Remember This Part

11. The Burger Is Not Recommended

Thea.

Nice. I was gonna call him "nice." But then I worried that it would sound stupid, so I kept it in. He is, though. I think I've realized that. I mean, he doesn't always seem nice. He wasn't nice when he caused Nika to spill coffee all over herself and then didn't even apologize. Just now, though...I don't know.

He was willing to beat up my ex, just because he was making me uneasy. I know I shouldn't read too much into it. I mean, I've seen Alex get into fights before. It's like second nature to him, as easy as breathing. He probably didn't even blink at the idea of it. So I shouldn't assume this implies we're the best of friends now. It doesn't mean anything.

Nika, however, seems to think that the fact that we're hanging out does mean something.

Nika: Wait, he's taking you somewhere to eat? You KNOW what that sounds like, don't you?

Me: Don't push it, or I won't bring you back dessert.

Nika: Well, now I have two servings of Thai to hold me over, so I think I'll be fine.

Me: Are you sure you're ok with this? We had plans.

Nika: We were going to watch Great British Bake Off and eat cold noodles. We pretty much do that every night.

Me: Not true. Sometimes we watch Love Island.

Nika: Whatever. Just enjoy your date :)

Me: Yeah, right. You know, I thought you wouldn't like Alex. He ruined your shirt, remember?

Nika: I like whoever you like.

Me: Ok, no more dessert.

Nika: Great British Bake Off has all the dessert I need.

Me: Don't go on to the next season without me.

Nika: I have enough Thai to get me through the series.

Me: DON'T!

Nika: ;)

"Have you made things right with your roommate yet?" Alex asks.

"Apparently, she doesn't even care," I tell him. "And she's gonna watch the show without me, so if anything, she needs to make things right with me now."

"My condolences, I guess."

Alex takes the car into a parking lot in front of a small diner, with neon letters that read "Kent's!" There's an explanation point and everything, so it's like the tiny little restaurant is shouting to all the cars passing by. I like that. It gives it a personality.

"This is spunky," I tell him.

"Spunky?"

"Yeah. It's up to the brim in spunk," I clarify, releasing my seat belt and pushing open the passenger side door.

"I didn't realize that 'spunk' was quantifiable," he says, coming around the car to stand next to me. The faint light emitted from the parking lot lamps and the neon sign cast a dim glow on his face. I can see that his mouth is tipped up into a half-smile, and it makes my heart pick up pace. I'm relieved that he doesn't hate me after all that drama with Malcolm, because as it turns out, I want him to enjoy being around me. I've decided that I want him to be my friend. A really good friend.

A regular, run-of-the-mill, really good-looking friend.

Despite the exclamation point on the sign, Kent's seems to be a pretty low-key place. I imagine that's why Alex likes it. He strikes me as the type of person who will avoid a crowd when he can.