“The Stitz Diner? Really?”
Emily made a face. They stood outside the entrance, dark sky hovering above. They made one stop before driving out. Since they spent almost two hours in the arcade, the optical shop already finished Jae’s contact lenses. She refused to wait for him to try them on.
Free dinner or not, her stomach growled in hunger.
“It’s the best place in town!” Jae exclaimed beside her, clapping his hands, “Where else is better?”
He walked up to the door and went in. Emily followed behind him, a distance away. The place was packed. They managed to snag a booth when a group stood up to leave. A worker quickly cleaned it up then allowed them to sit.
Jae moved aside and gestured a hand towards a bench, “After you, m’lady.”
Emily sat on the side he didn’t stand next to. She placed her bag next to her. Then, she grabbed the menu, her mind already on the food. The burgers tasted delicious but she needed to seize this opportunity and try more. Her eyes swept the appetizers. Some fingerlings should be good while they wait for the rest.
“Anything you like?” Jae asked, sitting across from her, menu also in his hand.
“I think I want some chicken wings” Emily turned the menu over, “What is this Pizza Burger?”
Was it a pizza tasting like a burger? Or a burger tasting like pizza? It didn’t have a photo attached to it. She decided on fries as a starter. Maybe she should add some salad too?
“It’s a burger as big as a pizza.”
“How does it taste?”
“Like a pizza.”
Emily clicked her tongue, “Interesting.”
“Hello, I’m Sister Aina” a tall slim woman introduced herself near their table, “We’re currently understaffed today. I’ll be taking your order.”
Her previous customers had left in a good mood. When she came to hand their bill, they complimented the food a lot. They packed up the leftovers and promised to let their families know about the diner’s food. The moment brought her so much joy, she wanted to do another before they closed.
“I think we want the Pizza Burger,” Jae answered for the both of them. It had been a while since he tasted it. Also, it blurred the lines between two dishes. It made the decision easier.
“We do,” Emily nodded, “We also want a plate of fries as we wait for it to cook.”
“Alright, then” Aina listed them down on her pad, asking, “And for your drinks?”
“Root beer with Sprite.”
Emily’s head snapped up, both eyebrows raised, “Do you drink that?”
“No, I haven’t tried” Jae admitted, chuckling, “Just heard from a little birdy that you liked it.”
By a little birdy, did he mean Alex? Or was it Lauren? She only ever told them about that drink at the sleepover. She insisted on it when they shopped for some snacks.
“It’s actually quite popular right now” Sister Aina piped in, “I tried it myself along with a few others. It’s the current favorite drink by the workers.”
“I see. Well, I won’t turn down the chance to drink it.”
“Anything else?”
“I think we’re good” Emily glanced at Jae, “You?”
“Lasagne seems to be calling my name” he muttered.
“Another red sauce?” She scoffed, “Why not something with white sauce?”
If the Pizza Burger already has the same thickness of the patty last time, it would already be heavy on the stomach. Each slice must be like one regular burger. How could he think about eating another dish? If anything, it should be dessert.
“If it’s white sauce, I recommend the Stitz Special. It’s simple, not heavy on the cream and more garlic-y.It’s a mix between an aglio olio and an alfredo.It’s DHElicious.”
Sister Aina pressed her lips together. She almost went ahead to explain the difference between an aglio olio and an alfredo. It became a habit when people said an alfredo was a carbonara. The sauces among the three all had different mixes of ingredients. It depended on the origin and cuisine.
“I do think the Pizza Burger is already enough for two” she said instead, “Maybe a panna cotta for dessert? You can have it in different flavors, even fruity.”
“Oh, I’d love some fruits after all that grease” Emily moaned, “I’d have a panna cotta. If you want pasta, I am not eating it with you.”
“Maybe next time then when it’s my treat” Jae chuckled, “I’ll also have a panna cotta.”
“Fruity as well?”
“Yes, I’d like to try the lady’s choices.”
Sister Aina smiled with glee, noting everything down. She recited them once more and received their confirmation. She instructed the worker behind the counter about the drinks before she headed for the kitchen. She wondered if they have enough spiced ground beef for the Pizza Burger.
“Smooth” Emily remarked. She placed the menu back on its stand, “Are you like this when you take other girls on dates?”
