Breakfast at Irvine's

Never had I found myself in such an unusual predicament.  Nervous energy had me twisting my fingers in my lap, and fear of accidentally touching the person next to me had me sitting rigidly in the booth.  I snuck a sideways glance at Tyson, who was idly toying with a pack of cigarettes.  How could he be so relaxed?  We were sitting so close I could feel his body heat.  Granted, this was a common occurrence in our World History class, but at least there we had separate chairs.  Now it was all I could do not to brush his leg with my own, given the lack of space on the red vinyl bench we were occupying.  I shot an evil glare at Courtney, which she studiously ignored.  And with good reason too.  After all, I had threatened her repeatedly and aggressively on the way over, telling her exactly what I’d do to her if she abandoned me to Tyson.  I’d basically forced her to promise me that under no circumstances would she ditch me, her decade long best friend, for Drew, her three week long boyfriend.  And yet there she was, sitting directly across from me as opposed to next to me, where she was supposed to be.  So what if Drew had snagged her at the last second and ushered her into the opposite seat?  Did he not know the torture he was putting me through by making me sit next to the one person who always brought out the worst in me?  Well, okay, not necessarily the worst, but he definitely brought out the dumb in me.  Obviously he had no idea, and it seemed he was either oblivious to the withering looks I was shooting his way as well as Courtney’s, or he just didn’t care.  The latter more likely, considering his part in trying to force chemistry between Tyson and I against our wills. 
Tyson sighed and began fidgeting, his arm brushing mine ever so slightly.  I sucked in a sharp breath through my nose as my stomach did a little flip-flop.  The sudden intake of air brought with it the delicious aroma of bacon and pancakes, but to my dismay, what had my mouth watering wasn’t the smell of food but the enticing, masculine scent coming from Tyson.  I barely managed to check myself before I leaned right to take a good whiff.  Stupid, malfunctioning body.  Couldn’t it at least respect my brains wishes?  Wishes that included having no reaction whatsoever to Tyson’s unnerving presence and close proximity.
I looked around for a distraction, taking in the black and white chequered tiles of Irvine’s All Day Breakfast Bar, the red bar stools at the counter, and an old style duke box in the corner closest to our booth.  The place was jam packed despite the late morning hour, and we’d had to wait fifteen minutes for a table to clear.  Waitresses in lemon yellow uniforms were scurrying about the room, quickly and efficiently serving food by the tray load, clearing tables and seating other hungry patrons.
The redheaded waitress assigned to our table came bustling over with a full tray, popping gum loudly in her mouth.  She flicked a piece of hair hanging in her face away and looked down at the dishes she was holding.
“Triple serving of double chocolate ice cream with a side of fries?”  Her tone suggested she couldn’t believe someone our age would order ice cream as a meal.  I guess seventeen year olds were supposed to be beyond the I-want-ice-cream-all-day-every-day stage. 
Well, not this seventeen year old.
“Thanks,” I said, accepting my food.  I smiled at the healthy serving of my second favourite ice cream.  It was a shame they didn’t serve Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.  Though a triple serving of that particular ice cream wouldn’t have been nearly enough.
Tyson arched an eyebrow at my choice of breakfast but didn’t say anything.  Drew on the other hand, was all for voicing his opinion as he accepted his bacon and eggs.
“I can’t believe you’re not going to order anything else.”
“What’s wrong with ice cream and fries?” I asked, dipping one of the fries into my ice cream before popping it into my mouth.
“That is what’s wrong with it,” he said, face screwed up, looking at what I was doing.  “How can you mix the two?  It‘s disgusting.”
I smiled and shrugged.  I couldn’t help it that my tastebuds loved the combination of sweet and salty, hot and cold.  The body wanted what the body wanted.  For some obscure reason, as soon as I thought that my eyes darted toward Tyson.  For Gods sake, I take that back.  Just because the body wanted it, didn’t mean it was going to get it.  Especially where Tyson was concerned.
Courtney’s laughter snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Don’t even go there, Drew.  This is mild compared to some of the other crazy stuff she does.”
Crazy?  Drowning a cheese pizza with strawberry sauce was hardly crazy.  Neither was coating my popcorn with icing sugar.  Courtney just didn’t know how to live.  Or at least how to eat right.
She dug into her stack of pancakes, sans maple syrup.  See?  I rest my case. I scooped a huge spoonful of ice cream into my mouth, savouring the rich flavour.
