8
Ryan
“Come on, let’s go. You need to eat something.”
“Don’t you have a woman waiting for you at home?”
“Riley has a show tonight, it won’t be done before eleven. I don’t want to go back to an empty house.”
“Are you ten years old or something?”
He sighs. “I just don’t like being…on my own.”
Okay. What has he done with my brother? He used to love being alone, in his sparse, empty apartment.
That’s what women do to you. They fry your brain.
I snort and get out of the car. I really don’t want to go into the restaurant, listen to the gut-wrenching sound of people chatting; but I’m hungry and I don’t have anything at home. It’s pointless at this time of night trying to find a twenty-four-hour supermarket to get the stuff I’d need for dinner.
Ian pushes the door and we stop in the entrance, waiting for someone to show us to a table. I cast my eyes around and see that it’s pretty full – we’ll probably have to wait a while, or go and find the firstMcDonald’swe come across, something I would definitely rather avoid. I hate junk food.
A waiter approaches us, telling us apologetically that they’re full, even when Ian tries to convince him to find us a table.
“I’m sorry, we’re completely full. I’d tell you to wait, but the kitchen closes in twenty minutes, so you wouldn’t be seated in time.”
Ian looks around, before pointing to a table of four where two girls are sitting.
“We could go and join them.”
“Are you kidding?” I grab his arm.
“I know them,” he says to the waiter. “I’m sure they’d happily let us sit with them.”
“I don’t know…” says the waiter, but Ian’s already waving to the girls, calling them from across the restaurant.
“Hey! Vic, Chris!”
The girls turn quickly, and when they see who’s calling them, I instinctively close my eyes, cursing to myself.
“Let’s go,” he says, urging me to follow him, but I stand, frozen in front of the door.
I open my eyes slowly and meet her gaze, fixed worriedly on mine, while Ian goes over and greets them warmly. Then he turns, realising I haven’t followed, and waves me over.
I stand there, unsure of what I’m waiting for, nervous and embarrassed. I don’t think I can go and sit with them after my episode a few days ago.
After a few seconds, she tears her gaze away with a shrug, giving her implicit consent. I take a deep breath and head over to their table, taking off my jacket and hanging it over the back of the chair, before sitting down next to her.
“So, girls, I’d like to introduce my brother and teammate, Ryan. Be nice, even though he doesn’t deserve it.”
I shoot him a look, while the other girl sticks her hand out towards me, smiling seductively.
Fantastic: a maneater.
“I’m Vic. It’s really nice to meet you, Ryan…it’s nice to see a new face every now and then. Right, Chris?” she turns to the other girl, who’s sitting in silence with her eyes glued to the menu. “This is my friend Chris,” she continues without pausing. “We work together at theRed Cherry. Well, she’s the owner and I’m just a waitress…” she talks away without stopping for breath, and I subconsciously rub at my temples. I can already feel a headache coming on.
While Ian joins in with Vic’s conversation, Chris and I sit there in silence, both overly intent on studying that stupid menu.
I know deep down that I should forget about my inclination to treat everybody like shit, just for a moment. After all, they let us join them at their table, even though I’d acted like a bit of a bastard. So I scrape together my pride and turn to her, without really looking at her.
