoot him a small wink, and I swear I can see the smallest smile on his face as he slides his foot forward as well, his instep resting against my heel.
We all turn our heads when the waiter rounds the corner to our secluded section again, arms full of plates, and we collectively groan–another course.
”You almost got it,” Logan chuckles as he sets them down in front of us. ”It”s the last one.”
”Thank fucking God.” The words seem to slip out of Luca unintentionally, and he looks at everyone like a deer in headlights. ”Sorry.”
Asher bursts into laughter and slaps his shoulder. ”You”re saying what we”re all thinking, man.”
”Now that it”s ending, I”m a bit sad, though,” I admit, while nudging his foot and shooting Kayla and Asher an exhausted smile. ”I mean, the food is really damn delicious, but I”m about to throw up into the flower pot.”
”I”d totally offer to eat your dessert and save you from that fate, but I just might explode,” Kayla offers, but I shake my head, determined to make it to the end.
”My parents didn”t raise me to be a quitter. I”m finishing what I started.” I eye the creation on my plate curiously as I try to find out what I’m about to eat. ”What is this even?”
”I think it”s a tiny waffle,” Kayla takes her fork and moves a brown piece of food on her plate around inquisitively, along with some hopefully edible flowers. I was way too lazy to push all of them off my food. I’m still rolling the dice, though I’d prefer the night not to end with me having food poisoning. ”And ice cream, if I had to guess.”
”Okay.” I take a deep breath. ”That’s fine. I can do that.” Pushing all of it onto my fork, I raise it like a glass for a toast. ”To finishing this wonderful and very extensive meal.”
”To that.” The others do the same, and we all eat our last dessert together. It tastes nice. Really delicious, even. But holy shit, I am so fucking full I cannot take another bite.
”Wonderful.” Kayla sighs and leans back into her chair, staring at the ceiling. ”Now I fear it’s time to face the music. Please excuse me while I take my manager”s fiftieth call.” She gets up and quickly walks off, leaving me alone at the table with Luca and Asher. The latter one stretches with a loud groan, then sinks into himself and looks at Luca and me with narrow eyes.
”So, did you exchange phone numbers already?” Luca pushes his elbow into Asher”s ribs. ”Ooof, sensitive area, if you don’t want me to barf, bro. I”m just trying to help you out here, man.”
”You”re very pushy,” I point out with a tilted head making his forehead wrinkle in surprise, before I let my eyes wander to Luca. ”Is he always like that?”
”Sadly, yes.” He tries to hide his laugh at Asher”s outraged expression unsuccessfully.
”Well then, we better do as he says,” I say with a giggle and hold out my hand. ”Give me your phone, and I”ll save my number.”
”Make sure to call her,” Asher adds suspiciously and in a loud whisper that’s meant for me to overhear, trying to peek at what I”m typing into the phone. ”To make sure it”s actually her number.”
”Asher, if I didn”t want to give Luca my number, I wouldn”t have pretended to.” I shake my head disapprovingly and hand it back to Luca. Our fingers touch for a moment, and it”s like a bolt of electricity shoots through my whole body.
He catches my eyes, and for a moment, we just look at each other. Did I mention that he has a nice smile? He’s got beautiful teeth, but they’re not pearly-white-perfect. His incisor teeth are a bit crooked, making them stand out like a cute vampire.
I wonder if there’s anything particular he notices about me.
Moments later, I hear Kayla”s footsteps approach, and within a split second, the magical moment is gone.
”Alright, everyone listen up. I talked to Naroa and the plan is to make the paparazzi think that only Asher and I are here because it seems they don’t even know about the two of you. Asher and I are already plastered over social media, so there’s no use trying to get out of here separately.” She pushes out a heavy sigh while Luca and I shoot each other a short look. Then, when her words settle, I glance back at Kayla. I can’t put my finger on it, but something in her voice sounds off. “On a serious note, I love that for you two. If you date, you really shouldn’t hard launch your relationship; be a bit more inconspicuous next time. And don’t try to fool us. We have eyes, and we can see what’s happening.” She leans down and gives me a half hug to whisper in my ear, ”I”ll wait for you at your place.”
”Alright, Mom,” I giggle, and she lets me go, walking to the exit and stopping, turning around to shoot Asher a look I can”t quite decipher. Meanwhile, I make a mental note to ask her about the call to Naroa later on.
”Alright, let”s go,” she calls for him like he’s a dog waiting for her command to follow.
And just like a puppy, Asher jumps up, and the two of them leave.
”Do you want me to hold your hand again?” he teases her, and I hear Kayla starting to answer him, but by then, they”re too far away to make out exactly what she”s saying.
I eye Luca, and curiosity gets the better of me. ”What was that? Is there something going on between our friends?”
”Not that I know of,” he chuckles and pulls the chair that Asher sat on closer to himself, patting the backrest invitingly. ”But who knows? Maybe Cupid struck now that they”ve actually talked to each other instead of about each other in the media.” I take the unspoken invitation and round the table, plopping down next to him. Very close next to him.
He smells really good. I hadn”t realized it in the car or on our way in here, but his scent reminds me of walking over a field just after it”s rained. It takes way too much willpower not to bury my nose in his shirt.
”Well, let”s give them a few minutes head start before we leave,” I propose and get more comfortable in the seat, which coincidentally causes our thighs to touch. Not so coincidentally, I keep my leg right there.
Both of us stay silent, but this time, it”s a comfortable silence, both of us following our own thoughts. Well, until Luca”s phone starts to vibrate in his pocket. He takes it out, checks the name on the screen, then slides it back in without answering. Just as I’m about to let curiosity get the better of me, Logan turns the corner and waves us over to him.
”We have a taxi waiting for you at our back entrance. Come with me, right this way.”
”They have a back entrance?” I hiss at Luca, my eyes jumping from where Logan is leading us to the front of the restaurant. ”So why the hell did Kayla and Asher have to leave out front? All of us could have left in peace.” The wheels turn in my head until it finally starts to make sense. ”Oh, Naroa, that sneaky bitch.”
She knows well that Kayla being seen with a new man is going to be a huge thing and bring the good kind of publicity. If I’m seen with a new boyfriend… not so much. But I can’t even be too mad, because, like Kayla said, hard launching a potential relationship on the first date isn’t the way to go.
”You can rip her a new one later,” Luca says soothingly, trying to calm me down. Then he lays his hand on the small of my back again, and his soft weight there manages to distract me until we step outside.
”Oh, I will,” I grumble and climb into the car, waving Logan bye-bye. I just hope Kayla will be alright.