Ink & Lust

Chapter 5

Buttery bun. It was the first thing on the plate that Amila's eyes fell on. The second was the pile of French fries that were so fresh from the boiling oil that steam still hovered over them like swiveling, thin sideways clouds. Lastly, it was the puddles of secret sauce merging with the juice that dripped from the Angus patty and the droplets of cheese that dripped from the thick slice of cheddar that was almost molten. She swallowed trying to quell the watering of her mouth as her grumbling stomach wished she'd hurry up and sink her teeth into the magnificently constructed burger.

She was so hungry she wanted to gorge like a starving toddler but wasn't alone. Unlike her usual nights after work, she wasn't alone. Dominic was sitting across from her. So, instead of pigging out on the delectable burger, she wanted to, she plucked a fry from the stack and dipped it into the sweet chili sauce. The way the salt mingled with red chilies hit her taste buds in the right spot and she let out a moan.

"I guess that means I have to leave a bigger tip than expected," Dominic said, dipping his own fry in the honey and hot sauce concoction.

She stopped chewing, swallowed, and sheepishly smiled. "I'm sorry." She covered her face with the emerald cloth that was draped over the lap partly embarrassed and partly playful. "I was being completely honest when I said I was starving. I'm hungry and food and I have recently rekindled our romance."

He nodded while consuming another fry then said. "It's fine. Enjoy your food. Be as loud as you want."

She chuckled knowing she wasn't going to get any louder than the subtle noise she just let out but even if she did, no one near their table near the window—comfortably away from the door would hear them over the buzz of conversation and catchy pop music churning in the restaurant that was known for more than burgers and milkshakes.

Amila bit into the burger enjoying the one good thing that was added to her life after quitting ballet. The need to meticulously count every crumb of food she consumed and note what type of exercise she had to execute to burn off every carb and fat was no longer a function that her brain performed. Now, when she ate her mind just went 'yum' and sometimes she'd make her happiness known with a sound like earlier. She loved that. She loved eating and not feeling guilty. She slowly chewed her mouthful, enjoying every sprinkle of seasoning mixed within it as she set her eyes on him waiting for the words he was about to let spill from his parting mouth.

"Bread. Potatoes. Cheese." He listed all the things she avoided on their first date. "What caused this shift in your diet? I thought lettuce was life and apples were necessary."

She rolled her eyes at the saying she used to quip whenever it was time to eat, snack, and fill her stomach that always asked for more than she could give it.

"They are." She told, then self-consciously dabbed the corners of her mouth with the tablecloth. "They just aren't a part of my life, anymore." She nonchalantly shrugged as if she wasn't inflicted with a slight prick of pain.

She wished she and ballet had a sordid relationship like the dancers she once knew but that wasn't the case. She loved ballet. It challenged and inspired her; thrilled and entertained her. She wasn't ordered to take classes as a young child because her mother thought it was a fantastic skill for a little girl to learn nor did her dad make her perform hours of practice at the bar because perfection was required of all the Johnson children.

Nope.

She begged to take ballet at the age of six. It was her desire at fifteen that lace up her ballet slippers before the sun greeted the Northern Hemisphere. She spent earlier mornings and late nights in the dance studio at the Academy to perfect her turnout with precision and cement a glide so smooth gazelles would be envious. She wanted to be a dancer, she excluded entire food groups from the diet, sacrificed sleep, being in attendance during family trips, and skipped out on social events because she wanted to be the best dancer she could be.