Mina

Cafe Talk

"Let me get this straight." Max said, colliding into my side as he sat down in the chair beside me. "It's been two days and we.." He waved his hand between Chelsea and him," are just now hearing about it. Two days! Two full days!"

"It's not that big of a deal." I rolled my eyes, handing Max the napkin we had been playing dots on.

"Did you cheat while I was peeing?" He asked while Chelsea carried on with the conversation.

"So are you guys like dating then?" She asked as she counted out her receipts from her day at work.

I shrugged, trying to down play it all. If I thought too much about it I started to panic, coming up with all the reasons why I shouldn't like Owen. Why I never should have told him that I did. Or why I shouldn't have kissed him.

I sang a little silent prayer when Chelsea's co-worker walked up with our food, saving me from answering. My favorite thing about the cafe where Chelsea worked was the fact that they had good food, food I'd actually eat.

"Alright, here's the veggie." He said, placing my plate in front of me, "Mexican and the Rueben."

I watched as Chelsea looked up at him, a wide smile on her face as she said, "Thanks Toby."

Max and I shared a knowing look before he responded with, "no problem, let me know if you guys need anything." Toby was completely oblivious to Chelsea's infatuation.

When he was out of ear shot, Max leaned forward across the table, the top of his sandwich almost pressed against his shirt.

"Girl, you got it so bad!"

Chelsea's face reddened as her eyes dropped down to her sandwich. "I know, I can't help it he's so nice."

"Oh I'm sure that's it, it has nothing to do with the fact that he's gorgeous." Max rolled his eyes sarcastically.

Chelsea threw a potato chip at him, her eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter, him and his girlfriend worked things out."

"Maybe you could steal him away." Max commented.

"No." Chelsea and I said in unison.

"Besides he's completely in love with her and she's so nice. They're basically perfect for each other." She said, turning her eyes on me. "Just like you and Owen."

I scowled at her, shaking my head in disapproval as she brought the conversation back to me.

"God right? It's almost disgusting." Max agreed.

"Can we talk about something else?" I asked but they both ignored me, carrying on about how I flew through one of the stages of denial and they were impressed, they hadn't thought I was capable of doing so.

"The best part," Max was saying, "is that now when we go places one of us doesn't have to sit alone. We're an even number now. Where is Owen anyway?"

"Practice." I didn't mean to answer instantly. I didn't want them to know that I knew his schedule just like he knew mine, or close to it anyway. "I think."

Chelsea smirked at me and I took that moment as the perfect time to take a bit out of my food, rendering myself unable to say something else incriminating.

"Are you seeing him later?" She asked.

I shrugged even though I was. It was really all I could think about. It left me on the edge of being a nervous ball of goo. I wanted to see him. But I still couldn't believe that I was even considering it. That I had even agreed to stop acting like there wasn't something between us. That I was attempting to put the smallest sliver of trust in him.