Page 51 of Love Off Script

“Hey, you. Whatcha doin’?” Ember turned around to see that I was way behind her.

“Just stopped to talk to someone for a minute. Be right there.” I hated lying, but if she knew how clumsy and uncool I was, she probably would end the date before it started.

“Well, get up here. You’re not supposed to talk to anyone but me.” She giggled, but her eyes made it seem more of a threat.

Was she possessive over me? Or did that mean I wasn’t giving her enough attention? I did my best to keep my gait steady, but I couldn’t bear weight equally.

“Why are you like a Weeble Wobble?”

“I’m a little stiff. I’ll be okay if I walk it off.” The thought of standing any longer made me wince, but then I realized it was my right foot, and I wasn’t sure if I could even drive.

“Okay, well. I ordered us food.” Her concern had passed. “It was $42.39. I’ll send you a Venmo request. What’s your phone number?”

Between the throbbing ache and the sluggishness throughout, my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Was that the total for both of us, my half, or was I to pay it all? Didn’t she have my number? I rattled it off before remembering I didn’t have my phone.

“My phone is at my cousin’s house. Do you mind if we stop there first, and then we can pick up the food?” When I got to my car, I unlocked the doors and sat down, relieving some of the pressure.

“Umm, do we have to? Baby gets hangry. Could you do it after, when you’re alone?”

Was she baby? And I guess she had no intention of this being anything other than an eat-and-run thing.

“Of course. Just let me look at my toes, and we can go.”

“Your toes? That’s gross. If you take your shoe off, I’m likely to get sick. Baby has a weak stomach.” She covered her mouth like she was holding back nausea.

“Right. It can wait.” I gritted my teeth, hoping it would give me something else to focus on besides my agony.

She got in the passenger seat, and I started the car. The first thing she did was change the radio station and crank it up, but the pounding of blood in my ears made it impossible for me to hear anything anyway. I pressed the pedal as lightly as possible and prayed I wouldn’t have to slam on my brakes.

“Where are we going?” I shouted over the thumping bass.

“Rib Shack.”

Was this a joke? Maybe I was dreaming. This conversation gave me deja vu. I’d lived this before, right?

I lowered the music, allowing me to think—sort of. “Did you say Rib Shack?”

“Yeah, it’s my favorite. I ordered us both a full rack with pit beans and bacon.”

My anxiety was rising, my head was floating, and my foot was pulsating. Something had to give. I pulled over to the side of the road, hastily opened the door, and immediately felt the bile rise in my throat. As I purged the contents of my stomach, it felt like I was cleansing my soul. I took a deep breath of fresh air and settled back into my seat to look for something to wipe my mouth.

When I made eye contact with Ember, she had a look of disgust on her face. “Oh my god. Baby’s going to be sick, too.” As she leaned out her window, the unpleasant sound of retching once again filled the air.

She wasn’t lying when she said she had a weak stomach. As she brought her head back inside, she stared at me sheepishly.

“Sorry, that went down the side of the door.” With a casual shrug, she grabbed the napkin I was offering her.

I didn’t say a word as I drove off. The pain still flowed through my body, but at least I was less woozy.

When I arrived at Rib Shack, I parked the car and turned toward her. “Do you want to run in and get it? I’m not feeling great.”

“Really? Baby isn’t either. And if I open the door and see the vomit, I might get sick again.” She pouted, which I used to think was endearing, but now it just grated on my nerves.

But I wasn’t arguing because the quicker I got out of here, the quicker this date could be over.

“Fine.” My voice was tight, and I shuddered as I stood, trying to keep the pressure off my right foot.

As I hobbled into the place, I waited in line for my order, wondering why I hadn’t listened to myself and Sonya when we both thought this would be a bad idea. And then my mind drifted back to Caz, imagining how everything would be different if she were here. She would never have let the door slam on me, and if she did, she probably would have picked me up and hero-carried me to the car.

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