Page 56 of Bridesmaid By Chance
“Where did you find it?” I set down the steamed veggies and pick up my fork.
“On my way home,” he answers and squeezes his lime into his water.
On his way home. Well, that tells me that he’s observant while driving and that this place is near him. So…that’s a whole lot of nothing.
“Wow, this chicken, it’s so good. Is this what you always get?”
“Yes,” he answers and then sticks a piece of chicken into his mouth and chews without looking at me.
Creature of habit. Got it.
Think I wore out the food talk, so I let him sit in silence for a moment while I casually pull up the notes on my phone and look at the next question I can ask.
Clearing my throat, I say, “How was your meeting?”
I know it’s an easy question and I shouldn’t need a reminder in my notes, but I have a process, a slow process to get him to open up. Watch me peel him like an onion.
“Fine,” he answers.
“Talk about everything you needed to talk about?”
He glances up from his food for a moment to look at me, and I nearly lose the air in my lungs from that one quick flash of his baby blue eyes.
“Yes.”
“Great.” I swallow. “That’s really great. Don’t you love it when meetings are successful?”
He eyes me for a moment. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” I say. Oh God, is he catching on to me already? “I’m up to nothing.”
“Why are you acting…weird?”
“You think this is weird? I’m just having a conversation. Nothing weird about that.” I stab a piece of broccoli with my fork. “Just normal conversation is all.” I chew my piece of broccoli, panic surging through me as he stares me down. “So, uh…do you want to talk about the biggest disappointment you ever experienced in your life?”
“Jesus,” he mutters just as his phone rings in his pocket. He pulls his phone out, looks at the screen and says, “Excuse me.” Then he takes off to the balcony where he answers the phone, leaving me alone in the dining room knowing damn well I failed.
“So, this is nice, isn’t it?” I say as we walk together a few blocks from the office for a meeting. I suggested walking since it was close, thinking it would be a great time to try to talk to him.
“Hmm?” he asks as he stares down at his phone.
“Do you think you could put the phone down for a second?” I ask. “You know, watch where you’re going so you don’t get run over by a vehicle. I’m not ready to be a widow.”
“Is anyone ever really ready to be a widow?” he asks, slipping his phone in his pocket.
“Maybe if they’re not a fan of their spouse.” I nudge him with my elbow. “Are you a fan of me?”
He quickly glances in my direction. “What are you doing?”
“Why do you always ask me that when I’m trying to make conversation? Isn’t it obvious what I’m doing?”
“It’s obvious that you’re trying to do more than you have to.”
“Some might say having a conversation with another person is a basic human right. Would you not agree?” I ask.
“I think we can just walk to a meeting without having to engage in any conversation at all. We can walk in silence.”
“That is not ideal for me. I like to talk.”
