Falling in the Dark | ✓

27 | Anchor

The Blue Beetle's interiors are every bit hipster as Vera promised. Big yellow light bulbs hang from the ceiling on black strings, lighting up the dull exposed brick walls. A dozen wooden chairs and tables with no tablecloths are arranged on the carpeted floor. Not many people are in sight; it only takes a few seconds to find Vera and Liam. They're sitting next to each other with their backs to me, two empty chairs waiting across the table.

I stand by the door for a moment, breathing deeply in an attempt to clear my head. But I've barely inhaled when Felix rushes in. He stops when he spots me, moving to stand so close that when I breathe, his musky cologne fills my lungs.

"Someone's in a hurry," he jokes fondly as though he can't see the displeasure in my eyes.

Looking up at his breezy, self-assured smile, it dawns on me that he doesn't realize that I'm hurt by what he did. I get the distinct feeling that even if I were to point it out to him, Felix will not be apologetic. So I just nod in the direction of Vera and Liam's table. "Let's go. They're over there."

The two look up at the sound of us approaching. Felix scrapes back the chair directly opposite to Liam and gestures for me to sit. I take off my coat and drape it across the backrest of my chair. Steadily avoiding any eye contact, I sit down with my bare shoulder pressed against the brick wall. The air is thick with the aroma of hot food and cold drinks, the scent making the emptiness of my stomach more prominent than before.

Once Felix takes his seat, a silence falls as we wait for a server to come to our table. But even after a few minutes, no one is in sight.

"I'm hungry," Vera complains, tapping the tabletop with her fingernails in impatience.

Felix volunteers to check with the staff further inside the restaurant, pushing himself to a stand. As he walks away, Vera leans forward, her light eyes wide and excited. Winking rather indelicately, she taps her grinning lips. "Kissed it all off, did he?"

I just shrug in answer, grimacing slightly as my bare shoulder scrapes against the rough brick. Vera takes my response as a yes and laughs — shrill and delighted — as though she's pleased on my behalf. But Liam doesn't seem convinced.

What's wrong? he mouths when I raise my eyes to his. A quick glance at Vera reveals that she's preoccupied with her phone.

I'm about to assure Liam that I'm fine, but I stop short when I notice Felix heading towards us from a distance. A casually dressed waiter follows him, carrying two big menus shaped like beetles.

"Good evening! I'm Jack," he says as Felix takes his seat next to mine. Handing one menu card to Felix and the other to Vera, he apologizes for the delay and assures us that he's ready to take our order whenever we are.

"We should definitely have the deconstructed spaghetti," Vera announces as Jack leaves our table.

Felix holds the menu by the beetle's antennae in the space between us, and we study it in mild fascination. Sushi burritos, cauliflower pizza, extravagant desserts . . . the array of choices is almost dizzying. After much deliberation, the four of us settle on the spaghetti, zucchini pasta, cauliflower pizzas, iced tea and matcha tiramisu.

Jack takes our order and with the promise of food in 'thirty minutes or less', he hurries away from our table and into the kitchen. Suddenly, the door is thrown open as a young couple walks in, the wind howling behind him. Jack rushes towards them, smiling welcomingly and ushering them towards an empty table.

The conversation at our table shifts between exams and the dismal weather forecast for next week. I remain silent for the most part, carefully watching the three faces rather than listening to them. Liam seems like his usual self, but it's hard to miss the distrustful glances he keeps shooting at Felix every now and then.