Page 43 of Always There Bayou
“He loves us together, huh?” I chuckle, and she nods. “I swear, our families have got to be the biggest shippers ever. They’ve been banking on us getting together for years.”
“True, but I feel comforted knowing that they have and will always support us. Not everyone has that.”
“Very true,” I agree, because being queer isn’t always accepted, but I was thankful that neither of our families ever gave us shit about it. They always supported us being who we are, one hundred percent. “We’re part of the lucky few.”
“Definitely,” she nods.
A comfortable silence falls over us as the soft sounds of the radio play throughout the car. I wasn’t sure when I’d fallen asleep, but the next thing I knew, I was being shaken gently from my sleep. My eyes flutter open, and I rub them, trying to adjust to the world around me. It takes a while, but I notice that we’re at one of my favorite restaurants. I turn to look at Cory.
“What’s going on, Corduroy?” I ask groggily.
“Your stomach was growling a bit as you were taking a nap, so I thought we’d stop for an early dinner before we headed home,” she stated. “Come on, baby.”
I nod and do a quick stretch before exiting the vehicle. She comes around to take my hand in hers as she hits the lock button on the keypad. The car beeps twice, and then we make our way inside, where the glorious scent of spices hits me. My mouth watered and my stomach growled as we waited to talk to the hostess.
“Hi! Welcome toThe Charms! Table for two?” She asks. I can see the exact moment she registers who Cory is, but she tries to hide it.
“Yes, please,” Cory nods. “Second floor.”
“Y-Yes, of course! Follow me,” she nods.
We follow her through the restaurant and up the stairs to the second floor. There weren’t as many people up here since it was usually reserved for VIPs or people who requested more privacy. The booths were higher and more spread out, so we didn’t have to worry about anyone being all up in our business. I liked that, and I knew Cory appreciated it. There were also private rooms available, but I told Cory that I was fine sitting in the booths.
“Here you are,” the hostess said as she sat us in one of the comfy booths. She places menus in front of us. “Your waiter will be with you shortly.”
“Thank you,” I smiled, and she returned it with a nod before shuffling away. I glance over at Cory, and she’s watching me with a small smile. “Seems like she recognized you but wanted to keep things respectful.”
“Yeah, and I appreciate it,” she nods. “Those are the people whom I don’t mind signing an autograph for or taking a picture with. I know I’m well known, and people can get excited, but it can get overwhelming for me. So, I respect people who know how to give me my space.”
“You know I know that already, right?” I joke. “There’s nothing about you that I don’t know, Cory. That’s why I get anxious when too many people crowd you. That’s why I’m glad you’re not on IG. That’s why I’m-”
“Wait, hold on,” she cuts me off, suddenly serious. “Is something happening on IG that I should know about?”
“Uh, n-no,” I stutter, but she narrows her eyes at me.
“Denali, I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me,” she says as she pulls out her phone. My heart thumps at the mention of my government name. “I think your silence says it all. It must be worse than…”
Her voice trails off as she looks at something on her screen that catches her eye. I sat there anxiously, chewing on the inside of my jaw as her breathing got heavier. The more she read whatever was on the screen, the more visibly angered she got until she slammed the phonedown on the table, causing me to jump. She raked her hands through her hair and let out an exasperated sigh.
“Denny…”
“Y-Yes?”
Her eyes met mine, and I saw rage flickering in them. I knew it wasn’t directed at me, but I could also see the hurt in her eyes that was there. My heart dropped, and I wanted like hell to go back to before I mentioned it and stop myself from bringing it up.
“How long have people been harassing you and tagging you on all these shitty ass gossip accounts?” she asks, but I stay silent. “Denali, please answer me. It’s one thing to talk about me, but for them to be dragging you and then you being able to see it…that shit don’t sit right with me.”
“Cory, I made my account private weeks ago,” I inform her. “I closed my DMs and removed all the followers that I didn’t know. I can’t see what they’re tagging me in anymore, so I’m okay.”
“But they’re calling you all kinds of names, and I hate that shit,” she huffs, shaking her head. She gets up and moves to the other side of the table to sit beside me. She pulls me into her arms and sighs. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Bunny. I hate the thought of people mistreating you. You don’t deserve that, and it’s my job to make sure you’re okay…okay?”
“Okay,” I nod, snuggling up against her. I could feel her relax, and in turn, it made me relax.
“Hi! My name is Kash, and I’ll be your waiter today,” someone says, and we both look up to see a guy in his early 20s with a smile on his face. “What can I get started for you guys?”
“Oh, uh,” I scramble to open the menu even though I’d been here hundreds of times. I guess it was just the nerves. “I, uh, I…”
“Two glasses of water with lemon for the drinks and also a sweet tea,” Cory begins to order. “We’ll also take an order of boudin balls and fried alligator as the appetizers. For the main meal, I’ll have the catfish alfredo, and they’ll have the red beans and rice dinner with cornbread and catfish fried extra crispy, please.”
