Page 50 of Say Yes to the Nemesis
“’Sup,” Jay replies with the briefest acknowledgment.
Bennett returns, sliding menus across the table. I head to the bar to grab drinks. It’s so packed in here, I know I’ll get served faster if I ask Ernie, the bartender, to just sneak me in rather than wait for our table ticket to come up.
I’m halfway through waving Ernie down when Iris slides in next to me, resting her chin on her hand.
“Give me updates,” Iris says, so demanding it’s almost funny.
I wave Ernie down and rattle off the drink order. Three pitchers: one cider, one beer, one Coke. Then I turn to my friend. She’s still batting her lashes at me like I’m holding out a state secret. I can’t help but smile.
“What do you want to know?”
“How is it working with Ryan?” she asks. “I never figured you guys would be more than nemeses, but it seems like with the show and all, you’re going to have to get close.”
I roll my eyes. “You need hobbies. Knitting. Bike riding. Soccer.”
“You’re my hobby,” she says, deadpan. “You’re glowing, so I want to know what you’ve been doing that gives you that look.”
“I got new clothes.” I point down to my shirt as a way of dodging her question.
She gives me a once-over and smirks. “That crop top looks amazing on you, by the way. I’ve never seen you wear anything like it.”
“Must be the lighting in here,” I say, brushing it off. “Seriously, there’s nothing to know. I’d tell you if there was. It’s just work, work, work.”
Ernie arrives with the pitchers. I gather them carefully as he slides a stack of plastic cups toward Iris. She pouts but grabs them anyway, cradling them like treasure.
Iris ends up squeezing between Cora and Bennett, which is a whole vibe of its own.
I set the pitchers down and pour myself a cup of cider. Ryan opts for the Coke, because of course, he does. He’s always been annoyingly responsible. Still, it surprises me that he hasn’t even looked at me since he sat down.
Until now.
“You still intense about trivia?” he asks, lifting his glass slightly.
“Yes,” I say, giving him a wicked grin. “Some people train for marathons. I train for this.”
He shakes his head. “Nerdy and competitive. It’s such a dangerous combination.”
My mouth goes a little dry. I meet his gaze and bite my lower lip, slow and deliberate.
“You have no idea.”
I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure his ears turn a little pink. He smirks and looks away. But he doesn’t push it.
Ryan is staring at me. But it’s not like before. This time, it doesn’t feel like pity. It feels like he actually sees me.
And I kind of like it.
The first round starts: classic movie quotes. “You had me at hello.” “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” “Here’s looking at you, kid.” “There’s no crying in baseball.” “I’ll have what she’s having.”
Jay’s always the strongest at this round, but Calla and I lean in, whispering answers to him as he scribbles them down. Iris completely forgets the rules and yells out “She doesn’t even go here!” before anyone can stop her.
“Iris! Don’t yell out the answers,” Calla whispers, shushing her.
Iris pouts and folds her arms.
Round two is geography. I am dead weight. Cora and Calla dominate. Correcting pronunciations, rattling off obscure capital cities like they’ve been training for this since birth. Bennett looks personally wounded every time Cora beats him to a buzzer.
“You memorize an atlas?” he grumbles.