She laced her fingers, resting her chin on them, and placed her elbows on the table. Her face held nothing but curiosity. His flirting methods showed her that he didn’t lack experience among the female population. It just pissed her off whenever he found pleasure in annoying her.
What was she? An entertainment source?
Jae thought of it for a moment, “I have met several kinds. Some like to order for the both of us. Others felt too timid and asked me instead. It depends really.”
Emily frowned, “Just how many girlfriends have you had?”
“None” he smirked.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Blonde and blue eyes, works out, Basketball captain… he had the combination of almost every popular guy in teen romantic comedy movies. Girls naturally approached them—especially confident ones. They had an alluring charm that could bewitch others if they wanted to. It almost seemed unfair to other males how they could attract so much.
On the other hand, Alex had the more ‘mysterious’ charisma about her. Aloof and quiet, her male persona was meant to be admired from afar. Her achievements speak for her instead. Her habit of using a skateboard also added more to her personality.
In Emily’s personal taste, her cousin won by far.
“I liked one girl in the past and it did not turn out well,” Jae admitted. He had been more careful since then. When he learned more about his past dates, they slowly inched to being a friend more than a significant other.
Emily made a face. Wrinkling her nose, her voice contained absolute disgust, “Yeah, the conniving bitch.”
She never really met her when Alex did. Only when Skye started school in Freccia Prep. Her name immediately caught her attention but she didn’t make the first move. It had become a war between them ever since. Safe to say, Emily did not look forward to going back to that.
If only she could end that little pest without getting into trouble.
“So, Alex told you.”
It was a statement, not a question. It came as no surprise to hear about it. He actually felt impressed she admitted to it. At least, he knew that she wasn’t the type to keep those kinds of things from him.
Emily pressed her lips, neither denying or confirming his claim. Instead, she asked, “Are you like that guy who goes from girl to girl just to keep your mind off her and feel some temporary happiness for what that incident did to you?”
“I think you’re mistaking me for Max” he replied, “That’s his style. If I talked to a girl and had a good time, I’d see her again. Sometimes we’d end up on dates. Sometimes it results in being friends or in being strangers. Simple.”
A waitress passed by their table and served their drinks. Then, she placed the plate of fries in the middle. They thanked her for the service and went back to the conversation at hand.
“Quite popular, are you?” Emily shook her head. She pulled her glass closer and sipped from the straw, her hands attacking the fries.
“And you’re not?” Jae snorted. He popped a fry into his mouth, “Cheerleaders like you with your personality? I don’t think you’ve been single.”
Said cheerleader heaved a sigh. She stirred her drink slowly, “I have gone to some dates and I have my share of regrets.”
“Did you lose your…”
“No!” She denied firmly and sent glare at him. He raised his hands in surrender, “Just some of them can have stalker tendencies. Others can’t get over the breakup. Even blocking them in everything doesn’t stop them.”
“Have you reported something like that?”
If he spoke honestly, those sounded dangerous. Creeps at such an age… just what kind of environment did they grow up in? Were they truly desperate to pin for love and affection?
“Nothing life threatening yet. More on… being plain annoying.”
“Maybe you should get a boyfriend to make them back off.”
Emily snorted, “I almost did. A few friends saw that photo of me and Alex. They thought she was my boyfriend. I was too slow to realize that I almost mentioned her identity. I couldn’t take back my comment on how she was a cousin anymore so I missed that chance.”
Jae rubbed his chin. It did sound like a wasted opportunity, “What photo was it? Maybe you can take another one and they wouldn’t notice the resemblance.”
“It was the one with a kiss on the cheek” she recalled the photo, thinking how much of Alex’s hair covered her face. She looked into her bag and searched for her phone, “I’m not sure if it would be a good idea now when Alex has her hair color back…”
In less than a second after Emily grabbed her phone, it had been snatched off her hands.
“What the—”
She looked up to find Jae crouching next to her. He opened the camera from the bottom right of the lock screen. The app opened with the front camera as a default source.
A quick kissy face selfie later, he changed his mind and used his own phone. He angled the camera to capture the both of them. He squeezed her cheeks together, his hand under her chin. It puffed out Emily’s lips like a duck.
He kissed the side of her mouth as the shutter went off.
Grinning in victory, Jae let her go and handed her phone back. Then, he sent their ‘couple’ photo to her inbox.
“Now, you have a new picture to use.”
