Chapter 19
While Gavin and I are getting ready to meet Brennan the next day, Dad wastes no time gathering data for his business proposal for the farming co-op.
He mutters incoherent words that I’m assuming are swear words in Korean while the web pages take forever to load.
I don’t blame him, since I’ve seen sloths move at a faster rate.
True to her word, Mom is not getting involved in any more of Dad’s business affairs.
Instead she spends most of her day tending the herb garden.
When I go to the room to change, Gavin passes me on the way to the bathroom.
He does a double take at my face. I know yesterday-Gavin would have said something snarky, like how I’ve overdone it with the makeup or how my lashes and lips make me look like a llama.
But to his credit, he says nothing. Wow. Look at us. We can get along.
“I can see if Callie can join us,” I suggest. In the likelihood Brennan and I do hit it off, that would make Gavin the third wheel. A group thing could ensure everyone has a good time.
“No,” he says much too quickly, which strikes me as odd.
My brow quirks. Does he not like Callie? The sweet-as-pie, girl-next-door Callie? Who couldn’t like her?
“What’s going on? Why don’t you want to hang out with Callie?” I ask.
“What? That’s not it at all,” he says unconvincingly.
“Just tell me,” I say. “I thought we were trying to, you know, get along better. Especially since Mom and Dad are fighting all the time.”
My guilt trip seems to work, and Gavin softens. “If you have to know.” He hesitates, as if he’s gathering the courage to tell me his deepest, darkest secret. “I kind of, sort of have…” He mumbles the last part inaudibly.
“What was that? You have a rash? Down there?” I say loudly to get him to see how ridiculous he’s being. Also because it’s fun to mess with him.
“God, Elena. Grow up.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.
“You grow up!” I say back to him. “You’re being weird, okay? So just tell me what’s going on.”
“All right,” he relents. “Every time I’m around Callie, there’s something between us that makes my throat close up. Like I can’t breathe or something.”
“What are you saying? You’re allergic to Callie?”
“No.” He gives me a look. “I think I…sorta, kinda, maybe have feelings for Callie.”
I wait for more, but there isn’t. “Gavin, do me a favor,” I say. “If you ever get close enough to Callie to confess your feelings, never ever repeat those words to her.”
“Elena, be serious.”
“I am serious. I’ve met people who work at the DMV with more passion than you.”
“Okay, fine. I like Callie. Happy?”
I press my lips together, but it’s no use. The smile cracks through.
“Oh my God.” Gavin puts a hand to his face. “You’re going to be so extra about it, and I just can’t handle that right now.”
I let out the squeal I’ve been holding in. I just love playing matchmaker, and Gavin knows that about me. “I can’t help it. I think Callie’s great. She’s naturally pretty, fun, and doesn’t have a superficial bone in her body. And, bonus, she’s got great taste in friends.” I point to myself.
“No, that’s not good news.”
I groan. Why does Gavin always have to see every glass as half empty?
“Is it because you think she’s out of your league?”
He jerks his head back. “What? No.”
“Then, is it because you’re insecure about your style? Because I’ve been dying to do a makeover on you since you bought that pair of leggings two years ago.”
“Elena, just stop.” He puts up a hand to shush me. “I have a girlfriend. Remember Sonya?”
I pause. “Aren’t you guys, like, on a break or something?”
“Yeah, but what if we, I don’t know, decide to start dating again?”
“Oh my God, even your breakups are boring.” I snore.
“It’s more complicated than that. You know how status and all that matters to Dad.”
“I do,” I admit. Dad is a series of contradictions, and this is one of them. Despite his humble beginnings, Dad can be a pretty big snob.
“Anyway, we dated for over a year. And even though Dad wanted us to be together more than I did at times, I admit that we complement each other well. Sonya is bold and caring, and I’m sensitive and hardworking.”
“Are you actually describing your relationship? Or the pairing of a Zinfandel with a panko-crusted halibut?” I shake my head at him.
He stares at me, unamused. “Not every relationship is the kind that sweeps you off your feet. Look at Mom and Dad.”
“You’re not twenty years deep in a marriage. We’re talking about dating. And those relationships should sweep you off your feet.”
“Oh yeah? How many relationships have you been in?” He narrows his eyes at me with pursed lips.
“That’s different. I had too much of a life to settle down.”
“While I didn’t?” he says, seemingly offended.
