17 - XO

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XO
lovely-quality food

The exterior of the restaurant impressed me. Minutes earlier, Forrest had entered a busier part of town where there was a chain of attractive joints and cute shops. He soon parallel-parked along the side of the road, right beside a skinny tree. At this time of day, there were several people out.

I examined XO once I got out of the car. With wintergreen paint on the walls and a white outline, it looked rather clean, like it just opened a few months prior. There were two wide windows on either side of the door, revealing the glowing, laid-back scene within. The place wasn't packed, which I appreciated.

"Come on," Forrest quietly encouraged and I followed him inside. A mouth-watering scent instantly met my nose and a pang struck my chest. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to a restaurant like this. All of the furniture seemed to be made of maple wood and hanging on the walls were multiple gorgeous paintings. Upbeat jazz music traveled through the air, sending off a pleasant vibe.

Quickly after we walked through the door, the host came to us. "Welcome to XO," he chirped. The greeting felt sincere. "Table for two?"

"Yes, please," Forrest answered. Soon, we headed towards a free table. I flashed him an – almost bashful – smile as we sat down.

The host handed us menus and reassuringly said, "Your waiter will be here in a minute."

"Wow," I murmured as I flipped through the list of meals. There were choices for appetizers, salads, entrées, desserts, and beverages. All of them sounded rather delectable, but what I focused on were the prices. The last thing I wanted to do was take advantage of the green-eyed boy in front of me, but I was nearly sure that even if I did order the most expensive option, Forrest would still easily pay without a problem.

"Do you want an appetizer?" he questioned, his brows furrowed. My lips quirked upwards at how serious he looked while reading. "Mozzarella cheese sticks," he read aloud, "Golden-fried with a side of tangy marinara sauce. Hmm, that sounds good to me."

"Well, it's up to you," I replied, "To be honest, I don't, uh, want to make a dent in your wallet or anything."

"June," Forrest suddenly exclaimed, making me blink in surprise. "Don't worry about the money," he prodded, "I wouldn't have brought you here if I couldn't afford it. Pick whatever you want, okay?"

I felt my face flush. "Fine," I muttered. God, he had to be the most courteous person I'd ever encountered. "I guess."

Moments later, something caught my eye. Turkey Panini: Thinly-sliced grilled turkey breast with melted Swiss cheese, sizzling bacon strips, and diced tomato on toasted sourdough. It was seven dollars and ninety-nine cents. But then my gaze flickered over to the Salads section. Caesar Salad: Fresh Romaine tossed with savory croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese, garnished with a fat-free lemon vinaigrette dressing. I pressed my lips together. It was surprisingly nine dollars and twenty-five cents.

If I was in the mood to eat healthy, the salad was the way to go. But then Forrest would probably claim that it wasn't enough or something, and I didn't really feel like receiving a lecture on how I didn't need to watch my weight – even though I clearly did.

Before I could further dwell on it, someone approached our table. I detected her before Forrest did. I assumed she was just our waitress, but I quickly realized she was apparently more than that once she put her hand on Forrest's shoulder.

"Forrest!" She beamed; her teeth were rather dazzling. "You didn't tell me you were coming today!"

I stared, two words humming in my mind. She's pretty. Her hair made her stand out. It was vividly blonde – enough to be deemed unnatural – and recklessly chopped, falling just above her shoulders and eyes. Her bangs, in particular, were rather lopsided. It was like she cut it herself, out of mere boredom. She somehow managed to pull off the look nicely, though. It suited the structure of her slim face, which – I couldn't help, but notice – only had a few blemishes. She wasn't anywhere close to perfect, but she was far better than I was. With soft eyes, a button nose, and rosy lips, she was enough to make jealousy slice through me.

According to her name-tag, her name was Karla.

Forrest grinned as he took in the sight of her. "Hey!" She bent down to give him a hug. "Yeah, this was the first place I thought of going to for lunch. Anyway, Karla, this is June," he gestured to me and it was like she didn't see me until now. She smiled again, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Or was I imagining it? "And June, this is Karla."

