Page 61 of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance
Why are you up so late?
I sigh, setting the phone down on my chest while I consider how to respond. Writing novel-length messages isn’t myforte, and I don’t know how to convey tone over text yet. Ultimately, I settle on something that isn’t entirely off base.
bad dream, can’t fall back asleep
As nice as it is to have Julian to distract me from myself, he’s bound to fall asleep any second…
Wanna go for a drive?
I blink the sleep out of my eyes, double-checking the time. Why does Julian want to go for a drive at 2 a.m.?
seriously???
Yeah! Not like we’ve got anything better to do.
Fair enough. While I don’t want to leave the comfort of my bed, the thought of seeing Julian again after the day I’ve had feels simultaneously terrifying and soothing.
sure, why not
Pick you up in ten
My stomach flutters as I rush to the bathroom to make myself look presentable. There’s not much I can do when my eyes are red rimmed, the skin beneath them purpled andheavy with exhaustion. I’m the perfect picture of a night gone wrong. All I can do is hope Julian won’t look too closely.
The rest of the house is fast asleep, snores echoing through the halls as I tiptoe out the front door. One wrong move and I can add a grounding to the heap of disasters I’ve been through today.
Julian’s parked out front with more energy than anyone should have at this hour. He’s playing out a passionate finger drum solo on the steering wheel, mouthing along to a rock song I don’t recognize.
“How are you still so awake?” I ask around a yawn.
“Pure adrenaline from the fear of someone hiding under my bed and murdering me,” he explains casually, turning down the radio once I’m buckled in. “Also coffee. Lots of coffee.”
“You drank coffee in the middle of the night?”
He scoffs as he starts up the car and pulls out of the driveway. “You would’ve too if you’d seen that movie.”
True. The last time Maya and I watched a horror movie together, we spent the next two weeks sleeping on each other’s floors because every shadow scared the life out of us.
“So, what’s the plan?” I ask, stretching myself out. “Drive off into the sunset? Cross state lines?”
The road is as dark as the night he drove me home from the country club. Thinking back on that night feels odd, especially when I remember how afraid I was of someone who’s actually harmless. Something in me is still afraid of Julian, but it’s not the same. It’s the kind of fear I’m willing to face.
Julian flashes a radiant smile, taking his eyes off the roadlong enough to meet mine. That’s another thing I’m not afraid of anymore. Looking at him. And the things I feel when I do.
“I’m taking you to the greatest place in the known universe.”
The greatest place in the known universe, it turns out, is a twenty-four-hour diner.
Julian takes us thirty minutes outside of Lake Andreas, driving down sleepy suburban roads until we’re on the highway. A blinding neon sign welcomes us toAL’S DINER: SERVING ALL THE BEST PANCAKES AT ALL THE BEST TIMES. Julian hops out of the car, racing to the passenger side to whip my door open with a flourish.
“This is the greatest place in the known universe?” I ask skeptically.
“Shut up and prepare to have your mind blown.”
The counters are sticky with long-dried maple syrup and the booths are torn at the seams, leaking cotton stuffing onto the checkerboard floors. The air is thick with the scent of fresh coffee and the crackle of bacon. Frank Sinatra croons from a radio beside the cash register. Julian greets the elderly waitress behind the counter like an old friend, stopping to chat with her about her grandson’s first year at basketball camp before guiding me to a nearby booth. There’s only one other patron, a trucker huddled over a mug of coffee and a platter of eggs, but Julian still picks a secluded table tucked away in a corner.
“The pancakes are their thing, but youhaveto try the milkshakes—they’re wild. Or if you’re not into breakfast foods—although if you aren’t, I’m going to have to seriously reconsider this relationship—then the burgers are great. Or the disco fries. Apparently, that’s a New Jersey thing—the owner grew up there. You haven’t lived until you’ve had French fries smothered in mozzarella and gravy.”
The menu is overwhelming, which is saying a lot considering how often our family goes to The Cheesecake Factory. The thick booklet spans from omelets to surf and turf to an assortment of holiday specials, ranging from Christmas ham to something called the Reindeer Special. The items start to blur together as I scan the pancake selection. What’s the difference between a Reese’s Pieces Extravaganza and a Peanut Butter Explosion?
