Jennie
The car ride to the Wolfgang's Steakhouse is quiet, subdued, but we exchange wistful glances and touch hands and hair and skin and clothes the whole way there, unable to resist each other but wary of doing too much, too soon. I nearly forget that I'm not supposed to like her, that she may not feel the same, but it's such an easy thing to do in her presence.
Hae-in and Jisoo are waiting for us when we arrive. Hae-in stands to greet us but Jisoo remains sitting, which is no surprise. Lisa and Hae-in greet each other warmly, Jisoo smiles icily, and we all take our seats.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favourite happy couple!" Hae-in cracks his menu open. "I already ordered us appetizers. I hope you don't mind. I'm starving."
"Of course not. What did you order?" Lisa asks. I watch them both closely, having never seen them together before. I'm curious as to how Lisa acts around her friends.
"The crab cakes and the tenderloin bites."
I peruse the menu and my eyes nearly bug out of my head. The food here is nearly more expensive than my first car! Why didn't I think of this place for our first date? I peek at Lisa and Hae-in and see that they're in a deep discussion over whether the crab claw cocktail is better than the crab cakes, neither of them even batting an eye at the prices.
The server takes our drink order and Lisa orders the crab claw cocktail after asking me if there is something I would like.
Jisoo leans over and whispers quietly in my ear. "You should have ordered the sampler."
I glance at the menu and gasp. "That's eighty fucking dollars!" I hiss, straining to keep my voice as quiet as possible. "For an appetizer!"
She rolls her eyes, clearly missing the point, and settles back into her chair. Lisa and Hae-in are watching us curiously.
"Secrets don't make friends," Hae-in announces. "Care to share with the group?"
"Um, no. It's a... uh ... it's a girl thing," I awkwardly lie. I wonder if I would have ordered the sampler even on our first date. I suppose I would have, but spending that much money - on an appetizer, no less - seems preposterous. There's no oyster and crab claw in the world worth eighty dollars.
The server delivers our wine and takes our orders. I sip my drink tentatively.
"So you're going with Jennie to the wedding on Saturday, huh?" Hae-in asks Lisa. My senses are on hyper-alert at the sudden attention.
"Yes," Lisa replies curtly.
"That's awesome. I'm going with Jisoo. Hey, did you choose chicken or steak?"
Lisa looks at me.
"Um, steak," I mumble.
"Want to swap, dude? Jisoo picked chicken for both of us." Hae-in makes a face.
"You like chicken," Jisoo protests.
"But I love steak."
"You're not swapping. You're trying to complicate things. You're eating a steak tonight - that should be enough."
"I could eat steak for every meal, every day."
"Saturday isn't about you."
Lisa takes my hand beneath the table as they continue bickering. We exchange an amused look, though I doubt she notices that mine is laced with internal worry.
"So, Lisa," Hae-in begins. "Set a date for your wedding yet?" He raises both eyebrows suggestively. Internally, I groan.
Lisa clears her throat. "We've barely known each other two weeks."
