Stained Glass Eyes and Colorful Tears

9

Tony and I find ourselves sitting across from one another at an all-night breakfast diner. The meeting was Tony's idea, the breakfast place was mine. It's a place that I've passed by often on the way to work and I always wanted to go in but never had someone to go with. 

The inside is very, very heavily cowboy themed. I know that's kind of Texas' thing, but this breakfaster diner truly blows it out of this world. Every table is painted red and white plaid, the booths are all made of wood with tiny little cowboy hat cravings at the top of each side of the seats. Along all the walls are what I believe to be posters of famous country singers, and whenever a poster isn't, there's a cowboy hat hanging up. My favourite part of the whole place is the horseshoe that hangs above the doors.

"It's nice in here." Tony says as we sit down at our table. He's looking all around the diner in the same way that I am. "You've been before?"

"Nope. First time." I say.

"Cool."

We look at one another awkwardly, then at the same time we pick up our menus so that we can focus on them rather than each other. Moments later our waiter is coming over and we're placing our orders with him. I order a chocolate milkshake and pancakes. Tony orders an omelet, hash browns which I plan on stealing some of, and a coffee which gets brought over right away. I watch him as he opens two sugar packets and pours them into his coffee.

"So, haven't seen you in a couple of days. What have you been up to?" Tony asks me before taking a sip of his coffee. 

I was going to wait until the end of our date or hang out or whatever to talk to him about this, but I find the words slipping out before I can even think to stop them.

"I went out with Duke." I say to him. 

Tony doesn't say anything, he doesn't even look up at me. His fingers continue to furiously play with the empty sugar packet that he's been holding for the last two minutes. 

"Like on a date." I add just in case he didn't know what I meant.

"Yeah, no, I got that." he says, his voice tense. "Bet you had a great time."

I realize then that it sounds like I'm bragging to him about going on a date with someone else. Tony's mind is probably racing with thoughts of what Duke and I did together. He probably thinks we slept together. Past Alia would've slept with Duke just to get back with Tony, but this version of me knows that sleeping with Duke would've hurt Tony and myself.

"He was nice." I tell Tony. "And I had fun, but it didn't feel right."

"You don't have to spare my feelings here."

"I'm not. It genuinely didn't feel right."

"Why not?" Tony asks dryly, his eyes still focused on the empty sugar packet.

That's the question I didn't even have to ask myself. One kiss from Duke told me everything that six months in Texas couldn't erase no matter how much I tried.

"He wasn't you."

Tony doesn't even miss a beat. "I thought that would be your type."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know, could be because we're in a random restaurant in Texas, the place you left me to run to."

"That doesn't mean I don't still love you."

"That's how it looks from where I'm standing."

"Well, it looks wrong then. I obviously still love you."

"If you loved me, you'd be at home with me." Tony says as he finally puts the empty sugar packet down.

"That's not fair." I say, crossing my arms over my chest.