Page 10 of Fumbling in the Dark

Right at that moment, Janae’s stomach lets out a loud growl. Both of our gazes drop to her midsection and then we let out a big laugh.

“I supposed you’re hungry?” I chuckle.

“I guess so. I’ve been enjoying talking with you so much I didn’t even realize,” she says.

With her words, I can’t help but puff out my chest. I’m not sure anyone has ever been so enthralled with what I’m saying, or told me that they’ve ignored their basic needs, but her stomach grumbling triggers my protective instincts.

I track down the waitress quickly, who is standing across the room flirting with the bartender, which has me shouting, “Excuse me. We would like to order some food.”

The waitress looks over at me, rolling her eyes and I watch as she pushes off the bar and makes her way over to us.

“What can I get for you?” she asks us reluctantly.

Glancing over at Janae, I see she’s quickly searching the menu and muttering about how she should get a salad but kind of wants a burger.

Giving her a moment, I order mine first. “Can I get a cheeseburger with fries?”

The server types my order on her tablet before looking up at me. “With everything on it?”

“Yep, that’s fine.”

Once I’m done order, I lean into Janae and ask, “Do you have an idea what you want?”

“I’m trying to decide between a salad and a burger,” she says keeping her eyes on the menu. Taking a deep breath, she then looks at the server with a resigned look on her face. “Can I get a grilled chicken salad?”

Nope. If she wants a burger, then that’s what she’s going to get. She needs to know that she can order whatever she wants with me, I’ll never judge her. Placing my hand on hers, I stop her from saying more as my fingers go to her chin pulling her attention to mine. “Do you actually want the salad or would you rather have the burger?”

“The salad is fine,” she says, trying to brush me off but I don’t let her.

“Janae, I didn’t ask you if the salad is fine, I asked you if that’s what you wanted,” I softly say to her.

“Okay. I kinda do want the burger,” she whispers. At that moment, I release her and look up at the waitress, telling her, “She doesn’t want the salad. She’ll have the same as me. Also can we have a refill on our drinks?”

“Are you sure?” she asks Janae.

“Yes. That’s what I want,” Janae answers her.

We both watch as the server places Janae’s order on the tablet then leaves us, returning to her post to flirt with the bartender.While we wait for the food, we continue the conversation when she asks me, “You just moved here, to Las Vegas, right?”

“Yep. Moved here a few months ago,” I tell her, taking the last swallow of my beer.

“Why did you move here?” she asks. Right at that moment, I realize that this beautiful woman doesn’t realize who I am. That I was just drafted to one of the most popular football teams in the league. And not just drafted but was the fourth pick.

Maybe I should just keep it vague when I tell her this answer, that way she can fall in love with me forme.

Sweat beads on the back of my neck as I try to think about the best way to answer her without completely lying. Then I think,just keep it vague. Shaking out my shoulders, I answer her, “For work.”

She nods her head in understanding. I decide to try to keep the conversation more on her than me. “What about you? Are you from here?”

“Yep, born and raised,” she says and by the look on her face, I can tell how proud she is.

“What is your favorite thing about here?” I ask her.

She smiles but before she can expand, our server brings our food and drops it down in front of us. We both eat in silence, neither of us realizing how hungry we were until we started eating.

I finish before Janae because, honestly, I just shove my food down my throat. It was the way it worked in my family. A house full of boys meant it was always a feeding frenzy at mealtimes.

Using the napkin, I wipe my face and look over at the woman who has captured my attention. She is currently humming and it’s so cute as she chews the last of her food. I can’t help imagining getting to watch her sit at the small dining table I have in my kitchen area eating her breakfast every morning.

---