International (Buzzfeed Ladylike/Mike Rose/Ryan Bergara)

21. Lunch Date

I brushed out my hair and put it into a bun. After I did my hair, I went out into the living room to wait for Mike. He came out a few minutes later and we left for work. I texted Ryan on the way there. We've been talking a lot since the party and I started liking him even more. He was cute and funny.

I arrived at work and walked in with Mike. We sat at our desks, starting to work. We talked as we did and I asked him questions when I didn't know what to do. At around lunchtime, I started texting Ryan to see if he wanted to eat lunch together. He replied with a yes and we decided to go to one of the food trucks.

When the time came, I got up and went to meet Ryan outside the building. He was leaning against a nearby wall with a tighter shirt and shorts. His shirt hugged his torso and showed off his muscles. I thought it looked very nice on him.

Ryan looked up as I got closer, a smile growing on his face. "Hey. Are you ready?"

I smiled. "Yeah,"

"There's a food truck off campus that's really good," Ryan said. "It's not too far away."

"What kind of food is it?" I asked.

"Indian food," Ryan replied.

"I love Indian food!" I moaned. "There used to be an Indian restaurant near my house that I used to go a lot with my brother."

"Isn't he with Freddie?" Ryan asked. "I remember Freddie mentioning something about dating your brother."

"Yeah, his name is Juan," I said. "She hasn't told me much besides that they've talked a lot since we left Mexico."

"You lived in Mexico City, right?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I lived in a residential area. I knew most of the city like the back of my hand."

"Maybe you could take me there sometime," Ryan said as he grabbed my hand. "Just us two. No cameras or others."

I smiled as I squeezed his hand. "Yeah, okay. We can stay with my family. They aren't that scary."

"I'm sure," Ryan said as he pulled me closer.

I smiled. "Okay. Maybe we should finish this before we make a decision."

Ryan looked at me, a large smile on his face. "Are you considering this a date then?"

I looked away, trying to keep a smile off my face. "Maybe. Are you?"

Ryan wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we got closer to the food truck. "I am now. You are pretty cute."

"Thanks," I said. "You are too."

I wrapped an arm around his waist as we got to the food truck. We ordered and started walking back, eating as we went. When we got back to the campus, we sat in one of the commons area. I threw my legs across his lap and leaned against the arm of the couch.

"How is yours?" I asked.

"It's good," Ryan said. "What about you?"

"I like it," I replied. "I love Indian food. Do you?"

"Yeah," Ryan answered. "I like a lot of different kinds of food so I say that to most stuff."

I smiled a little. "Me too. If we ever go to a Chinese or Japanese, I will wholeheartedly judge it because I know what real food is like."

"You're part Asian?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "My abuelo was Chinese and my abuela was Japanese. They cooked for my family and I was around them a lot. My mom and them taught my siblings and I their languages. I thank them a lot for it."

Ryan swallowed his bite. "At least you don't have to really worry about Alzheimer's or dementia."

I nodded, looking at my phone. "I should get back to my desk. I'll see you around."

Ryan squeezed my leg before I got up. I went back to my desk and finished my lunch there. I stared at my screen for hours, my eyes eventually growing tired. I pulled away and rubbed my face. I wished the day was over already. I was starving as well.

As the day ended, I walked out with Mike. We ran into Ryan on the way out and I hugged him. We walked out, holding hands. Ryan kissed my cheek goodbye and walked off. When I got into the car, Mike looked at me with a knowing look and a raised eyebrow.

I put on my seat buckle. "What?"

"Are you and Ryan a thing?" Mike asked as he started backing up.

"No," I replied. Mike gave me another look. "Okay so we went out for lunch today and we might go out again. We aren't a thing yet."

"You guys are cute together," Mike commented. "Good luck with it."

I laughed a little. "Thanks."

We went home with barely any words to each other. When we arrived, I started making dinner with the help of Mike. We sat on the couch and talked about a lot of stuff. It was a very relaxing evening.