Seeing Shane Gray ✓

twenty five | fake

*.*.*.*.*.*

November 3

"Riley won't talk to me," Carlos says, knotting his hands on the table between us.

I roll my eyes and slump back, staring at him challengingly as I pull at the zipper of my hoodie. The small cafe is stuffy and too warm for my liking, smelling strongly of coffee and baked goods I'm no longer allowed to have. Even though my heart tells me no one will know, my mind tells me I probably shouldn't do anything against my doctor's advise. I don't want another fainting scene.

"Do you blame her?" I ask.

"I blame you," he counters.

Scoffing, I grab my disposable box of salad as advised by my doctor and attempt to stand up. Carlos jumps, grabbing my arm and stopping me.

"Sorry, sorry, force of habit," he mumbles, lowering his gaze.

I sit down, eyes narrowed. "You better be polite if you want me to listen to whatever you have to say today," I remind him, picking up my disposable fork and stabbing it through a piece of boiled potato. I'm already pissed off after being handed a diet chart by my doctor because he needs us to get my glucose level balanced out.

Carlos throws up his hands in surrender, his eyes watching me with caution. It's surprising seeing Carlos holding himself back. The usually bold and overconfident Carlos Sanchez appears to be picking his words with caution, tapping his foot in anxiety and wringing his fingers together.

"Riley won't talk to me," he says for the fifth time.

I sigh. "Why don't you talk to Gemma instead?" I ask.

Carlos' eyes widen and jaw drops. "How -- how do you know about Gemma?"

If I was a bitch, I would tell him his best friend accidentally gave me this information without knowing why I was asking him apparently harmless questions. Thankfully, though, I don't want Shane to get in trouble.

Carlos huffs and runs his hands through his curls.

"Look, it's not what you think," he says.

"So you're not dating two girls at the same time?"

"I'm not dating Gemma," he says. "That's just ... for show."

"For show?" I ask incredulously.

"Okay, look ..."

Carlos inhales a deep breath and pulls up to his full height in his seat. His eyes scan the small coffee shop we're sitting in. A few of the tables are occupied, the sleepy waiters walking around randomly or chatting behind the counter. Although the place is a pit-stop for travelers through Dallas, the only four customers aside from Carlos and I are old men with spectacles on their noses and newspapers or books spread out before them.

"My parents died when I was five," Carlos tells me, taking a deep breath. "I was raised by my grandma. She's really old and was diagnosed with ischemic heart disease last year so ... she said she wants me to get married to this girl she knows."

My eyes nearly fall out and lips part.

"You're seventeen," I breathe out.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Carlos agrees, nodding wildly and throwing up his hands. "So Grandma said okay. But she won't let me take charge of the family business until I'm married because, to her, that proves I'm a grown man, an adult, old enough to handle shit, you know?"

I almost snort. For the first time, I see why Shane and Carlos are friends. Not only is Carlos surprisingly dramatic talking to me about his absurd family life, his use of 'you know' reminds me instantly of Shane. I wonder who picked it up from whom.