“There are four other food groups to choose from,” Drew persisted, smiling at my blissful expression.
“Oh, I know,” I responded.  “But they don’t serve Chinese here, pizza and hotdogs aren’t really breakfast foods, and I had pop tarts last night.”
“Wait a second, those are your four other food groups?” Drew asked, aghast.
I nodded, dumping some of my ice cream on top of the plate of fries.  He blinked at me, clearly trying to assess whether I was being serious or not.  Deciding I wasn’t, he cracked up laughing like I’d told the funniest joke ever and dug into his food.  Courtney gave him an indulgent smile.  She knew all too well that I was not joking.  After all, when left alone in a house for weeks at a time, there was no reason to cook a five star meal.  Not that I could cook, unless one classed making toast as cooking.  Burning toast, really.  Though I did have a talent for making salad.  Riley was one step up from me, being able to make scrambled eggs.  But apart from that we both played it safe and ordered take out, and had menus from over two dozen different restaurants.
Beside me, silent as ever, Tyson was devouring his burger.  How he did it without getting sauce and mayo everywhere was anyone’s guess.  Had it been me or Courtney, there definitely would have been barbecue sauce all over our hands, chins, the table and probably even the table beside us.  That’s how much finesse we had when dealing with food that required no cutlery.
In no time at all, we’d cleared our plates, but far from being sated, Drew and Tyson ordered seconds.  More for something to do than actually being thirsty, Courtney and I ordered cokes.
Halfway through his second helping, Tyson paused to take off his long sleeved tee.  Unable to peel my eyes away, I watched as he stripped, revealing a black singlet underneath.  Now, I feel compelled to point out that the appreciative breath I sucked in was involuntary.  Completely an unconscious move.  Because if it wasn’t, I damn well would have made sure I’d swallowed the mouthful of coke beforehand.
Barely managing to avoid spraying Courtney in the face, I sucked down the liquid and began hacking up a lung.   Jesus, I was coughing so bad, my eyes were watering.  And wasn’t it just dandy that this was becoming a regular occurrence while I was in Tyson’s presence.
I was vaguely aware of Tyson patting me on the back, but by that point my main concern was regaining the ability to breathe.
“Holy crap,” I croaked, finally able to suck in some much needed air.  I wiped a stray tear from my eye and noticed the three of them were looking at me.  Courtney and Drew with amused smiles on their faces, Tyson with his eyebrows raised.  My cheeks burned as I briefly considered crawling under the table to die.
“Are you okay?” Tyson asked.
Instead of answering, I pushed at him.  “Please, move,” I said.  “I need the bathroom.” 
Without waiting for a response, I all but shoved him out of the booth and darted off to the ladies room.  Once inside, I braced my hands on one of the sinks.  Good God, I thought, staring at my reflection in the cheap mirror.  The image of his taught, well defnied arms in all their tanned glory was forever burned into my brain.  Never had I seen someone with such a scrumptious body.  Okay, I’d seen him with a singlet on those couple of months ago at the hospital, but that was a fleeting glimpse at a distance rather than an eyeful at close range.  No wonder I’d choked.  I groaned as I remembered the looks on Courtney and Drew‘s faces.  Now they’d never believe that I liked Tyson as nothing more than a potential friend.  Which was stupid really.  A girl could admire a guys body without automatically wanting the rest of what he had to offer.  And in Tyson’s case that would be limited to long periods of silence followed by the real treat of his trademark scowl.
When I was sure I’d regained my composure, I headed out and back towards our table.  Tyson and Drew had finished eating, the three of them now chatting animatedly.  Well, Drew and Courtney were keeping up the conversation.  Tyson was merely nodding every now and then.  Not quite ready to join them, I headed over to the counter to pay for our food.
“Hi honey, what can I get you?” the woman asked as I approached.  Her warm smile and soft voice made her perfect for her role in customer service.
“Oh, nothing.  I just want to pay the bill for table five.” 
“Sure thing.”
I waited while she rang up the order, pushing the sleeves of my hoodie up.  It really was getting hot in here.
“That comes to thirty two eighty,” she said.
I reached into my shorts pocket and pulled out my credit card.  But just as I was handing it over, I felt someone’s presence right behind me.  An arm shot out over my shoulder and snatched my wrist, pulling it back.
Startled, I just about jumped out my skin, even when I realised it was Tyson.
