13
Friday afternoon rolled in quicker than she had expected. Kárri just finished washing and rolling her hair with perm rolls and her stomach was rambling with hunger. She went to the kitchen to get something to eat, but not a big meal because in a few hours she was going to meet up with Zeke for dinner at a takeaway place.The last two nights they went out, he picked food she never had before and they happened to be spicy. This time, he said she could pick a place and she was excited.
"Look who decided to come out of her room," Denver said as he noticed her. She playfully rolled her eyes and gave him the finger.
"Why are you here anyway?" she asked as she poured a glass of milk.
"I have a girl coming over," he said mindlessly, as he sat on the stool and typed on his phone.
"Pay up," she said instantly, her hand outstretched. He gave her an incredulous look before begrudgingly reaching into his sweatpants and pulling out a twenty note from his wallet. He slammed it on the counter and watched her happily take it and dip it into the money jar.
"I hate you," he said, even though he knew he was far from it.
"You know the rules. But because you have the money you keep breaking them. We need more food around here anyway," she chuckled as she eyed how almost full their jar was. She got busy rinsing her cup and went around the counter to give him a hug. She knew he hated hugs when he was grumpy.
"Someone needs a hug," she coed, holding him tighter. He groaned and weakly tried to push her off him, dashing to the living room.
"C'mon, let me love you!" she yelled, laughing as she ran after him.
"get away from me. I don't like you," he said over chuckles, throwing a pillow at her. She easily caught it and returned it, hitting him in the face.
"You love me. Just admit it already," she said, jumping at him but he turned to the side as soon as she landed, causing them both to fall off the couch with a loud thud. They groaned as they heard bones crack in places they shouldn't be cracking.
"You were supposed to catch me," she laughed in pain, rubbing her sore butt.
"I just didn't want you falling on me," he replied, also in pain. They shared a look before they both erupted in laughter. They enjoyed spending time with each other. Though they weren't the best of friends, they were pretty close. It helped that neither was the other's type, so the chances of feelings being caught and messing their dynamic were slim.
"Thank you," she said after a while. The floor started getting comfortable so neither made the move to get up.
He seemed to know what she was referring to. "Anytime, my stupid, ugly ogre."
***
"You know, I had a feeling that you would cancel tonight," Zeke said as they got out of the car and walked towards the diner she directed him to. Denver had left to go to a new girl's place an hour before Zeke arrived because he didn't want to bring a girl over because he did not tidy his bedroom earlier.
He kept telling Kárri that his new adventure was a 'drop dead gorgeous' model with rose gold hair, and then he proceeded to show her internet pictures of the girl until Kárri kicked him out of the flat. He had apparently bumped into her on campus and they hit it off.
"Why would I miss an opportunity for free food?" Kárri asked as she skipped ahead of Zeke and opened the door to the diner. He followed in shortly after and joined her at the counter. "And he will have," she trailed off, giving him a once-over before turning back to the cashier. "A double beef cheeseburger with extra extra fries on the side. And a large coke, please."
"Cholesterol sounds good right now," he said under his breath but she heard him judging by the way she put her hand on her hips and gave him a stare-down.
"If you won't eat it, I will," she shrugged. Their order arrived on the counter in takeaway bags after 10 minutes. He asked for a large bowl of greek salad to balance it all out. He saw the questioning look on her face. "Shut up," he said, giving Kárri a look that warned her not to say anything.
"What did I say?" she asked, snickering as she sipped on her milkshake through a straw. He ignored her, biting down on his smile as he paid for their food and they walked out to his car.
"Greek salad? Really?" she laughed.
"Unlike you, I'm trying to keep myself healthy," he teased, nudging her shoulder as he walked ahead of her and opened her door for her. When she got in, he placed their food on her lap and closed the passenger door. In a couple seconds, he got in the driver's seat and drove for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, looking for a peaceful and uncrowded place to park.
When he finally switched the engine off and looked at her, he found her stuffing her face with his fries. She looked up at him and gave him a wide smile, making him chuckle at the adorable sight and quickly snapped a picture despite her futile protests. It amazed him that even with a face stuffed with potato fries, she was by far the prettiest girl he knew.
"You're cute," he said, reaching into the bag for his burger. He hoped she wouldn't think about what he just said.
"Lick me then," she said so casually as she ate more fries.
He halted, looking up at her. His entire face turned red. "What?"
"What?" she asked, holding back a laugh.
He shook his head, grinning at the fact that she said the most disturbing things at random times. "Is it crack you smoke?"
"I inhale glue," she stuck her tongue out in a childish way, folding one leg beneath her so that she sat more comfortably.
"Do you have siblings that you share this amazing personality with?" he smiled, wanting to know more about her.
"Yep," she said, popping the 'p' as she licked the tip of her finger. "I have a baby brother. His name is Llewellyn. He's the cutest thing ever," she said dreamily.
"That's cute. How old is he?" he asked, thinking that it was a baby.
"He turned 18 earlier this year."
Zeke tsk'd, hitting her with a fry on her forehead and watched it fall on her lap. She laughed as she picked it up and ate it. "I thought it was an actual baby brother."
"What about you? Any siblings?"
"Just a half-sister. But we don't live together. She's also turning 18 soon, I think."
"Why don't you live together?"
"Because I moved here when my dad remarried and she stayed with her mom. We still keep in touch. She and I meet up once in a while when we're both on holiday. We go camping and skiing. It's really fun. You should come with us when we go next time," he smiled brightly, recalling their most recent trip on the Alps mountain.
"I'll definitely add it to my calendar," she said sweetly, feeling giddy that he would invite her on a trip. It's like he kept making plans to see her, and she loved it.
He took a bite from his burger and moaned with pleasure. "I really love it. Thank you."
Once they finished eating, he carefully disposed the trash and they used the public restrooms to wash their hands. Then they sat in the car, played some music and talked until most of the shops were closed for the evening.
"Shoot," Zeke said, glancing at his watch. Kárri sat up and checked the time on her phone. They both looked up at the same time, grinning at each other.
"I didn't realise how much time we spent talking," she said, sad that the night has come to an end.
"Time fades when we're happy," he said casually, turning the key to drive her home. She sat back, smiling at what he said. It wasn't merely what he said, but how he said it, almost as if he meant that she made him happy. Not wanting to make up scenarios, she shook her head and watched the building speed by, the sounds of Khalid in the background.