Autumn (GirlxGirl) | #FREETHESKITTLES

sixteen

        Something felt different and I could not pinpoint what it was.

        Autumn had been zoning out several times since we got to Stella's, and now she could not even hear anything the receptionist was saying. I had to squeeze her arm to catch her attention. She looked down at my hand, gave me a small smile and averted her eyes to the receptionist.

        She led us through the filled tables and I took a quick glance around. One of the things I loved about Stella's was how the kitchen was open for everyone to see. It was not as busy as I thought it would have been and the cooks looked calm; just doing their jobs. Just beside the counter that separates the dining area from the kitchen, was the door to the outer dining area. At night, they would put Christmas lights that criss-crossed over the customers' heads. The last time I was there, my mom and I dined outside and it was quite the experience.

"Would you guys like a window, center or outside table?" The receptionist asked us mid-walk. Autumn mentioned center— I had a feeling it was because of the sunlight that was already bothering other customers.

Unfortunately, the only table they actually had available was the booth on the corner of both windows. I felt Autumn's annoyance build up but she covered it with a smile and thanked the receptionist. She slipped herself into the booth area, facing away from the sunlight that seeped through the window. I was forced to sit on the other side.

"I can see why you want that side," I muttered, putting my hand up to cover my eyes from the sun. It would be hard to eat that way.

"Sit with me here," she said while patting the spot beside her, "you'll have a hard time later." Complying to her request, I squeezed into the booth. For a slight second, she pulled me in and kissed my forehead before casually unfolding the menu in front of us.

        I swear I was a tomato.

        "Okay, so, breakfast items. They got that potato shit, croissants and even pancakes. Whatchu want?" Autumn asked as she flipped the menu to the back page where the breakfast was. I took a closer look at the list while Autumn laid back in the booth, got herself comfortable and faced me. She twirled some strands of her hair and I could just feel her licking her lips. I tried my best to ignore it.

        "Uhm, I wanna go for something simple. Like this one," I said, pointing at the first item on the list. She cluck her tongue and pulled the menu away from under my finger.

        "Café Breakfast? You're lame," she snickered. She looked through the list while sliding her finger down on the laminated menu. "What about this one? It's potatoes over sausage with eggs on top."

        I looked at what she was pointing at. Chorizo Hash. I shook my head, gazed at her and said, "That sounds more like your type of meal."

        "Actually, no, there's not as much potatoes in it," she laughed, looking back at the menu. "Plus, there's red peppers. I hate vegetables. Hate it."

"Red peppers are fruits," I quipped back with a raised eyebrow. Autumn scrunched her nose at me and chuckled.

"Don't matter. It's a vegetable to me," she responded. She put the menu down and hooked her arm on the booth, turning her body to face me. A moment passed before I finally decided on something.

"Alright. How about I just get what you're getting?" I asked, giving the menu a quick glance. I averted my gaze on her. She was staring at me intently and slowly, painfully slowly, she bit part of her lip. Goosebumps threatened to come out of me. Clearing my throat to distract myself, I spoke again, "What're you getting?"