mine.
“Not that far east, but eastern Long Island.”
“Cool. I went to high school in Westchester, but I spent most of my childhood upstate.”
“Oh, that must have been a big move.” I’d lived in the same house my whole life until leaving for college, and even then I was only an hour away.
“It was definitely different.”
“Which did you like better?” Did he prefer the ritzy burbs or the quiet rural life? I’d never known anything other than suburbia and just recently the city.
“They both had their perks, but I like the city better.”
“Do you have any roommates?” He was finally talking, and I wanted to keep it going.
“I live alone, and I like it that way.” He said it so simply, like it was the only possible answer. It was the first quasi-personal piece of information he’d given me. I took it eagerly.
“Are you an only child?”
“Digging for more, are you?” He steadied me as a dog ran between us. The owner chased after.
I recovered my footing. “Maybe a little.”
“To answer your question, yes. I’m an only child.”
“Maybe that’s why you like living alone.”
He smiled. “What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
“I have a sister.”
“Older, younger?” He looked at me questioningly.
“Older. She’s twenty-one.”
“Is she still in school?”
“No. Not anymore.” Once again, I didn’t feel like talking about Vera. Hopefully, he’d get the hint.
“When did you start working at Coffee Heaven?”
Once he got started, the questions didn’t stop. “In September, but I only started working full time in January.”
“Cool.”
“I guess.” I smiled up at him as we walked. I checked out the store fronts, wishing I had the money to actually go shopping once in a while.
He held open the door to this hole in the wall looking place.
“You come here a lot?” The burger joint was a hundred and eighty degree change from the swanky coffee house the week before. I wondered why he was changing things up so much. I hoped it had nothing to do with me. I shook myself for even thinking it. He’d asked me out a second time, hadn’t he?
“Yeah. It’s quiet and no one bothers me.”
“Have you always been this anti-social?”
“No.” He followed behind me, holding the door as it closed so it wouldn’t slam.
I knew I wasn’t getting more of an answer.
We seated ourselves at a little booth with cushions that should have been replaced years before. Toby was definitely right about being dressed just fine. I probably looked over dressed, and I couldn’t imagine how Toby felt.
“The burgers are good here?”
“Some of the best.”
“Okay, so I guess that’s what I should get.”
“You’re not a vegetarian, are you?” he asked, like he wanted to know whether I had an aversion to puppies and kittens.
“No.” Hadn’t I already told him I was okay with the cuisine choice? Maybe he expected me to order a veggie burger or something.
“Okay, good.”
“Would it matter if I was?” His expression piqued my interest enough that I had to ask.
“No. It would have surprised me though.”
“Why’s that?”
The waiter came over to take our order so I didn’t get my answer right away.
“Two burgers, and you want fries, right?” He turned to me.
“Yes.”
“And two orders of fries. Would you like anything to drink? I want a Coke.”
“Just a water, please.”
The waiter nodded, jotted down the order and walked away.
“You still have to answer.” I took out a couple of napkins from the plastic dispenser. The table hadn’t been cleaned well, and I couldn’t stand looking at the little puddle of ketchup next to my elbow any longer.
“I do?” He grinned. “It just would have meant I was wrong about you. You seem like a red meat eating girl.”
“There’s a particular look to girls who eat meat?”
“No. You just strike me as someone who likes to eat the good things in life.”
I glanced down at my body. “Should I take that
“Not that far east, but eastern Long Island.”
“Cool. I went to high school in Westchester, but I spent most of my childhood upstate.”
“Oh, that must have been a big move.” I’d lived in the same house my whole life until leaving for college, and even then I was only an hour away.
“It was definitely different.”
“Which did you like better?” Did he prefer the ritzy burbs or the quiet rural life? I’d never known anything other than suburbia and just recently the city.
“They both had their perks, but I like the city better.”
“Do you have any roommates?” He was finally talking, and I wanted to keep it going.
“I live alone, and I like it that way.” He said it so simply, like it was the only possible answer. It was the first quasi-personal piece of information he’d given me. I took it eagerly.
“Are you an only child?”
“Digging for more, are you?” He steadied me as a dog ran between us. The owner chased after.
I recovered my footing. “Maybe a little.”
“To answer your question, yes. I’m an only child.”
“Maybe that’s why you like living alone.”
He smiled. “What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
“I have a sister.”
“Older, younger?” He looked at me questioningly.
“Older. She’s twenty-one.”
“Is she still in school?”
“No. Not anymore.” Once again, I didn’t feel like talking about Vera. Hopefully, he’d get the hint.
“When did you start working at Coffee Heaven?”
Once he got started, the questions didn’t stop. “In September, but I only started working full time in January.”
“Cool.”
“I guess.” I smiled up at him as we walked. I checked out the store fronts, wishing I had the money to actually go shopping once in a while.
He held open the door to this hole in the wall looking place.
“You come here a lot?” The burger joint was a hundred and eighty degree change from the swanky coffee house the week before. I wondered why he was changing things up so much. I hoped it had nothing to do with me. I shook myself for even thinking it. He’d asked me out a second time, hadn’t he?
“Yeah. It’s quiet and no one bothers me.”
“Have you always been this anti-social?”
“No.” He followed behind me, holding the door as it closed so it wouldn’t slam.
I knew I wasn’t getting more of an answer.
We seated ourselves at a little booth with cushions that should have been replaced years before. Toby was definitely right about being dressed just fine. I probably looked over dressed, and I couldn’t imagine how Toby felt.
“The burgers are good here?”
“Some of the best.”
“Okay, so I guess that’s what I should get.”
“You’re not a vegetarian, are you?” he asked, like he wanted to know whether I had an aversion to puppies and kittens.
“No.” Hadn’t I already told him I was okay with the cuisine choice? Maybe he expected me to order a veggie burger or something.
“Okay, good.”
“Would it matter if I was?” His expression piqued my interest enough that I had to ask.
“No. It would have surprised me though.”
“Why’s that?”
The waiter came over to take our order so I didn’t get my answer right away.
“Two burgers, and you want fries, right?” He turned to me.
“Yes.”
“And two orders of fries. Would you like anything to drink? I want a Coke.”
“Just a water, please.”
The waiter nodded, jotted down the order and walked away.
“You still have to answer.” I took out a couple of napkins from the plastic dispenser. The table hadn’t been cleaned well, and I couldn’t stand looking at the little puddle of ketchup next to my elbow any longer.
“I do?” He grinned. “It just would have meant I was wrong about you. You seem like a red meat eating girl.”
“There’s a particular look to girls who eat meat?”
“No. You just strike me as someone who likes to eat the good things in life.”
I glanced down at my body. “Should I take that
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