Page 71 of ILY
Leaf nods his fist. ‘Yeah, thanks.’
She grabs some menus, and then we zigzag through the tables until we’re seated two spots away from Denver.
The place is more than half-empty, so this is just my luck. Leaf doesn’t know that I’ve met and spent time with some of his friends long before I ever set eyes on him. He might be pissed about that too. Yet another thing I need to come clean about.
Luckily, Denver doesn’t notice us as we take our seats. I glance across the table at Leaf, who isn’t smiling, but even so, he doesn’t look nearly as stressed as he’s been over the last week.
He catches me staring, and his ears turn pink. ‘Like what you see?’ he signs.
I laugh and shrug, lifting my fist to answer back in sign. ‘Yes.’
He mimes flipping his hair back, but I can tell he’s overcompensating a bit. He’s done that more than once when his guard is up. I like him when he’s a little wild and unhinged and not overthinking.
“What’s good here?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I always get the same thing over and over. I tend to hyperfixate on one thing and eat it until the sight of it makes me want to puke.”
I hold in a laugh. That is so him. “What’s your fixation right now?”
“The chicken Caesar wrap. But don’t get it. I’ll feel like shit if I have terrible taste in food and you hate your dinner.”
His bottom lip sticks out when he’s done speaking, and I want to lean over and bite it. Instead, I check the menu and go for a burger. Nice and simple. I want to enjoy this. I want to learn how to do this dating thing so I can make Leaf happy.
“So,” I say, setting my menu down. I don’t get the rest of my words out. A server appears, giving us both a flat look. I don’t usually see Deaf people with that little expression, so I assume she’s either hearing or in the generation who has lost the ability to give a fuck about customer service.
“Hi,” she says.
Leaf glances at me for a beat. “Hi.”
“Drinks?”
I almost laugh. “I’ll stick with water.”
“Same,” Leaf says.
She continues to stare at us.
I feel myself wanting to fidget. “Um. Do you…want our orders?”
“Mm, okay,” she says flatly.
Leaf frowns and lifts his hands. ‘Chicken Caesar wrap with fries and extra dressing on the side.’
She doesn’t miss a beat. ‘Ok.’ Then she points at me and lifts her brows.
Licking my lips, I say aloud, “Burger, side of fries, but only if they can do them with no salt. Also, no salt on the burger.” I hate ordering out that way. The looks I usually get make me want to crawl out of the restaurant and never be seen again.
For all that she’s looked bothered by having to do her job though, she just nods and puts it into her little order pad and walks off without asking us if that was it.
“Uh,” Leaf says after a beat. “The service is normally different.”
I burst into laughter and reach across the table, taking his hand. “It’s fine. This is nice.”
He turns his wrist so he’s palm up against me and presses his thumb into the side of my hand. “If it sucks?—”
“It’s not going to suck, Leaf. I…” I hesitate, then shrug. “I don’t do this a lot. Or ever.”
“Dating a man.”