“What the -”
“This is for table five,” he said, leaning forward to hand a couple of twenties to the woman.  I started all over again when his chest pressed into my back, my heart going into palpitation mode.  I narrowed my eyes, twisting to face him.
“Wait, what’re you doing?  I was paying for it,” I said, indicating my credit card by shaking the hand that he still had a hold of.
“No.  I’m buying.”  The lady looked at us uncertainly, unsure whether to use his money or my card, which I was still struggling to hand to her.
“Just use the cash,” Tyson told the woman, taking the card out of my hand.
“Tyson!”  I tried to reclaim it, but he pocketed it.
“Give it back,” I said, using the hand he wasn’t still holding to point at him threateningly.  Though threatening thoughts were hard to bring to mind when all I could do was concentrate on the burning feel of his hand clasped over mine.
The lady behind the cash register chuckled, causing us to pause in our little argument.  “I’m sorry,” she said.  “But you two are just so adorable together.”
We both gaped at her, my mouth hanging open in shock.  Before I could respond, Tyson let go of my hand and took a few steps backwards.
“I’ll wait outside,” he muttered before turning on his heel and walking out.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to upset him,” she said, worry creasing her brow.
I waved my hand with an air of indifference, though in reality I was slightly put out by his reaction.  Was it really that disgusting to him that someone would think of us as a couple?
“It’s not your fault.  He’s always grumpy.”
She handed me the change and I walked outside.
I found Tyson leaning against Drew’s car, smoking. Although he didn’t put it out when I approached, he did hold it away from me and blew smoke the other way.  I guess I should have thanked him.
“Where’s Courtney and Drew?” I asked instead, leaning on the hood of my truck.
“She had to go to the bathroom.  He went with her.”
Which meant they were probably in the middle of a hot and heavy make out session just outside the restrooms.  Great, that could take hours.
“Your change.”  I handed over the money and he gave me back my card.  Our fingers brushed together momentarily, sending little jolts of electricity up my arm.  I gritted my teeth and ignored it.  I also ignored the fact that he was watching me intently, choosing instead to stare across the road at Freya’s Emporium, which was teeming with activity.

Five minutes of torturous silence later, I was ready to get in my truck and leave her here, best friend or not.  The void of silence was driving me insane.  Either I forced small talk now, or risked blurting out something stupid later.  I snuck a glance over at Tyson, who was back to playing with his pack of smokes.  What on earth did we have in common?  Nothing but World History in which we had been forced together.  Still, that was better than nothing.
I cleared my throat, gaining his attention.  “I guess we need to set up a time to hash out this case study,” I said, mentally high fiving myself for my bored tone.
Tyson stiffened almost imperceptibly.  In fact the only reason I’d noticed was because he dropped the pack of smokes.  Something akin to fear flashed in his eyes, but before I could be sure he bent over to retrieve them.  That was odd.  Surely I was imagining it.  Because there was no reason to fear my request.  It was just an assignment.
“Isn’t that why I gave you my number?” he said, pulling another smoke out and lighting it.  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.  The day he answered a question with a straight answer would be the day I died of shock. 
“Can’t we just decide now?”
He shrugged, his sour expression suggesting that he was less than happy with the subject we were discussing.  But why?  We had to get it over with sometime if we both wanted to pass.
“When and where?” he asked on a sigh.  Gee, way to sound enthusiastic, I thought sarcastically.
“What about after school on Monday?”  I picked absentmindedly at a fleck of dirt stuck to the hood of my truck.
“Can’t.  I’m working.” 
Why was I not surprised.  God forbid something as simple as making a study date should come easily.  Nothing else had.
“Okay, then how about Tuesday?”
He shook his head, then exhaled releasing a plume of smoke.  “Working.”
“Wednesday?”  I looked up at him then, wondering why he had to make things as difficult as possible.  Did he enjoy seeing me angry?
“Working.”
But of course.  I shifted agitatedly from one foot to the other.  Something told me I shouldn’t even bother asking about Thursday.
“Why don’t you do us both a favour and just tell me when you’re free then?”
“Sunday‘s my only day off.,” he said, finishing his smoke and putting it out.
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.  “You‘re not working today,” I pointed out.
“I start at noon today.” 
“So tomorrow then?”
He shook his head once more, an action I was beginning to detest.  I balled my hands into fists, patience having left me at Tuesday.
