How We Deal With Gravity(5)

I can’t help but look over at Avery’s corner a few more times before I leave. Maybe it’s the challenge, but I just want her to give in once, to come over here before I leave. That way, I can ask her what crawled up her ass and why she cares if I stay at Ray’s house. Or maybe not, maybe she’ll just motivate me to hit the road sooner.

“You know her?” Cole says, leaning into me.

“What, Avery? Yeah…we went to high school together. She hung around the bar a lot when I was here, too,” I say, my eyes glued to her like a stupid tracking beam. I’m so weak.

Cole bends down to get something out of the mini fridge, and comes up with a small glass of chocolate milk. He puts it on a tray with a napkin and two straws and pushes it toward me.

“Thanks, man, but I’m not thirsty,” I laugh. Does he seriously think I’m lame enough to offer to split chocolate milk with some girl? I could go down the street right now to the next bar, and leave a half hour later with three chicks ready to ride me until I kick them out in the morning—and they wouldn’t care that I didn’t know their names. They never do.

Cole nudges me again and nods back in Avery’s direction. “Nah, man. It’s her order. Take it,” he winks.

Well, damn. I’ve been waiting for an in all night, and now that I’ve got one, my hands have turned to jelly, and my heart rate is keeping time with the band—pulsing out of my head.

Cole nods one more time, so I take the tray in my hand and head to the back corner. Only, when I get there, Avery is gone. I roll my eyes at my own luck, and head to the corner booth. There’s a kid with curly blond hair sitting in the farthest corner. He looks about five, and his legs are pulled up underneath him, his attention completely focused on the iPad in front of him. Looks like some sort of space game or something.

“Whatcha playin’ there, buddy?” I ask, but the kid doesn’t break his concentration. He just keeps playing his game, like he didn’t even hear me. Maybe he didn’t.

“One chocolate milk,” I say, putting the napkin down and then placing the glass on top. I wait for a few seconds, but he doesn’t say anything. I was never a video-game nerd—I just don’t get the appeal. I roll my eyes, and start to turn when a strange voice stops me.

“Straws,” he says, the one syllable word somehow sounding as if it has two or three, the way he pronounces every individual letter.

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” I say, pulling one off the tray and tossing it next to his glass.

“No,” he says, before I can leave. “That’s not right. That’s not right. That’s not right. Two straws. Two straws. Two straws.”

I look back at the tray, notice the second straw, and immediately put it down by the other one. His eyes are wide, but still focused solely on his video game. I wait for a few seconds, and he finally puts the tablet down, his fingers very methodical as they place it perfectly in line with the rest of the table. He then reaches for his glass, and moves it closer, looking into the milk a few solid seconds like he’s inspecting it, before reaching for the straws and unwrapping them slowly. He puts them both in at the same time. Sipping long and deep through them both together, his eyes focus on the small bubbles in the milk, oblivious to the clanking of glasses and loud noise of the crowd of two hundred or so people building just a few yards away from him.

“So…anything else?” I ask, wondering if this kid even realizes I’m still here. He doesn’t say a word, and he doesn’t stop drinking. I’m background to him—irrelevant.

“Okay, then…” I say, shaking my head and blinking as I turn to walk away. “Weird f*cking kid.”

“Hey!” Avery says, charging closer to me. “What’d you give him? Leave him the hell alone!”

She’s almost to me, looking past me, when I reach out and grab her wrist. “Hey, calm down. I just delivered your order. Relax, would ya? Cole gave it to me,” I explain, suddenly wishing I just went to Ray’s an hour ago, like he told me to, instead of acting stupid over a pretty girl.

Avery’s posture slumps, and she lets out a heavy breath. She snaps her eyes to my hand, which is still on her wrist, and then quickly shirks it away. I’m almost offended, but she doesn’t give me time before she’s grilling me. “You’re sure? Cole gave that to you? He made it?” she says, almost manic.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can remember simple things like who gave me milk,” I shrug.

She brings her hands to her face, rubbing her temples, and I take a minute to scope out her left hand. No ring. Damn, she’s been nothing but a big pain in my ass, and I’m still making sure she’s not married. What the hell is wrong with me? Suddenly, she stops, and her eyes soften when they land on mine, and then she actually smiles. Oh hell, that’s some smile.

“Thank you,” she says, leaving her gaze on me long enough for me to memorize every fleck of gold within the green of her eyes.

“No problem. Least I can do. That kid’s a real weirdo,” I say, tilting my head in his direction. Without warning, her smile is gone, and her hand hits my cheek with such force, I fear I may have actually swallowed a tooth.

“What the fu—” I’m about to question her, but it’s too late. She’s gone. I don’t even know which direction she walked, so I just rub my face and make my way back to Cole, no longer sure if I want to thank him or punch him.