Page 8 of The Wrong Sister
I immediately regret not ordering fries. Raff is watching me closely. It would make me uncomfortable, but it’s his way. He sees way too much. He flags down the waiter.
“Hey brah, sorry to throw this at you, but we moved tables.” He waves the little stand with their order number, in case the waiter needs more evidence. “So on top of having our drinks brought over here, can we get a second order of fries for the table? That guy regrets not ordering fries. ”
“I hate when you do that, you know,” I tell him.
“Sure. But you did want fries. You’re welcome.”
I roll my eyes. “Thanks, Raff.”
He stretches out, his long legs sticking out into the aisle. I’m painfully aware of Mina next to me. Her arm is close enough to brush mine and I can feel her warmth all along my side. She smells amazing, that whisper of herbs, not masculine but also not a girly scent. It suits her and has haunted me since the mediation. Raff is watching me again and I don’t want or need the scrutiny right now. Not from him. He stretches, looks over his shoulder, and straightens up. Looking at Mina wide-eyed, he flicks his eyes toward the door and she gives a slight shake of her head, clenching her jaw. The waiter brings their drinks and Raff stands up.
“Hey, bro, I need to switch seats with you. Cool? You can come over here by Catherine.”
Rafferty comes around the table and pulls me up before I’ve even processed what he said. Apparently, we’re switching seats. Actually, we’ve already switched seats and I’m now the asshole standing in the aisle looking confused. I sit down and shoot Catherine an apologetic smile. This is not the date I was envisioning. It should be easier now that I’m not close to Mina but, while I can’t feel her, I can see her better. Her top wraps and cuts low in the front, leaving a tiny glimpse of a black lace bra. My dick notices that. I jerk my eyes up, but then I’m staring at her full, darkly painted lips and her delicate nose with two silver rings on one side. Her dad always said Mina’s eyes were like the ocean after a storm. They’re grey and green and I’ve never seen anyone else with eyes like hers. I have to put in actual effort to avert my eyes and when I shift my gaze, I clue into what’s happening across from me.
Raff has his arm draped across the back of Mina’s chair and his long fingers are caressing her bare arm. She has a tattoo on the inside of her bicep and I suddenly want to be the one running my fingers over the dark ink. My brother is leaning in close like they’re the only people here instead of two people that crashed someone else’s dinner date. He reaches over and tucks her blunt bob behind her ear so he can get closer, whispering to her. She bites her lip, a light flush blooming on her cheeks, as his eyes flick over my shoulder before he starts nibbling on her ear. My stomach is clenched and I find my reaction annoying and confusing. Catherine is watching, but like it’s mildly interesting entertainment. She doesn’t seem affected by it in the least. But then, why would she be? She’s not a terrible person with conflicting emotions for someone she shouldn’t be thinking about.
He glances up again, nuzzles his mouth against her neck, and pulls away. She turns her face and he speaks against her lips in an almost-kiss that is somehow sexier than an actual kiss. My teeth hurt from clenching my jaw. I try to focus my attention on a broad-shouldered blond guy, holding up the line at the bar while not ordering anything, but my eyes are pulled right back to Mina. They always fucking are. I think I hear Raff whisper something like “Did that work?” against her lips. That can’t be right though, it doesn’t make sense in this context. Or maybe he makes a habit of asking women if what he’s doing works for them? I’ll file that away. It’s something to consider. Feedback is always helpful.
He takes a sip from his beer and I see that Mina and I are drinking the same thing. I gesture with my cup, “It’s the ginger beer, ya? Theirs is good.”
She smiles at me and the knot in my stomach loosens slightly. Even Mina’s smile is powerful. “It is. There’s a kick of cayenne in it. I love a good ginger beer.” Tick that box. Shit! No box-ticking, idiot. There is absolutely no list for this.
Catherine laughs, the sound light and girly. “Even Mina’s drink preferences are strong!” She takes a sip from her drink. “I love fruity and light and she’s all about the strong drink with hot pepper in it!”
Mina smiles. “I love that about you, Catherine. Even your drink choices reflect who you are!” They clink their glasses together.
“Don’t you have something nice to say about me, Griff?” Rafferty grins at me.
