Five #2
“Yeah.” He nods, the answer coming out in a split second but then he’s pulling my lunch out of his bag. “And you forgot your lunch.”
Beth was outside waiting for me this morning, and I’d left what I’d packed the night before in the fridge.
Cheese. Prosciutto. Grapes. And wheat crackers. He even remembered to grab my protein shake.
I’d eat way more than this if it were swim season. Or if I was actually training like I said I was going to do.
River reaches into his backpack again. The black fabric is all worn and frayed. He’s been carrying the thing around since middle school. I’m not even exactly sure what he keeps in there. Well, other than a sketchbook and art supplies.
“I didn’t pack that.” I gesture to the pile of food that’s now lazily resting on the table.
Besides the protein bars, River came bearing beef jerky, pixie sticks, and a share size bag of cheddar jalapeno Cheetos.
I look at him, deadpan.
“What?” He shrugs. “I didn’t think that little box would fill you up.”
“Well it will and I know that because I packed it.”
He scoffs, apparently not believing me.
“Okay, well this wouldn’t do anything for me anyway.” I gesture to the junk food. “It’s just sugar and carbs. I’d crash within the next hour.”
“Hey, swimmers need carbs.”
“Yeah. Complex carbohydrates."
“Oh.” River leans back in his seat, seemingly defeated but then he dramatically reaches into his backpack yet again.
Now I know what he carries in there, I guess.
“Well, I guess you don’t want these then?” River asks, smug.
I groan longingly at the sight in front of me. The blue can of sugar-free Red Bull. Winter Berry to be exact.
The condensation tells me it’s cold and my mouth is already salivating at the phantom taste of it. Almost like a blue raspberry snow cone.
I quickly snatch it from his hand. “Okay, fine. You’re forgiven.”
“Forgiven?” River asks. “For what? I haven’t even done anything.”
“Yet.” I crack open the can, not wasting time in taking a big gulp. The stinging from the carbonation sliding down the back of my throat doesn’t deter me.
This is what it’s like to consume heaven itself, I’m sure.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “It’s preemptive. I just know you’re going to do something to piss me off.”
River hums as if that makes perfect sense. “Yeah, this next thing I’m about to say might have that potential.”
Why must he take my temporary solitude away from me?
He continues. “So I did want to see you and bring your lunch, but I also wanted to tell you not to make any plans tonight.”
“Why not?” I begin digging through the snacks and wondering if the crash that’ll inevitably happen later is worth it.
“Well…you see…” River hesitates for a moment, his tone catching my attention. “I signed up for a cooking class.”
I sit up in my seat, already invested in wherever this is going.
“I was on the phone with Bora the other day and she was showing me all these dish ideas she was doing a trial run on, and I realized I live off of ramen and beef jerky because I have no cooking skills. Hence the class.”
I take another sip of my Red Bull, trying to savor it and not drink the whole thing in one go. “Why don’t you just ask Bora? She doesn’t live that far and guess what? It’d be free.”
River sighs and flops his arms dramatically to his sides. “I tried asking her, but then she started talking about this guy she went on a date with and how she thought he was a serial killer but she put out anyway.”
He cringes at the words leaving his mouth.
“She likes to share an awful lot,” I say.
The Choi siblings tend to like to do so—or at least River and Bora do—which is funny because their parents are the complete opposite.
River taps his fingers against the table to some internal music, I’m sure. “Yeah, she does but what can I do?”
“Not answer her calls?” My half-hearted solution is preposterous to River, apparently.
“You’re an only child,” he says, as if that explains everything. “You don’t understand. I can’t just not answer.”
He’s right. I might have grown up with River and Lily but I know it’s not the same thing as having siblings around.
“Okay, so wait—” I bring the conversation back to what the original point was. “Why do I have to go to this cooking class? I’m fine with my lack of skills.”
“Oh, yeah. I signed up but I didn’t know it was for a couples date night type of thing.”
“How on earth do you miss that?”
River winces. “I kinda just clicked on the first thing that popped up, booked a spot, and called it a day.”
“So then cancel it,” I say, because the last thing I want to do is be in a class full of couples with my best friend who—
Nope, I’m not going there today.
“I already paid for it,” River admits. “And there’s no refund. I’m already poor enough, are you really going to make me lose one-hundred and fifty dollars?”
I rub at my temples because of course River’s financial choices give me anxiety.
“Please,” he begs. “I don’t have anyone else to go with.”
He yelps when my foot collides with his shin. “So if you did, you wouldn’t even have thought of me?”
River scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous, Summer. You’re always on my mind. I just—”
My breath hitches and the grip on my Red Bull can tightens. I let River continue.
“I know it’s not really your thing.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I gasp.
“Hey, I’m not saying that it’s my thing either. I’m pretty sure that you and I together can somehow burn a pot of water.”
Yeah, there’s been more than once that I’ve put ramen in the microwave and forgotten to add water.
I’ve gotten plenty of earfuls from both Dad and Papi about almost burning the kitchen down.
I guess maybe I could use some basic cooking skills.
It’d also be nice to hang out with River like we used to.
No awkwardness or fear of accidentally saying the wrong thing.
Although I don’t know if it’ll feel any less awkward being surrounded by couples.
“When is it?” I can’t help but ask.
“Six tonight.”
It doesn’t take much for me to give in. “Alright, fine I’ll go but if people start making out, I’m bailing.”
River laughs. “The instructor is literally going to be in the room with us, why would anyone be making out?”
“I don’t know. We literally catch people making out on subways all the time. Remember that couple who was making out in the back of a taxi?”
“I think they were doing more than making out.” River winces. “I’m pretty sure I was flashed.”
I’m about to agree with him when I feel the vibration of my watch, letting me know I’ve received a message.
Hazel: Hey, it’s starting to pick up down here
My shoulders drop because I’d rather continue to sit here with River in a well air-conditioned room, while sipping on my Red Bull than go back to that hellhole.
“I have to head back to work but thanks for bringing me my lunch.” I hold the blue can to my chest, earning me one of River’s dimpled smiles. “And this.”
He starts putting everything back in his bag but stops at the chips. River dangles the bag between his fingers. “You sure you don’t want to keep this?”
I think about it for a whole five seconds before taking the bag. “Fine, this will be my treat for surviving this shift from hell.”
River slips his backpack over his shoulder and moves around the table to wrap his arms around me. I barely have time to reciprocate before he pecks my cheek and heads out the door, leaving me holding the spot where his lips just were. The skin is now warm.
How am I supposed to go back to work after that?