“I have plans tomorrow,” he said, oblivious to my growing anger.
I made a strangled noise in the back of my throat.  If he was itching for a fight, he was about to get it.  “Alright,” I said through clenched teeth.  “Would next Sunday please your Highness?”
He gave me an amused stare, the corners of his mouth quirking.  “I think I can manage that.”
Good.  Because if he’d said no again, I wouldn’t have been held liable for my actions.  Which would include a good smack upside his head.
Drew and Courtney joined us a moment later, both with goofy grins on their faces.
“Sorry, had to go to the bathroom.”
I didn’t bother pointing out that somewhere during her bathroom trip her cherry lip gloss had leapt off her mouth and onto Drew’s.  Eager to leave, I jumped into the truck, throwing goodbyes out over my shoulder.  Sensing my deteriorating mood, Courtney forewent her goodbye kiss and hopped in as well.

The drive back to my house was tense to say the least.  I was still pissed at Courtney for everything that had happened today.  Add sleep deprivation and Tyson’s unmatched talent for ruffling my feathers to the mix and you were left with one very unhappy camper.
“So you’re just not going to talk to me?” she asked, breaking the strained silence.  She had her compact mirror out and was in the process of applying a fresh coat of lip gloss.
“No, I’m not,” I snapped, stopping for a red light.
“Why?” she asked, perplexed.
I shot her a murderous glare.  “Why?  You want to know why?  Are you really that dense?”
Despite the hostile note in my voice, Courtney was trying hard not to laugh.
“Oh, this is so not funny, Courtney Marie Keller!  I can’t believe you tried to set me up with Tyson.  Heck, I can’t believe he actually turned up.  That in itself must have been a mission.”
Still finding the whole thing hilarious, Courtney said, “Actually it wasn’t.  Drew just told him he was going out with me and my friend and asked him along.  I think the only reason he did come was because you were the friend.”
I arched an eyebrow at that.  “So Drew told him exactly who was coming?” I said.  I doubted it.  Given our tenuous relationship so far, I was of the frame of mind that he would have flat out refused if he’d known it was me.
“Well, no, not exactly.  But who else would he think it is when you’re my best friend?” she asked.  Suspicions confirmed, I stepped on the accelerator a little harder than necessary when the lights turned green.
“D****t Courtney.  He probably thinks I was in on the whole thing.”
“No, he doesn’t,” she said, rolling her eyes at what she thought was me just being dramatic.  “We just thought that you two would hit it off if given a proper chance.  Is that such a bad thing?”
“Yes, it is,” I cried, gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles were white.  “We have nothing in common.  He’s constantly trying to get a rise out of me.  He enjoys seeing me embarrassed, and judging by all of the time I’ve spent with him so far,  he’d probably turn gay before he considered dating me.”
“He carried you off the bridge without protest,” Courtney pointed out.  “Aidan would have just pointed and laughed at you.”
I groaned out loud, a sound equal parts exasperation and embarrassment.  The tips of my ears heated and if I hadn’t been driving I would have buried my face in my hands.  “Please, don’t remind me.  And what the hell does Aidan have to do with this?” I asked incredulously.
“For someone who’s not interested, you’re sure making a big deal about it,” she said, ignoring my question.”
I gave her another murderous glare.  “I’m making a big deal about the fact that my best friend threw me for a loop, and not in a good way.  I can assure you, I don’t like him.”
“Which is why you choked when you got a good look at his yummy arms at breakfast,” she said, giggling.
“First of all, you should be looking at Drew’s arms, not Tyson’s.  And second, this topic is over.  I don’t want to hear anything more about Tyson.  And I definitely don’t want to be dragged into any more of your schemes.”
But Courtney was far from done.  She opened her mouth to torment me further when I pulled into my drive - and just about gave her whiplash when I slammed on the brakes.
“Jesus, Noah!”  She had her arms braced on the dash.  “I never thought you’d get worse at parking.”
I was hardly listening.  Instead I was craning my neck to see outside the truck, trying to locate the golden-brown blur that had streaked across the drive when I’d swung in.
“Didn’t you see that?” I asked, pointing at the now empty spot where the stupid dog had been.  “Tank’s outside.”
Courtney blinked.  “What?  Then where’s Riley?”
We got out of the truck and looked around it.  No sign of the rat.  “Maybe he got tired of it and booted it out,”  I said as we met around the back.  Not that I believed it for a second, but one could always hope.
