Chapter 40 #3
For a second, I contemplate just sitting here and waiting for him to be finished.
But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hungry, and I told the guys I would take better care of myself.
Rick’s reminder that I’m no help to anyone if I’m not taking care of myself really stuck the other day.
I’ve noticed the guys seem to check in with how I’m doing more often, too, and while it's touching that they care, it’s also annoying that they feel the need to.
But I did this, so it’s up to me to show them I can handle my damn self.
Not to mention, the food here really is great—one of my favorites, actually.
Damn it.
I get out of the car, slamming the door closed with more force than necessary, before I head in after him.
By the time I get in the building, Spencer’s nowhere in sight.
Would it have killed him to wait?
I stand at the entrance, looking around for a second, but when I still don’t spot him, I start to rethink my decision.
Maybe I’ll just go back and wait in the car. It’s clear Spencer doesn’t want me to eat with him. Why should I make either of us miserable when I can just eat when we get back to the house?
Having made up my mind, I turn to head back out, but before I can pull the door open again, a familiar voice calls out to me.
“Hey, Jade.”
I turn around to find Kai walking out of one of the doors to the kitchen behind the counter.
Kai is one of Hazel’s friends, and while I don’t share any classes with him, he often joins our study group.
He’s really dedicated to his studies, just like Hazel, and has been a huge help in catching me up during our study groups.
I also think he has a crush on Hazel, but when I asked her if they were dating, she laughed and said she’s pretty sure he’s gay.
I’m not sure what gave her that idea, but I’d bet the twin blades Zander got me that she’s wrong.
Kai walks up and stops just a few feet shy of me with a smile on his face.
Kai is either really good at reading body language or just doesn’t enjoy contact.
From the first time Hazel introduced us, he’s been great about giving me space, and while I appreciated it at first, it’s no longer necessary.
I like Kai, and I’m pretty sure the kid couldn’t hurt a fly if he wanted to, but I also don’t know how to tell him that without it being weird, so I just let him keep his space even if it’s almost awkward now.
“Hey, Kai,” I respond with a smile. I’d forgotten that his family owns this place, if I’m being honest. When I came here with Clair, it was only his little brother who was working. I hadn’t met Kai until I started classes.
“You looking for Spencer?” he asks, and I nod, because I’m not about to explain that I was, but decided against it, and was going to sit in the car alone, because we get along like water and oil.
That sounds crazy even in my messed-up head.
“Follow me,” he calls over his shoulder, already walking away. “He’s back in one of the big booths. It’s where the guys always sit when they come in.” I hurry to catch up with him when he doesn’t even glance back. Guess I’m eating with him after all.
As we weave back through the tables, I can’t help but look around at everything.
The first time I came here with Clair, it overwhelmed me with all the colors and a completely new style.
Now I know that it’s not just a style they chose but pieces of their culture, and it’s more beautiful knowing that.
I have no idea who I am or anything to do with my heritage.
Not where I was born or even my birthday.
It makes me envious of people who do, but it also makes me appreciate the fact that there are so many different types of people in the world.
Maybe someday I’ll take the DNA test Zander told me about and learn something, but right now isn’t the time for that type of thing.
We turn the corner and enter a smaller room off the main one.
This room isn’t as decorated, and the lighting is a little dimmer.
A huge table that could easily seat at least twenty people sits to the right, and against the far left wall are a few booths with large separating walls.
The last one is a huge corner booth, and of course, that’s where Spencer sits, all alone.
“This is where we seat large parties, but the guys usually sit back here for business or just to get away from everyone,” Kai explains with a shrug before giving Spencer a nod.
I’m almost shocked that Spencer nods back, but then I remember he only really dislikes me.
Everyone else he at least pretends to tolerate.
“Kai!” someone shouts from the front of the restaurant, and Kai turns back to me.
“Sorry, I've gotta go. Gramps is almost blind in one eye, but he refuses to stop cooking and is damn near a hazard to himself at this point,” he explains in a rush, rolling his eyes as if it’s annoying. The smile on his face is one full of affection.
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll see you in group. Thanks for showing me the way.”
He gives me a smile before he turns around and disappears back the way we just came, leaving me to go sit with Spencer.
Fantastic.
I slide into the booth, making sure that I don’t sit directly across from him. This is already awkward; no need to make it worse.
“If this is another one of your guys' lame attempts at keeping me busy, you should know that you're terrible at it,” I tell him after a few minutes when I can’t stand the silence anymore.
“I don’t give a shit about keeping you busy, Demon.
I’m just hungry, and you just so happened to be with me.
With Rick still having another class, nobody at the house is going to cook, and if I have to eat pizza one more time this week, I’m going to strangle Zan,” Spencer says, leaning back into the booth with a sigh.
“Not everything has to do with you, Demon,” he adds, rolling his eyes.
It might be stupid, but the little bite in his tone almost brings a smile to my face.
We both fall quiet again, and while I’m annoyed with him, the silence isn’t uncomfortable, just boring.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take long before Arie rounds the corner with a bowl in each hand. The smell hits me even before he’s reached us, and my mouth damn near waters.
Fuck, I didn’t realize just how hungry I was. I’d never admit it to Spencer, but Thai is definitely a better choice than pizza. So much better that it might even be worth dealing with his sour mood for it.
Arie sets down the bowls in front of each of us. I look down at it, confused before I turn to Spencer. I didn’t order, so that means he must have ordered for me.
