Page 5 of Ice Ice Maybe
“What’s the matter, my love?” he asked with a grin. “Cat got your tongue?”
I narrowed my eyes, both impressed and slightly annoyed at being outmaneuvered. “My tongue is right where it needs to be. For now.”
His gaze shot down to my mouth, then he swallowed hard. “Maybe we need to go over the rules, so there are no … misunderstandings.”
“Later—I’m starving,” I said, glancing at the menu. “Are you going to get your usual? The surf and turf burrito with extra chipotle sauce, plus ahorchatato wash it down?”
He just stared at me, his mouth ajar.
“Sounds good—me, too.” I closed the menu, and we placed our orders.
As we waited for our food, Nolan shared the history of Lucha Libre Taco Shop and the two brothers who started it. He raved about the food, especially insisting that the surf and turf burrito was the best on the planet.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” I said.
Not long after that, we had our food, and I didn’t wait a second to take a bite, nodding my appreciation as I chewed.
“Okay, you’re right,” I said. “It’s amazing.”
“Glad you like it,” Nolan said, diving into his burrito with gusto.
I watched him for a moment, an idea forming in my mind. With a mischievous grin, I leaned closer and opened my mouth.
“Let me have a bite of yours,” I said.
Nolan froze mid-chew, his eyes darting from his burrito to mine, then back to me. “Um ... why?”
“Why not?” I countered.
“Is this a trick question?” Nolan asked, squinting at me suspiciously.
I shook my head. “Nope. It’s a simple request between two people who are madly in love. That’s me and you, in case you already forgot.” I batted my eyelashes at him playfully.
Nolan looked utterly bewildered. “But ... we ordered the same thing. Identical burritos. No substitutions. You have yours and I have mine.”
I rolled my eyes. “What’s your point?”
“My point is,” Nolan said slowly, as if explaining quantum physics to a toddler, “if I have a mug of beer, and you have your own mug of the same beer, there’s no logical reason for me to offer you a sip of my beer. The same applies to burritos, tacos, or any other food or drink in the known universe.”
“Ah, but you’re missing one crucial element here, Mr. Logic,” I said, leaning closer to his burrito, then watching him push it farther away from me.
“And what exactly am I missing?” he asked.
“Romance!” I said, throwing my hands up dramatically. “It’s called sharing. That’s what couples do, and you don’t need a reason to do so.”
Nolan shook his head. “Not true—I need a reason.”
“Are you sure you’ve been on a date before?” I asked.
Nolan sighed. “This is not a date—I’m being held hostage.”
“And lucky for you, I left my handcuffs at home.” I nodded subtly to the window. “There’s a photographer on the patio documenting our date. I thought it would be cute if you gave me a bite, since we need to post photos on social media.”
“Seriously?” Nolan’s eyes widened, and he turned his head to the patio. I quickly grabbed his leg under the table to stop him, causing him to jump.
I leaned in, lowering my voice. “Come on, play along.”
Nolan’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “You know, we could just eat our food like normal people. Crazy concept, I know.”
