Page 331 of As the Rain Falls
Back inside, the gang fights over Antony’s last antojito. I slide Cassandra’s plate from where she’s supposed to be sitting next to Kayla to the empty seat beside me.
“Yo, Silvio?” I call out.
“What’s up, Evans?”
I ask Cassandra, “Do you still want the salad?”
She nods quickly, half-embarrassed about it.
“One salad, please!”
“Coming up for you!”
“Thank you!”
Antony glares, disapproving.
There will be a time when Cassandra stands up for herself fully, without hesitation. One day, he won’t dare to speak out of turn without expecting a response from her directly.I have to believe in that, because I want to believe in her.
“Yo, Cassie! I got us the table in the end!” Kayla grins, her red cheeks glowing.
“The guy just gave it to you after you threatened him?” Cassandra asks, tapping her mouth with the napkin to take her lip gloss off.
Mateo hands me more napkins. “She had to negotiate, actually. You know, like a normal human being.”
“We’re supposed to eat quickly and give it back to him once we’re done,” Kayla explains. “He asked if I’d let him drink in peace if he said yes.”
Antony stands up and leaves, walking to the bathroom. Angelina gives me a side glance, but I don’t budge. He acted like a jerk first, so I won’t lick his wounds. If she wants to go talk to him, she can. I watch her hesitate before following him.
“And what’s the calendar again?” Mateo asks, his face twisting with confusion. “I can never get the dates right.”
Kayla jumps into the conversation, gladly explaining to him what will happen for the next Carnival month.
Cassandra’s hand slips from mine, and she steals some of my food, taking a bite when she thinks nobody else is watching. I sigh happily at that, watching her go back to enjoying herself.
“You know, I really do hate sharing my food,” I point out, transfixed by her.
“Unless it’s with me?” She flutters her eyelashes on purpose, placing her hand against my thigh playfully.
I intertwine our fingers together and give them a light squeeze. Her skin breaks in goosebumps, but the thing is, so does mine.
“And then, there’s the last parade coming up somewhere around March. It’s the last but also the biggest one, where we burn our sacrifices, asking for another prosperous year,” Kayla pauses, adding thoughtfully. “Well, at leastIburn them. Most people just go because it’s fun to watch.”
“Last year, I celebrated with her family,” Cassandra adds, glancing back at me to check if I’m listening. “It was really fun.”
“We made Cassandra try our traditional food,” Kayla giggles. “My father was born here in Le Port, but my mother is also French-Caribbean, so you can guess what our meals look like.”
“Her dad knows his way around the kitchen,” my girlfriend praises another man as she steals more food from me. I just pout, thinking about how I know how to cook a little too. “It’s kind of sexy.”
Kayla grimaces. “She just called my father sexy.Myfather. Ew! Ew! Ew!”
I move on to bite Cassandra’s earlobe playfully, whispering to her, “We’re not going to hear the end of it now.”
“Stop! I’m ticklish!”
I realize a little too late that maybe it’s a bold move to do in public, feeling her tense beside me for a second, blood rushing to her face, and she crosses one leg over the other.
“Are you now?” I ask.
