Page 34 of The Kitchen Contract

“Is…everything okay?” I finally ask tentatively. “You seem a little quiet.” I’m not sure if we’re good enough friends for him to open up to me, but I’d like to be. It’s at least worth a try.

He glances up at me, and I think I glimpse a hint of hurt on his face before he masks it with a cool smile. “Yeah, I’m good. Just hungry, I guess. This quinoa is really good.”

I nod. “Good. Glad you like it.”

After two more minutes of silent chewing, I’m highly regretful that I asked because I can tell I made whatever it is worse. Now he’s not only quiet, he also has an air of frustration about him. I’m about to excuse myself for a break from the awkwardness when Alex looks up at me.

“What’s your boyfriend like?”

I stare at him, open-mouthed in surprise. “I, uh…I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Now it’s his turn to look surprised. Then his expression shifts to a frown, his brows drawn low. He looks almost…angry. “I was at Guffey’s Café for lunch on Wednesday.”

“Okay…” I’m confused about what that has to do with anything and why his statement sounds like an accusation. “Was the service bad?”

He shakes his head. “I saw you there.”

Oh! That’s the day I was there with Sammy. But I still don’t see why that would upset him. “I met an old friend there for lunch, but I didn’t see you. You should have come and said hello.”

“You seemed busy.” He looks down moodily. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”

I lay a hand on his arm. “I wouldn’t have minded. You can always say hello to me.”

He pulls his arm away and stands up. “I wouldn’t want to crash a date.”

A date? I laugh lightly and shake my head. “It definitely wasn’t a date. I’ve known Sammy since we were five, and we’ve never dated. It’s hard to feel any level of attraction for someone you’ve seen running through the sprinkler in Spiderman underpants.”

I expect him to smile at that anecdote, but instead, his frown deepens, which chases the mirth from my lips as well.

I stand and face him fully. “Alex, what is going on with you? Why are you upset about me going to lunch with Sammy?”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. I don’t understand why, but I can tell you’re…” I pause. He’s what? All signs point to jealousy, but that can’t be right. I replay our conversation quickly in my mind, and the pieces all start to fall into place. A bubble of something warm expands in my chest at the thought that Alex cares that I was out with another guy.

He’s watching me with a miserable, vulnerable expression on his face, waiting for me to speak. And I do have some things to say because as much as I like him, I don’t think I can take much more tiptoeing around. “Alex, I need some clarification here. It seems like you’re upset because you thought I was on a date with Sammy, but that would only matter to you if you were interested in dating me yourself.”

I take a step closer to him, my eyes never leaving his. “Maybe I’ve been reading things wrong, but it seems like there’s been something growing between us.” Another step. We’re only a foot apart now, my chin tipped up slightly to keep from breaking eye contact. His eyes widen, but he doesn’t move away.

“Am I wrong?” I ask softly. My whole body is tingling from being this close to him and from my own boldness. It isn’t like me to make the first move like this, but I really like Alex. I wait, barely breathing, for his response. I brace myself for rejection while also hoping to hear that he feels the same way.

“You’re not wrong.” His voice is low, and the distance between us seems to shrink until he clenches his jaw and steps away from me, shattering the moment. I watch as he loads his bowl into the dishwasher with his eyes carefully averted, hoping if I’m patient he’ll say more.

I manage about seven seconds of that patience before I cross my arms and ask, “What am I missing here? If I’m right, then why are you turning away from me?”

“Because you have a boyfriend,” he replies calmly, drying his hands on the dish towel.

I throw my hands in the air. “I already told you, Sammy and I are just friends!”

“I saw you kissing.”

My body freezes in place, but my mind is whirling at a million rpm. Of course he saw us the one and only time in our decades of history that our lips accidentally met for the briefest of seconds. I’d think the same thing in his place.

“Okay, I know that’s what you saw, but…that’s not what happened.”

He crosses his arms tightly and lowers his chin. “Look, it’s not my business what you do with anyone else, but don’t lie to me. I can’t stand a liar.”

My mouth drops open, and my temper blazes. “I’m not lying, and frankly, I don’t appreciate you accusing me of it. Not that I owe you an explanation after that, but someone bumped me as I was hugging him goodbye, and when I lost my balance our faces fell into each other. If you kept watching long enough, you would have seen me swish my mouth out with water after he left because accidentally swapping spit with someone is kind of gross.”

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