Courtney snorted.  “He’s gaga over Izzy.  Do you really think he’d toss out her baby, Tank?”
She walked over to search the nearby bushes that lined one side of our yard while I circled the truck again.  Where could he have gone?  My face drained of colour as a thought struck me.  Oh, my God, please don’t let me have run him over.  I was on my hands and knees checking under the front tyres when something shot out of nowhere and ran at my face.  Shrieking in alarm I surged upright, hitting my head on the underside of the truck.  Letting loose a string of curses and close to seeing stars, I rubbed at the sore spot.  I glared down at Tank, who was sitting at my feet, tail wagging happily.  My foot twitched with the urge to kick it.
“You little -”
“You found it!” Courtney exclaimed happily, coming round to meet me.  She had tiny scratches on her arms from the rosebushes.
“Not really.  It kind of found me,” I grumbled.  “Grab it, would you?  Because if I do, it’ll be by its neck.”
She scooped Tank up into her arms, cooing at him as he yapped happily.  Meanwhile, I grumbled all the way into the house.

We found Riley in the living room - which looked like a bomb had hit it.  The dining table was three feet from its normal resting place, the ten dining table chairs scattered about haphazardly, some of them tipped over.  Couch cushions littered the floor, along with what looked like our entire DVD collection.  The low shelves that usually housed said DVD collection had been yanked away from the wall underneath the plasma.  Even the ornate, mahogany wall unit had been dragged away from the right hand wall.  Christ, it had to weigh more than Riley and I combined.  I wonder how he’d managed to move it.
Riley himself was on the ground, his head under one of the two seaters, sweeping his arm underneath it.  Amusement replaced momentary shock as I realised what he was doing.
“Lost something?” I asked, leaning against the lounge doorway.  Courtney stopped short at my voice, just out of sight.  Riley jerked in surprise, hitting his head in much the same way I had earlier. 
“Ouch!”  Rubbing it vigorously, he backed out and sat on his haunches.  His face was a mask of worry.  “The dog‘s gone!” he exclaimed.  “I don’t know where, or how, or why.  I left him in the kitchen and when I came back to check on him he just wasn‘t there.”
“So you let him out,” I clarified, enjoying his distress.
Riley shook his head vehemently.  “No.  He was in the kitchen.  No windows were open and the back door was shut tight.”
So we had a Houdini on our hands?  Great.  Looked like I needed to invest in some giant rat traps in case he Houdinied his way into my room at night.
“What am I going to tell Izzy?” he asked in despair. 
Unable to take it any longer, I cracked up laughing.  Riley shot me a peeved glare.  “Noah, this is hardly a laughing matter.  This is her dog we’re talking about.  She’s going to kill me.  In fact, she won’t have to.  I’ll kill myself and save her the trouble.”
“You mean save yourself from her wrath?”  I said, still chortling.
“How can you be joking at a time like this?” he stood and ran his hands through his hair.  Deciding to take pity on him, I sighed.  “Relax, big brother.  Your dog’s fine.”
Before he could ask what I meant, Courtney rounded the corner, Tank in her arms.
I must admit, I’d never seen him look so relieved.  He rushed over and all but snatched the dog from Courtney’s grasp.
“Thank God I found you,” he cried.  Courtney and I raised our eyebrows.
“I’m sorry, but who found him?”
He waved away my words.  “Now I don’t have to call your mummy and tell her you escaped,” he cooed at the dog.  I screwed my nose up.  Was I the only sane one here?  The answer would be yes, I thought, as I watched Courtney scratch it behind the ears and giggle when it licked her fingers.
“You’re welcome,” I said sarcastically as I moved to start cleaning up the aftermath of Riley’s frantic search.
He stepped over to me, dog in hand and gave me a big kiss on the cheek.  “Thanks, sis.  I owe you big time.”  He then proceeded to hug me, despite my shrieks of protest about the dog breaching my personal space bubble.  I almost gagged when it licked my face.

Reviews

[life*of*equiluxe]

"A girl could admire a guys body without automatically wanting the rest of what he had to offer. And in Tyson’s case that would be limited to long periods of silence followed by the real treat of his trademark scowl."
This made me lol! So, hmm, Tyson has family issues too, huh? I don't really have any criticism for this chapter. Really enjoyed it!