Isolation (Book #1 of the Taylor Series)

Twenty-One

"This actually isn't too bad." I murmur as I bite into my vegetarian egg roll. Blake nods in agreement, and I wipe some of the excess greases onto my napkin. I look around the small restaurant and take in all of the decorations.

The walls are covered in a paint that is a muted red shade which goes quite nicely with the gold granite countertops of the tables. On the ceiling are the bright spherical Japanese lanterns which contrast well with the star-shaped Filipino lanterns. Above them, glued to the actual ceiling are bright, glow in the dark stars. You can't really see them when it's open and with all the lights on, but when it's closed, it's absolutely gorgeous.

The tables are evenly spaced out, leaving every table to their private conversations without the concern of somebody eavesdropping. There is even a Japanese wall divider that separates the kitchen from the rest of the restaurant. It's eerily quiet in here, only the sound of footsteps along the hardwood floors and the distant whispering of other customers can be heard.

The restaurant usually isn't crowded before dinner. The Jamba Juice and Jim's Restaurant are two very different stories. I think that Graham's parents like it this way though. They don't like being overwhelmed with business. Sometimes they even close down during high point of rush hour.

The intrusion of Graham into my thoughts makes me wonder where he is. I know he doesn't work for his parents for some unknown reason, but where could he be? He got suspended just like I had, besides Stella was off looking for him earlier. I suppose she found him and now they're settling things by copious love-making. 

Ew. I cringe at the thought.

"This is the best sushi I've ever had." He sighs contently with a droopy smile on his face and halfway closed eyes.

"If you think that's good, you should try the Halo-halo. It's the most amazing dessert I've ever tasted. It has shaved ice, milk, and fruits I've never even heard of." I can't help the bright smile forming on my face.

He takes a sip of his lemonade before staring at me confused. "Aren't you a vegetarian?"

I giggle, taking another bite of my egg roll, "Yes, I can have milk and eggs, though honestly I prefer non-dairy milk. I don't mind it when it's an ingredient though." I explain, and he nods.

"Why did you become a vegetarian?" He asks curiously as he squeezes a tad of duck sauce onto his main dish of sesame chicken with egg fried rice. "I don't think you've ever explained that to me." He murmurs with a mouth full of food.

"Oh," Thankfully he doesn't notice the lack of happiness in my tone of voice, "Well, back when I was a preteen, I read the Princess Diaries and found out that Princess Mia was a vegetarian. And, I wanted to understand why that was. So researched the meat industry and was absolutely horrified. So... I've been a vegetarian ever since. " I take a sip of my water, and he stares quizzically at me for a moment. 

After a few seconds, I can feel the blush rise onto my cheeks. He's definitely passed the number of seconds of staring before it becomes awkward. I beg him to look way with my eyes so I can stop holding my breath.

"You became a vegetarian because of a book?" I exhale slowly as to not show him that I'd been holding it in my lungs. I nod. A smile pulls at his lips, "And what did your parents have to say about that?"

"They just shrugged me off; saying things like, 'If God didn't want us to eat all of this food, he wouldn't have put it on this Earth.' I figured the only way to convince them to let me do it was to do it cold turkey. I refused to eat any of Mom's cooking besides the vegetables, and eventually, it worked. I'm so much happier, not to mention healthier." I explain and he nods.