“No, you didn’t,” I say plainly. “You were too busy playing the role you were expected to. No one expects anything from me, so I do what I want.” As soon as I say the words, I realize this is the root of our differences.
That ever since It’s Ok! took over our lives, our paths had been set for us to go in completely opposite directions.
“Is that how you really feel? That no one expects anything from you?”
I shrug, unable to meet his eye. Although I’ve always felt this way, the directness of his question is a first.
“I’m sorry,” he says. And by the softness of his tone, I can tell he genuinely means it. “I would have suggested to Dad to include you in the business earlier if I had known.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “I don’t blame you. I know how important firstborn sons are to Dad.”
It surprises me how sad I feel when Gavin doesn’t disagree with me. It’s not like he can change who Dad is any more than I can.
I clear my throat, getting back to the task at hand. “Now that we’ve been given a blank slate here, I can help you make the most of it.”
“What about Dad? He’ll find out about USC after things settle at It’s Ok! If I don’t have Sonya to go back to, he might not survive the whole ordeal.”
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes.
And besides, who knows if Callie’s even interested in you?
” I joke with him to put him at ease, even though I’m pretty sure the feelings are mutual.
When he still doesn’t budge, I place a hand on his shoulder, tipping my head toward him.
“Isn’t it about time we start living our lives and not Mom and Dad’s? ”
Reluctantly he nods. “Fine,” he agrees. “But no makeover.” He puts a finger up to warn me.
I make no promises.
—
After making a quick call to Callie, Gavin and I head to the cafe, where we made plans to eat lunch with her and Brennan before their shifts begin. We arrive fashionably late and spot Brennan and Callie waiting for us at the front of the observatory.
“Hey, the band’s back together,” Brennan says in a familiar way that I find oddly comforting—surprising because, one, I’ve only known them for a short time, and, two, Gavin is part of the band.
“How was LA?” I ask.
Brennan gushes about how magical Disneyland was and how exciting it was to see the familiar backdrops of the LA landscape he’d only seen in movies.
“It’s good to be back, though,” he says, surprising me. I would’ve thought he’d be dying to stay there now that he’s had a taste of LA, not to mention real civilization with cell service and Wi-Fi. But if it means Brennan is happy to be here with us, then I’m not going to argue with him.
We head into the cafe and spot an open booth.
Instead of sitting next to Callie, Gavin sits next to Brennan, so I take the seat next to Callie.
We share two menus since they are trifold and open up to the size of a small poster.
While Callie and I hover over a menu, huddled close together, all I can think of is what a missed opportunity this is for Gavin.
If he wants to get to know Callie, he better step up his game.
The menu is, as they said, extensive. In addition to the usual diner foods, such as hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads, the cafe also has a variety of not-usual diner offerings, such as chicken Milanese, doner kebab, and steak au poivre—dishes I’d order even if I weren’t in Blaire.
If I had known how appetizing the food was, I wouldn’t have helped myself to a second serving of Gavin’s egg soufflé this morning.
Who am I kidding? I’d have eaten seconds even if I’d known about the menu at the cafe.
The eggs were so light and fluffy, it was as if I were eating a cloud.
I’m too full now to order a meal, but I can go for something sweet.
Brennan and Callie both order sandwiches from the deli, and Gavin gets the steak while I get an ice cream sundae.
“Why does your shift start so late today?” I ask after the waitress leaves with our orders.
“Every once in a while, we have to work the night shift,” Brennan says.
“The night shift?” I wrinkle my nose. “How do you keep yourselves from sleeping on the job?” Working at a lab during the day already sounds like a snoozefest. I wonder how they manage it at night.
“Sleep is the last thing I’m thinking of when I’m at the lab,” Callie says dreamily. “So much activity happens at all hours of the day and night, and it’s exciting to think that we might be the ones to first notice it happening.”
“Right?” Brennan nudges Callie. “Every night I come to work wondering, Is today the day we discover a new star? Or find signs of water in a place we didn’t know existed?” The nerd-off happening between them is something I can’t seem to understand. Science has never been my thing.
Soon, the food arrives, and the presentation is even more impressive than the extensive menu options. Gavin’s plate has chopped parsley sprinkled along the edge, with pearl onions in a red-wine reduction.
“This is a perfect medium rare.” Gavin marvels at the pop of pink when he slices into his steak. “Oh my God,” he mutters with his mouth full. “So tender. You should try it.”