So Much More

Cats out of the Bag

Soft music lulled softly inside the car. Conversation stayed on neutral topics and soon they found themselves parked in front of a little Mexican restaurant not too far from where she lived. It was a small place, run by a couple. She had eaten there a few times but was surprised to know that Jamie had known about it. It was not at all fancy or famous, but it had good ambience and more importantly excellent food. Maybe one of his friends had suggested it to him, she thought to herself.

"You know about The Hacienda?" she inquired curiously, looking out the window.

He opened up his seat belt before sending her a grin. "Yeah, been here a few times. They have excellent enchiladas."

She hummed as a response. He got out of his car and she followed suit. Jamie led her inside and it was unsurprisingly a little crowded since it was lunchtime. The place was filled with mostly business execs in what passed as formal attire in California, it was less covered than what she was used to seeing in New York but everything in California was more lax. It was a wonder truly, she had grown up mostly in Californi but it seemed she was more accustomed to the New York way of life.

They managed to squeeze themselves in a spot by the giant windows, a small table meant for two. The place was well decorated if not somewhat outdated but it was to be expected since the place had been there for over twenty years now and from the first time she had discovered the place, the interior had barely changed. Big windows allowed for natural sunlight to stream inside the place, there were arches on the other side of the room that made space for comfortable-looking booth fit for large groups which were occupied by families and a group of teenage boys, the floors were in a brownish-orange tiles and the ceiling were adorned by star-shaped hanging fixtures. Big vintage-looking paintings sat as the sole focus on one side of the wall. All in all the place was welcoming and the smell from the freshly-served food absolutely divine.

Her attention was brought back to her lunch partner when he finally spoke. "Didn't know it was going to be this crowded," Jamie mumbled. "Thank God we didn't have to wait in line."

She would be more shocked if the place was deserted but she didn't voice her opinion. Instead, she offered him a shrug. "It is still a workday and in the middle of lunch hour."

"We do have a different meaning of 'workdays'," he said with a smile.

"True," she conceded. She played around with the menu before bringing her focus back to him. He had taken his sunglasses off and she could finally see his eyes. Yup, still as blue as the ocean.

"So, are you currently involved in any projects?" he asked as he caught her staring.

She was glad for the heat because she had a reason for the color that rose on her cheeks, from being caught staring. She wondered why he was making small talks but once again decided to just go with the flow. "Not currently although I am auditioning for a role."

"Oh yeah? Tell me about it."

She looked up at him, studying his profile. Sometimes people would ask for her upcoming project with feigned interest. She would talk about it for a long time then found her would find the other person with a glazed expression on their faces, finding the topic boring. But the expression she caught on his expression was one that showed genuine curiosity.

She smiled. Jamie had always been the kind of person who was attentive enough to always be interested in the goings of other people's life. There was a fine line between genuine curiosity and being nosy, Jamie was wise enough never to cross that line. And so she did; she told him about the script that she had read last night. She was passionate about it too and being the good listener that he was, Jamie gave his own opinion a couple of times but otherwise just listened to her chattering. "It sounded like a interesting role," he concurred as she finished.