Stolen Truth

Surprise Lunch

"Hey, Adrianne. Do you want to meet me for lunch today?"

"Sure, Dad. I have some errands to run then I can meet you. What time works best? Does our usual, twelve-thirty sound good?" I ask.

"That sounds great. But, instead of meeting somewhere for lunch, could you come by and pick me up? My car is on empty, and I won't have time to get gas plus meet you," my dad says.

"Um. Well. It depends. Who all is there?" I question.

"Everyone is here today."

"Oh. Well, I'm not sure..." I start to say.

"I can come straight out and hop in the car," he offers.

"Okay. That might work," I say.

***

"Hey," Dad says as he hops in my car. "How does Robin's burgers sound for lunch?" he asks.

"That sounds amazing," I say with a smile as I reminisce on the last time I had their food.

As soon as he closes the door, I put the car in drive and head to the restaurant we agreed on. I let out a sigh of relief that I didn't know I was holding back when I notice his car is gone. I turn out of the parking lot and onto the over-crowded road.

"Gosh, how do you manage to drive in this traffic every day? When will you get a job closer to home?" I ask, halfway joking.

"I've worked here for thirty years; many years before you were born. Slowly, over the years, I have seen the traffic grow but I have gotten used to it," he says.

We carry on a light conversation as I try to fight my way through the traffic on the way to eat. We pull in the parking lot, and hop out. With both of us being hungry, we don't waste a second as we head into the restaurant.

"Hello, welcome to Robin's. How many do we have today?" the hostess asks so she can seat us accordingly.

"Just two," I say.

My dad cuts in and says, "Actually we are here with Michael."

"What? No. It is just the two of us," I say in a questioning tone to my dad.

"This is a surprise lunch – I couldn't tell you or else you wouldn't have come," my dad says with his usual dad smile. He uses that smile to get himself out of trouble; it's his way of playing dumb.

I watch as the hostess leads my dad towards the table. I look around to plan my escape. If I leave now, then my dad can ride back to work with one of his coworkers; however, if I leave now, then that means I won't get to eat a really good burger from my favorite restaurant. I sigh as I try to weigh my options. When it comes to food, especially Robin's Burgers, then food is always going to win.

I drag my feet to the table where I see my dad along with his coworkers. I see my dad's boss, Michael, sitting at the end of the table. Sitting beside him on the right, I see Daniel, one of my dad's coworkers. Sitting beside Michael on the left side, I see Kyle, my dad's other coworker. As I approach the round table, I try to decipher where my seat will be at. I see my dad sitting beside Kyle. That leaves me sitting between my dad and...Asher! What is he doing here? My heart drops at the sight of him.

Before I can do anything, I hear my dad ask, "Y'all remember Adrianne, right?"

"Hey," I say with a small smile while I avoid eye contact with Asher.

"Hello, Adrianne," Michael says.

I awkwardly sit down as the conversation around me continues. The waitress shows up almost immediately to take our order. I place my order without touching my menu; this has always been my favorite local restaurant to eat at.

While I sip on my water, I feel a set of eyes on me. Without looking, I know who it is. Whether it's disgust or intrigue that is hiding in his eyes, I don't care to look to find out.

"So, Adrianne, would you like to break the news?" my dad offers.

All eyes turn to me. I smile and say, "I am graduating a semester early from college. I graduate in December, then I start graduate school in January. I have been keeping it a secret until everything was confirmed. I also have a job on the line. I will start working in January as well."

"Wow, congratulations Adrianne! That is a lot of great news," my dad's boss says as his eyes light up.

"Congrats, Ade," Asher says. I can feel a smirk radiating off of him.

Daniel and Kyle congratulate me as well.

"Thank you. I didn't realize we were meeting y'all for lunch. I thought it was just me and my dad, so this was a nice surprise. Thank you though; I am very excited for all the great things ahead of me," I say, still not looking at Asher.

As lunch carries on, I hear my phone ding. Without thinking twice, I check my phone, then I regret it.

Why are you ignoring me?

I put my phone back up while I continue to ignore Asher.

Throughout the meal, I excuse myself to use the restroom. When I walk out of the restroom door, I see Asher standing there. He is leaned up against the wall in the hallway where the restrooms are, propped up on one arm, with his cell phone in the other hand. He glances up from his phone screen when he senses my presence.

"Hey, Adrienne. Why are you ignoring me?" he asks as he flashes that million-dollar smile.

"We aren't friends. What does it matter?" I ask.

"Oh, now come on. That hurt me a little-"

I cut him off by saying, "Drop the act. What do you want?" I ask.

"I just wanted to congratulate you. That's all," he says. He turns around quickly and walks back towards the table.

Hm. That was odd. He is never that short with me. He almost seemed sad that I admitted the truth – we aren't friends. We never have been, nor will we ever be friends. We are toxic if we are around each other too long. I can't stand being in the same room as him. I sigh and walk back to the table. To my surprise, he is gone.

Right before I can ask where Asher went, I hear Michael on the phone.

"Yes, Asher. If you want to then sure. Okay. I will see you next week."

Michael hangs up then says, "What am I to do with that kid? He needs a good influence like Adrienne. He just called and said he is going away for the weekend with his girlfriend. He knows I don't approve of the weekend getaways, but when he lives on his own I can't do anything."

I stiffen at what Michael said. Everyone knows how bad Asher and I fight. Instead of saying anything, I sit quietly. I try processing what just happened. Asher was trying to be nice, for once. Now, he skipped out on the rest of lunch. He then called his dad, knowing his dad would announce the news that he is taking his girlfriend away for the weekend. I don't care. It doesn't bother me. It shouldn't bother me.

Before I know it, I catch myself stalking hisFacebook to see if he has posted anything new. I click on the various othersocial media applications, but see no sign of any updates. I lock my phone backand try to remain mentally present for the rest of the meal.