"Hi," I lamely acknowledged, hoping I didn't look too cringe-worthy, "Nice to meet you."

She stayed by Forrest's side, keeping a hand on his shoulder. "How do you know this guy?" she asked, her tone playful. "Usually, the only girl he brings here is his sister."

Before I could explain, Forrest interjected, "We're friends. Now, instead of teasing me, why don't you do your job and take our orders?" If he wasn't smiling, I would have thought he wasn't kidding around.

Karla tossed him a wry expression. "So demanding," she mocked, shaking her head. "Are you both ready to order, though? How about I get your drinks first?"

"Sure," Forrest nodded, "I'll have an iced tea."

"And I'll just have water," I added.

"Cool," she finally pulled herself away from Forrest, "I'll be right back."

Once Karla left, Forrest turned to me. "That's who I was talking about earlier."

"Oh?" I went back to observing my menu. "She seems"–I struggled with finding a word–"interesting."

"Yeah, she's great. I've known her for a few months now."

I was tempted to ask why he – obviously – liked her so much, but I didn't want to think about it anymore. "Wow." Without meaning to, my voice came out monotonously. "That's a long time."

When Forrest didn't say anything after that, alarms went off in my head. I looked up at him and grew hot when I caught the wariness running through his features. "Is there something wrong?" he asked a bit too sharply.

I was about to answer, but then Karla returned with our drinks. After she set them down, she said, "I'll be back in five minutes to take your orders. Please excuse me."

I watched as she sauntered off and sighed. Right when she was out of earshot, Forrest asked, "Do you have a problem with Karla?" I was startled with how straightforward he was.

"What?" I scoffed. "No, of course not. Why would I?"

"Are you sure?" he leaned forward, searching my face, "Because you look like you want to hit a wall."

I cracked a smile at that. "Sorry," I murmured. Was I really? "It's not Karla – it's just me. Don't worry about it."

He nodded, but he didn't seem convinced. "Okay, well, have you decided what you'll be having?"

"Yep," I closed my menu, "I'll have a Caesar salad please."

At first, Forrest didn't say anything, but once he realized that I was done talking, he furrowed his brows. "Wait, that's it?"

"Uh-huh."

"But . . ."

"Yes?"

"Oh, but . . ." his shoulders slumped, "I mean, I don't have anything against salads, but they have other food here that you should definitely try. Is there anything else you want?"

I hesitated. Maybe I should have just told him to get me the turkey panini, but after glancing at Karla and her slender figure . . . "Okay, fine," I cleared my throat, "Is there anything you can recommend?"

Forrest looked relieved that I was giving him a chance to order me more food. Weird. "Well," he peered at his menu, "how about one of their sandwiches? They have Philly Melt: Thinly-sliced roast beef, mushrooms, and sautéed onions on grilled ciabatta bread, topped with melted Swiss cheese." My lips twisted into a grin as I listened to how he tried to sound very persuasive. "Or you could have their Turkey Panini: Thinly-sliced grilled –"

"You know what," I cut in, "The turkey panini sounds good. I'll have that."

He frowned. "But I wasn't even done reading the description."

"Well," I took a quick sip of my water, "When you get over it, go ahead and order our food."

A noise between a laugh and a scoff left his mouth. "You know what? You are just . . ." he trailed off, piquing my curiosity.

"What?" I challenged, leaning forward. "Tell me."

Forrest tilted his head, holding my gaze. "Wonderful," he finished with a tight smile. The word left me dumbfounded – I was surely expecting another word.

Regardless, I fell back into my chair, looking satisfied. I wasn't entirely sure if he was being exactly sarcastic or not, but I would take what he gave me. "Good answer," I quipped.

That made Forrest smile – genuinely, this time. And the sight made me want to smile, myself.

Weird. What was he doing to me?



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