Imagining Us

Chapter 8

"I'm sorry, but no one is that happy over rice and beans." Lena snorted, and Esi retracted out of her daydream.
"Hmmm?" She turned to face Lena. "Sorry, babe, did you say something?"
Hands on her hip, she gave Esi a searching look. "What're you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything." She answered quickly.

Lena came to sit on the island stool next to her. "Oh yes you are! You were literally smiling into your plate just now.
Wait..." she slapped the counter with glee. "Was it a guy? Did you meet someone?"
Her silent response gave her away, and she had to cover her ears to save herself from Lena's screams.
"Talk, girl! You gotta tell me everything."

It was Sunday afternoon, and she'd just come back from church with her parents. Her mother tried to get her to come back home with them for Sunday roast, but because of her volunteer work yesterday, she was a bit behind with her work. The plan was to quickly shove down the dinner that was left for her then hit the books so that she could email her next thesis outline to her advisor. How Lena found time between Sunday mass and orchestra to cook a meal was beyond her.

Esi knew at the rate that she was getting interrogated that she wouldn't get any peace. Lena was leaning on the counter looking at her expectantly. They had a stare-off for at least fifteen seconds before she sighed and gave in. The incessant tapping of her fingers on the corian countertop did not help.
She put her fork down on her plate since she realized that she wouldn't get a moment to eat her food. She pushed her plate away and turned to her nosy friend.

"It's really nothing like what you're thinking. I just ran into someone that I know...well, not really know. I met him a month ago, I think." She searched her mind to try to accurately remember when she ran into him at the bookstore.

"Hold up...when was this? I thought the only place you went was to the church yesterday for the volunteer thing."
"I did go to the church yesterday." She paused dramatically to draw out the moment.
"And...?"
"And...Yea. I ran into him there."
She shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Her face wore a questioning expression that resembled mine when I had seen Porte yesterday.
"He was at the church? And you'd never seen him there before?"
It was now Esi's turn to slap her hands on the countertop, narrowly missing her plate. She spun in her stool to face her friend.
"Girl, that's what I'm saying! I've been going there for so long, and I've never seen him before. Granted, I don't normally go to these Saturday art classes, but apparently he goes to the Sunday services too, and I've never seen him."

"Hmmm. That's interesting. So...like did he remember you from before? Wait. Don't answer that. Obviously he did, because you had that ridiculous grin on your face."
Esi scowled playfully. "I was not grinning."
"Yes you were." She said matter of factly.
"When did you say your fall recital was?" Lena was getting her Masters of Music, and she was a magician with the Cello. Her hope was, at the end of earning her degree to be accepted in a Quartet Fellowship.
"No no no. Do not change the subject. You and I both know that it's weeks before my recital, and I know that you know the exact date. So, cut it out and just tell me."
It's not that she didn't want to tell Lena,  but she was trying not to make a whole thing out of it. And, it wasn't like it was anything romantic—which she wasn't sure that her mind could wrap around—he had said that he just wanted to be friends. So why couldn't she just speak about it.

Subconsciously, Esi knew why. There was something about Porte that stood out to her. Despite how he joked with her, there was something about how he looked at her—like if she allowed this friendship, that he would eventually see into the depths of her, and she wasn't sure if that was something that she could allow.
Lena must have sensed something because she leaned across to lay her hand on top of Esi's. Softly, she said, "I'm not asking you if you like him in that way." Esi figured that perhaps she thought that the hesitation was due to what happened their sophomore year.
"I'm just genuinely interested to know about a new person you met. I mean...no pressure, honestly."