16. Chapter Sixteen
The car stereo blares “Zombie” by the Cranberries. Despite this old shit box only having a tape deck, it’s still going strong. It’s surprising to discover that Poppy is into alternative rock - who would have guessed? It makes me curious if her dad was the owner of the tape. I wish I had the chance to meet him; it would have been amazing.
“Take a right up ahead,” I say, motioning towards the street up ahead.
As my phone lights up, I quickly glance down to see a text from Ace.
Ace: Where are you? Savannah said you left. What’s going on?
Xander: Yeah, won’t be back. See you at practice.
I slip my phone into my pocket, and glance back up.
“See that red sign there?” I say, pointing ahead to indicate the exact location I’m referring to. “They have the best burgers in town. Have you ever been there?”
I can already predict Poppy’s response even before she speaks. This area tends to attract a unique crowd. It’s difficult for me to imagine Poppy or her mother ever coming here.
Poppy skillfully maneuvers the battered green car through the crowded parking lot, bringing it to a stop as the engine sputters to a halt.
Exiting the car, we are met with the distant hum of traffic and the crisp air tinged with exhaust fumes.
As we step into the dimly lit burger joint, Poppy keeps her sunglasses on. An enticing scent of sizzling patties fills the air. I spot a snug booth hidden in the corner. The speakers reverberate with the energetic beat of rock music, infusing the venue with an electrifying atmosphere.
Poppy raises her glasses and scans the room, taking in her surroundings. The proprietor, Sid, is a seasoned heavy metal rocker. From time to time, he takes a break to entertain the customers, but I’ve only seen this happen when me and Ace go late at night. However, during the day the vibe totally changes. The lighting is brighter now and I didn’t notice how red the walls were until now.
Poppy settles into her seat, and despite the temptation to sit beside her, I choose the seat opposite her. Already knowing what I want, I give her the menu that”s on the table. I watch her closely as she studies the menu. Trying to decide what to order, she wears a frown and anxiously bites her bottom lip.
“So, what do you recommend?” she asks, shifting her gaze to me.
“The triple cheeseburger with a side of fries and a chocolate shake.”
“Okay,” she says, placing the menu back on the table. “But I might go for a double. I don’t think I can fit my mouth around a triple.”
My thoughts turn dirty and I can’t help but smirk.
“What?” she says.
“Trust me, Princess, I’m pretty sure your mouth can get around anything.”
Her cheeks turn red as she looks around the room.
When I glance to my left, I see Tayla, the server approaching. I silently express my frustration because I was hoping she wouldn’t be working today, given that she typically works nights. This is gonna be super awkward. We hooked up a few weeks ago. I never called her after she gave me her number. I brought Poppy along today, thinking Tayla wouldn’t be working.
“Hey Xander,” she says, giving me a smile. “I”ve been wondering when we would catch up again,” she says, shifting her focus to Poppy. “So, who do we have here?” she asks, showing her irritation.
Ignoring her question, I snatch the menu and attempt to order without making eye contact. But then, Poppy”s voice cuts in.
“Hi, I”m Poppy,” she says, introducing herself and extending her hand for a handshake.
Tayla hesitates before accepting it. “Tayla,” she replies.
To wrap things up and get Tayla to fuck off, I quickly place my order. “I’ll take a triple cheeseburger, fries on the side, and a chocolate milkshake,” I say, placing the menu back on the table. I take a quick look at Poppy. “And what do you want, Princess?”
As soon as those words leave my mouth, I know I’ve fucked up.
“Princess,” Tayla murmurs, before giving me a stern look. “Xander out of curiosity, does your girlfriend know about what happened between us a few weeks ago? Her focus shifts back to Poppy. “Well, did he tell you about that?”
A surge of tension washes over me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. My only desire is for her to fuck off and stop bothering Poppy.
“Well, first of all, Tayla,” I interject. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“We’re not dating,” Poppy chimes in.
