Page 19 of An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love
I listen in, enjoying my chips in solitude. I’ll admit, part of me kind of wishes they would, I don’t know, acknowledge my existence. But I think that’s just a fantasy of what small-town life might be like. In reality, I’m the same Mal here as I am back home. It’s all too easy for me to fade into the wallpaper.
Their conversation finally veers away from baseball as they sip their beers. My ears perk up when one of them mentions that his girlfriend is mad at him.
“Is this still about the gift card?” one of the others asks.
I don’t hear an answer, so I glance up surreptitiously. The guy with the angry girlfriend is nodding. He runs a hand over his fade haircut, his face morose.
“Why did you think an Amazon gift card was a good birthday gift, man?”
I snort with laughter and then cover my mouth with one hand.None of them seems to notice, except one. He’s directly across from me and glances up sharply. His mouth quirks in a questioning way. I look down, but not before noticing his freckly arms, square jaw, and slightly overgrown red hair. I almost slip off my barstool at the sudden unexpected hotness.
“I just didn’t know what to get her. For Christmas, I got her this cute outfit, and she’s never worn it once. I think she hated it. I just wanted to get it right this time. I’m surprised she hasn’t broken up with me. Shit is hard, man.”
I press my knuckles against my lips to stifle another laugh.
“Any tips?” I hear a different voice ask. “Miss?”
I look around, swiveling on my barstool.
“Yes, you.” The redhead is looking at me again. My mouth pops open in a startled O as the group of men all stare at me. Turns out I’m much more comfortable fading into the wallpaper.
“What would you recommend this young man buy for his lady next time?” the redhead persists.
“Um. Let me think.” I give a nervous laugh, and then count off on my fingers, “Expensive perfume. A necklace with her initial. A huge candle. Even a home-cooked dinner with a bouquet of roses would be nice.”
The redhead nods at his friend, gesturing at me like,See?
“I hope you’re writing this down,” another guy jokes.
Angry Girlfriend Guy raises his drink to me in a mock toast, and they go back to talking about sports.
I glance up and see with a start that the redhead is still looking at me. This time he smirks and shakes his head ever so slightly.
What?I mouth.
Naughty, he mouths back.
Me?I point at my chest.
He slips away from his friends and perches easily on the stool next to mine.
“Did your mama not teach you that it’s not polite to eavesdrop?”
I let out a surprised laugh. “I couldn’t help hearing.”
“Sure, sure.” He crosses his arms—biceps, dear Lord,biceps. I shove a handful of chips in my mouth to make myself stop looking at his arms. He seems to enjoy watching me crunch, because his grin broadens.
“Saw you talking to Amanda earlier. Are you two—?” He points from me to Amanda in a suggestive way.
“What?” I brush my mouth with the back of my hand. “You mean—is Amanda…?I’mnot… I mean, in college, yes, sometimes, but now, I mean I’ve mostly settled on—actually I am very much settled on—” Helpfully, I gesture up and down his torso. “But single, yes, I am.”
He stares at me for a very long moment. I would think that he was questioning my sanity, except his nostrils are flared with amusement.
“Great. Fantastic. Thank you for sharing—all that.”
If there was ever a good time for a tsunami to strike and carry me away, this would be it.
But then his face relaxes into a friendly, neighborly smile. “I was just checking. Amanda and I go way back, we both grew up here, so if you were dating her, I wanted to make sure I said hi.”