“Sure. That bun on your head only marginally makes you look like a pretentious twat.”
Raff laughs loudly. “Burn! I want to say something about your douchey stubble but damn if you don’t look like a sexy beast over there! Maybe try brooding a little more though. It would help nudge you from scowling to smolder.”
I shake my head at him, unable to suppress a smile. My brother is being ridiculous, but he’s genuinely one of my favorite people. We dive into the two bowls of truffle fries, piping hot and garlicky.
“You were right, Raff. The fries were necessary.” I salute him with a crispy potato spear. “Thanks. Genuinely this time.”
“Any time, Griff.” He tips his beer towards me and tosses another couple of fries in his mouth.
I was concerned about them ruining our date, but the night ends up being great. Not a date vibe, but it’s like old times. We laugh easily and poke fun at each other. I don’t even mind being the butt of their jokes when it’s my turn. I know it’s not malicious. I never have to worry that they genuinely think I’m too serious or on my way to becoming a boring old man. I’m having such a good time talking that I almost forget I was going to make my intentions clear to Catherine. I almost forget that this was supposed to be a real, solo date between the two of us. At least until the check comes and we pull out our phones to use their scanning app to split up the tab. Raff jumps in and pays for Mina and they stand up while Catherine and I are still figuring up our portion of the tip. Why the fuck is it such a non-issue for Rafferty to cover a meal? I wasn’t allowed to pay for our colleague’s lunch and that could have been written off as a business expense!
“Well, we’ll leave you two to it. We should do this again though. It’s fun hanging out, the four of us. Like hanabata days! Later, Queen Catherine. Griff.” Raff nods at us and puts his arm over Mina’s shoulder, pulling her close as they walk out. There’s that knot in my stomach again. Now exacerbated by the amount of truffle oil fries, tacos, and liquid in my belly.
Catherine and I leave together and she tells me she’s in the parking garage, kisses my cheek, and leaves me standing alone in the courtyard. I walk across the street towards my apartment, hoping I won’t run into Raff and Mina again. I don’t think I can handle seeing them say goodbye after that date. And I resolutely refuse to think about why that is.
7
rafferty
I probably should feel bad about how much fun I had tonight. I’m not naturally a mean person but sometimes, when you see things that other people don’t—especially when it is things they are trying to keep from themselves—you should be allowed to have a little fun with it. It’s only fair. I feel everything incredibly deeply. It’s not always awesome. If I’m going to have to haul around the weight of my own emotions and deal with everyone else’s too, I should get to enjoy myself every once in a while.
I didn’t know Griffin and Catherine would be there. I saw them when we walked in though and immediately noticed how Griff reacted to Mina. I’m not saying he’s obvious. My brother is always the picture of subtly. But heismy brother. I know him better than I know any guy and it was obvious that he perked up when she walked in. It was equally obvious that he was fighting those feelings. HARD. I don’t know what his issue is. Mina is the best. Sure, she has a strong personality. She doesn’t take anybody’s shit. But that means that she knows exactly who she is and comes without any of that sort of drama. She’s confident and smart. She knows what she likes and she’s fun to be around. I don’t know why anybody would fight being into her, especially someone like Griffin. He could use some fun in his life!
Then there’s the bonus that they have history. I imagine it would be nice to start something with somebody and not have to spend so much time trying to let them in, to show them the real you. Mina knows who he is and still likes him. That should count for a lot! And yet, there he was, trying not to stare at her and biting the inside of his cheek while watching Catherine. Of course, I had to go sit with them and mess with him, to see if it was equally awkward close-up.
It was. Maybe worse. Griff was on high alert with Mina next to him. I don’t think Catherine is oblivious, but it also didn’t seem like she was very invested in the date. For all I know, she could have been there thinking they were catching up as old friends. Then the guy that had been hounding Mina came in and all bets were off.
We specifically chose Moku Kitchen to avoid Troy. It should have been safe. He keeps showing up where Mina is, following her around, asking her out, and not taking no for an answer. I know, without a doubt, that Mina can handle herself. I’m not worried about that. She’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She’s been doing it as long as I’ve known her. She does work for a government agency though, and she loves her job. As her friend, I’m committed to helping her explore some options that don’t involve her taking him down in public.