Poppy”s words hold no significance as Tayla continues to glare at her with a hateful look.
“And let’s not forget, it was your idea. You wanted me,” I tell her. “It was just a hookup.”
A hurt expression appears on Tayla’s face as she swallows. Ready to take Poppy’s order, she lifts the pen and pad.
“So, what can I get for you?”
“I’ll have the same as Xander,” Poppy says, putting the menu back onto the table.
After Tayla writes down Poppy’s order she turns away without saying a word.
When I glance at Poppy, I notice her looking down at something in her lap. She raises her eyes, searching the room, deliberately avoiding meeting my gaze. I shouldn’t let it affect me this much, but damn, it really does. I know she probably thinks I”m a total asshole because of what happened between Tayla and me.
Just as I’m about to start a conversation, I quickly shut my mouth upon seeing Tayla walking towards us with our shakes. Tayla forcefully sets the milkshakes down on the table. She glares at me intensely before walking away. As this is going on, Poppy mindlessly swirls the straw around in her oversized milkshake cup.
“So, another admirer in the Xander Williams hookup club,” she remarks, a smile gracing her lips. I watch as she removes her straw from her glass and expertly sucks the cream from the bottom. My dick instantly reacts.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” I mutter.
This is the first time in my life I’ve experienced such embarrassment from my behavior. I wonder what Poppy thinks of me at this moment.
“So,” she says, gazing up at me, still swirling her straw around. “You still haven’t told me what you had to do to get my number.”
“Yeah,” I say, flashing a grin, feeling a sense of relief for a new topic. I’m mesmerized by the way she licks the cream from the straw.
“So what then? What did you do?” She puts the straw back in her shake.
I feel let down because I could sit here all day watching her mouth work its magic.
Leaning in, I place my arms on the table. “Let”s just say Zoe Mitchell is a boundary-pushing pro. She wouldn”t give me your number unless I went to her cousin”s party and acted like her boyfriend.”
With a burst of laughter, Poppy snorts and hastily conceals her mouth to suppress her amusement. My face lights up when I hear it.
“Although Zoe wanted me to stay for the entire party, I made it clear that I would only stay for twenty minutes. That’s another reason why you shouldn’t ignore my texts. I had to put in some work to get that.”
It’s another thing that confuses me. Getting a girl’s number has never required this much effort, but with Poppy, I’m completely disregarding my own rules.
“When”s the party?’ she asks, smirking, then casually sips her milkshake.
“Two weeks from tomorrow,” I say, unable to stop staring at the straw in her mouth.
Our server brings our food, and I’m relieved to find out it’s not Tayla. Instead, our server is a middle-aged woman with a bob haircut with a touch of gray.
“Here you go, sweetness,” she says, sliding the plate in front of Poppy first. “And this one must be for you, handsome.” She puts the plate in front of me and grabs the menu off the table. “If you guys need anything else, just give me a holler.”
In Poppy’s hands, there’s a monster-sized burger, it”s massive against her palms. “I don’t know how you expect me to finish this.” Drawing it nearer to her mouth, she sinks her teeth into the mouthwatering patty. “Mmmm… oh my god, this burger is so good.”
“I told you it was pretty good,” I remark, watching her as she savors every bite.
She lifts her hand and licks the sauce from her fingers, making me instantly aroused. Despite the sauce dribbling down her chin, she remains unfazed. The urge to lean forward and lick it is strong, but I resist and simply smile. I’m glad Poppy doesn’t feel the need to hide her eating habits like some other chicks do when they’re around guys. With ease, she wipes the sauce off her chin using her finger and then puts it into her mouth. Her finger-sucking skills are a major turn-on.
“Aren”t you hungry?” she asks, chewing some fries.
“Nah, I”m hungry,” I tell her, taking the salt shaker from the table.
I was so caught up in watching her enjoy her meal that I neglected my own. I can feel her eyes on me as I pour an excessive amount of salt on my fries, as I usually do.