I turn my attention back to Arie to thank him. I’ll deal with Spencer in a minute, but when I look over, I find him staring at me, all but frozen in place.
I thank him, but he doesn’t respond. I have no idea what the problem is or what to do, so I do the only thing I can and turn to Spencer.
“Spencer,” I call his name, and he lazily looks up from the huge bite of food he’s shoveling into his mouth. I jerk my head in Arie’s direction, and he turns his attention to him.
“Jesus, fuck. Not you, too, kid,” Spencer grumbles around his bite of food. He drops his fork, and it clangs off the bowl before he reaches out and grabs Arie's arm to give him a shake.
Arie blinks rapidly, and I watch as color creeps up his face, making him noticeably red even in the dim lighting. He turns to look at Spencer as he drops his hand from his shoulder and goes back to eating.
“Fuck off, kid,” Spencer says without looking at him, and Arie nods before he scrambles away.
“Hey, that was rude!” I hiss at him across the table, but he waves me off with his fork as he continues eating.
“I was saving the poor kid from heartache. He should be thanking me.”
“What the fuck does that even mean? And what did you order me?” I demand. The first question is more important than the second, but I’m also starving and want to know what I’m going to be eating.
“Fuck. I should have dropped you off and come back alone. Do you ever stop talking?” He snaps at me, and I raise a brow in shock. Spencer can be an ass a lot of the time, but I don’t think he’s ever had an issue with me talking before, so that’s new.
“I got you the same thing I get. The fucking crab pad Thai, and Arie has a crush on you,” Spencer deadpans as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Can we eat now?”
I don’t answer him, instead picking up my fork and shoving a bite into my mouth with a grunt of annoyance. Clair said the same thing about Aeri, too, but that can’t be right.
I have to fight against the moan that threatens to break past my lips when the flavor explodes on my tongue.
I manage, but just barely.
The rest of the meal is silent, and this time it is uncomfortable. Mostly because with every bite, I have to remind myself to stab the fork into my noodles and not into Spencer’s hand that rests on the table.
I’m full before Spencer finishes, so I sit back and watch him.
I’m almost positive he can feel my eyes on him, but I don’t really care, and if he does, he doesn’t show it.
Something's different. I wouldn’t say Spencer and I are friends, no, not even close, but I would say that we could usually tolerate each other, at least for short periods lately.
But today, he wasn’t only snarky. He was just plain crabby.
Looking him over, I notice his posture is stiff, and not just in his usual uptight way, but like he expects an attack at any moment.
His hair is even more of a mess than it usually is, and the usual dark circles under his eyes are dark enough that they look more like bruises.
Like he’s sporting two black eyes and not just having missed a few nights' rest.
“When did you sleep last?”
The question slips out before I can stop it, and the second I realize I asked out loud, I want to shove the words back in.
Spencer’s head snaps up. His fork halfway to his mouth, but he doesn’t keep eating, instead, letting it stay frozen in the air. His face screwed up in confusion.
“What?”
I hadn’t meant to ask him, but now that I had, I might as well see it through.
“When’s the last time you–”
“No, I heard you,” he says, cutting me off, and now it’s my turn to be confused.
“Then why did you-” I don’t get to finish before he cuts me off again.
“Why do you care?” he asks, and I can see the confusion written on his face. I roll my eyes and lean forward, crossing my arms on the table in front of me.
“I care because if you're not sleeping, it’s probably my fault. Not to mention, I’m pretty sure I just got a pretty good lecture from Rick the other day about self-care.
And seeing as I’m apparently the boss, it only seems right that I don’t let you guys drive yourselves into the ground for something that shouldn’t have ever been your issue,” I explain, and Spencer watches me the whole time with the same confused expression.
We sit for a while just looking at each other before Spencer stands. His fork drops back into his bowl, the bite he intended to take forgotten as he pulls out his wallet and drops a few bills on the table.
He walks away, headed back out the way we came.
When he reaches the doorway, he stops looking back over his shoulder at me, where I still sit at the table.
I’m not sure why I’m still sitting here, but when he jerks his head toward the door in a silent gesture for me to follow, I do.
He doesn’t wait for me to catch up, and by the time I make it back out to the car, it's already started and ready to go. This time, I click my belt as soon as I’m all the way in the car, and he takes off.
The ride home is quicker than the ride to the restaurant felt, even though I'm pretty sure neither is very long. It’s not until we're pulling up the path that Spencer finally breaks the silence.
“Six days, give or take,” he says with a sigh. “I’ve probably knocked out a few times for a few minutes, but as far as actual sleep…” He trails off, and he gives a half-hearted shrug.
I turn to face him, and even though his focus is on the road, I know he can feel my eyes on him, can probably see the shock on my face from the corner of his eye.
I open my mouth, but he’s talking again before I can find the words.
“Don’t start. I know I need sleep. Just don’t go running to Rick, and I’ll get some tonight. Deal?” he says, and I don’t know if I’m more shocked that he told me honestly or that he agreed to sleep.
“Deal,” I reply quickly before he can change his mind.
Well, since he’s sharing. “And the song?” I ask because I still want to fucking know.
Spencer growls, “Don’t push it, Demon. You have plenty of music to listen to. I don’t need you overplaying my shit like you do everyone else's.”
We pull up to the house, and he throws the car in park, getting out so quickly that I don’t even get the chance to argue before he’s through the door.
Fucker.