Green - a werewolf story

13. And Stuff

Someone pointedly cleared their throat behind her. Vanessa jumped back into the chair she'd been half leaning out of and tried to get control of her breathing. Control. Yes, she seemed to have rather too little of that. She reached up to touch the amulet around her neck. It was clearly not enough to help her reign in her more animal instincts around Green.

"I have your orders," the waitress said and moved in between them to the plates on the table.

"Th... thank you," Vanessa said.

She couldn't meet the gaze of either the waitress or Green. Instead she studied the pattern of the worn linoleum floor.

"No problem, enjoy your meal."

Vanessa listened to her walking away and wondered if she should follow. The smell of the burgers wafted up to her.

"Are you into pain or something?" Green asked as he got started on one of his burgers.

"What?"

He nodded to her fingers playing with the necklace. Vanessa slid it back under her t-shirt.

"It doesn't hurt me," she replied and picked up a burger.

"It's silver," Green said. "Are you telling me you're the only werewolf in existence who doesn't get burned by silver?"

"No."

"Then why are you wearing it?"

"I told you, it doesn't hurt me," Vanessa said around her burger.

Green looked skeptical, but before he could say anything more Vanessa changed the subject.

"This is a surprisingly good burger," she said. "Don't you think?"

Green frowned at her as if he'd noticed her evasion, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he took another bite of his hamburger. Salad and mayo landed on his plate.

"Sorry," Green said, blushing.

Vanessa smiled. It should have been disgusting, but she found his inability to eat a burger without dropping half of it on his plate adorable. She shook her head. She had to stop doing this. He was not adorable.

Green took another, more careful bite, but it didn't matter.

"I swear, I know how to eat," he said when Vanessa laughed. "I'm just not used to their being so much green stuff in a burger."

"What are your burgers like back home?" Vanessa asked. "Raw meat in bread?"

Green smiled. "Something like that. No, my dad makes the best burgers. You'll love them. But we keep the salad and coleslaw on the side."

"With corn cobs?" Vanessa asked, drawn into the food fantasy against her better knowing. "And butter?"

Green's smile widened. "You know it. Then mom brings out cherry pie with pecan nuts and we sit in the garden and binge while my uncles and aunts play music."

Vanessa sighed into her burger. It was becoming increasingly obvious that she wasn't paying enough attention to what she was eating. If she could long for corn cobs when she had her teeth in a more than decent quarter pounder something was wrong. Perhaps she had a vitamin deficiency? Or perhaps it was the image of a family dinner, of the familiarity and comfort of belonging. She'd thought she had that, once.

"They'll love you," Green continued, bursting her bubble.

"Yeah, right," Vanessa said and grabbed some fries.

"I can't decide if you have self-esteem or if you think my family are too stupid to realize how great you are," Green said conversationally.

"You don't think I'm great," Vanessa said. "Remember? You're just hoping I'll somehow change into someone great before you have to introduce me to them."