“You know me and my salt addiction,” I joke, realizing how dumb it was to say that when we’ve never eaten out like this before.
It”s surprising how much I genuinely enjoy hanging out with Poppy and having conversations about music, my band with Ace, and other interesting subjects. It’s on a completely different level compared to the girls I usually fool around with, where I can’t wait to get the fuck out of there. But with Poppy, there’s none of that. Our chats are always easy and interesting.
“So, tell me how does it work? Do you both write songs together?” She says, before picking up her burger and taking another bite.
“Sort of. I write the lyrics and some music while Ace takes care of the sound, beat, and melody.”
“Oh, I totally forgot to ask. So, what”s the name of your band?” Poppy asks, casually wiping her fingers on her napkin.
“Ace came up with Broken Oasis. You know, because we both come from broken homes. He thought of it because we”re in search of a place where our music can take us. It”s like a chill spot, a better life, our own little oasis.”
“I really like it. It’s a perfect fit for the vision you have for yourself, both now and in the future.”
“Yeah, it is,” I add. “So what about you? Are you gonna chase your music dreams too?”
“I really want to go for it, but I’m not sure how to approach it. I”m thinking of studying child psychology. You know, so I understand how music benefits children with disabilities. I know I”ll never hear the end of it when my mom finds out.”
“But it’s your life, not hers.” I pause for a second, pondering how to approach the subject without upsetting her. “Have you ever considered searching for your dad?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what to do.” Her eyes briefly show a hint of pain, making me question whether I should’ve mentioned it. “I’ve tried looking him up online. I found a few photos of his band, but there’s not much else there to go on. There’s no recent information. Only what has always been online. He hasn’t been on Facebook for years, but still, it didn’t stop me from sending him a message. But that was two years ago, and it is still sitting there unread. It’s like he vanished off the face of the earth.”
“If I could see my mom again, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Poppy, I hope that one day you find him.”
“Thanks. I hope so too,”
She raises her milkshake to her mouth, finishing it off before placing it back on the table.
I glance over at her plate and notice that she has finished her burger, leaving only a handful of fries behind.
“I can’t eat another bite,” she says, sliding the plate towards me and offering the remaining fries.
I accept her offer of leftover fries and we settle comfortably in the booth, chatting effortlessly.
Our conversations range from discussing our favorite bands to sharing how we handle the loss of our parents. We share funny stories, laugh, and occasionally get teary-eyed. It’s crazy how well we connect despite only meeting a few weeks ago. The longer we talk, the more we open up about our hopes, dreams, and struggles. In this booth, we can let our guard down and be ourselves without judgment.
It”s only when a new server comes over and asks for our table that I realize how fast time has gone by. It’s past four o’clock, and Ace is waiting for me.
We hastily make our way out of the restaurant and jump into Poppy’s car, ready to hit the road.
In ten minutes, Poppy reaches Ace’s house and parks the car by the curb. I don’t go just yet. I can’t quite put it into words, but I don’t want this day to end.
The soft hum of the engine serves as a gentle reminder it’s time to leave. I open the passenger’s door and start to get out, but then pause and face Poppy.
“Do you want to come inside and see what we’ve been working on?” I ask.
“Thanks, but maybe another time,” she says. “I think it”s time for me to go home and face the music, so to say.”
“I wanted to ask you something at the booth, but I didn’t get the chance. And I don’t want you to get mad at me when I ask.”
“Okay… what is it?”
“I want to know why you”re still a virgin, or is that bullshit, too?” I pause, waiting for her to tell me to fuck off, but she maintains her gaze ahead, staring out through the windshield.
“I told you this the other night, Xander.” She looks down at her hands in her lap. “It’s because no boy has ever shown an interest in me like that.”
I”m clueless about what to say, so I get out of the car and crouch down to look at Poppy. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
She simply nods.
I close the car door and walk up the driveway towards the garage in the back. While I continue walking, the noise of Poppy’s car gradually fades out as it drives away.