A Few Hundred Poppies

16. A First Date

"Fucking shit! That's not fair!" she yelled. "You can't cover for her, you're already out!"

"Can too!" Grinning, West turned his head to mine. "Should I get up, or?"

"Ugh, shut up," I said, aware of the heat gracing my cheeks, and pushed his chest roughly. Rolling his eyes, he got up, holding out a hand for me. I didn't take it.

"So, we win. That means that you can't call it a triple date," I said matter-of-fact-ly, trying to brush away the grains of dirt clinging to my gear. Then I noticed Art grinning.

"We will call it a triple date, hon," she laughed. Immediately, a pellet sped past her and hit me in the knee, making me yelp.

"What the hell, Ever?" I stomped a foot.

"Ah, you see, I'm a great actor," Ever approached us, grinning as he rested his gun on his shoulder like a proud soldier. "I only pretended to get shot."

"But- but that's illegal! I mean, that's cheating!" West sputtered, flailing his hands about. His frustration was cute.

"So's covering for your girl when you're out," Art retorted, sticking out her chin as she took off her helmet.

"Fine, whatever," West grumbled, flushed. And let me tell you something, he later told me that he wasn't all red in the face because of the game.

-

The awning of Li's Family Diner was a bright orange, with a wavy trim of yellow polyester. It was the only Korean restaurant in the town, and it could be inferred from the abundance of honeysuckle and English ivy dangling from everywhere overhead that Miss Li was excessively fond of plants. All its furniture had been moved out to the large parking lot in front of the cozy diner, and the entire place was lit with red and golden fairy lights for some Korean festival. I followed West and slid in opposite to him on the oak chair before a cute square table.

Miss Li's college-graduate nephew often waited for her, I knew this despite never having visited their diner because I used to have a crush on him in middle school. He handed a red-dominated menu to each of us and moved to greet the customers next table. Halfway through the appetizer section, I gave up hope of pronouncing any of the words and resorted to drawing invisible patterns on the tabletop while West went through his menu.

"So, like, I can't pronounce any of this except, uh, Korean Tofu with Spicy Korean Ketchup," West sighed, folding the menu and placing it on the table.

"What do you mean, Mr. I'm-Half-Korean?" I poked, grabbing the bottle of mustard and squeezing some of it on my finger. As I licked it off, the flavour was lovably spicier than regular mustard.

"Shove off, I've only been to Korea once," West grumbled. "Who knows how many of these are even halal...Let's just have the tofu thingy. Wasn't that what we ordered for the dance?"

"Yup," I said, sliding my legs forward. I flinched with embarrassment when they came in contact with his. "Sorry."

"You're being awkward today," West stated, smiling lopsidedly.

"Awkward is the new normal."

Calling the waiter, we placed the order for two Tofu Thingies. As I stared absentmindedly at the polished tabletop in thought, I could feel his gaze on my face. As soon as I looked up, West turned his head away.

In a span of fifteen minutes, we'd finished two plates of tofu, kicked each other in the shins twice and lost count of how many times we'd called each other stupid. At the counter, West started to pat around his jeans for his moneybag.

"Hang on, the school money's with me," I muttered, fishing out the box of TicTac I kept my money in from the pocket of my custom-made kurta.

"It's okay, I'll pay," West said expiditiously. When he extended his hand towards the elderly Miss Li, I smacked it away.

"Why? We can just use the school money," I said, confused. Miss Li watched our exchange with fondness glistening in her eyes. Creases were beginning to form around them, which somehow made her look kinder.

"I can't tell you," West insisted, clicking his tongue.

"What? Whatever, then we'll use the school money," I said decisively, motioning for Miss Li to take my money instead. A couple standing behind us coughed loudly, making me want to hurry.

"Okay, I'll kill you if you ever bring this up, but, Baba made me promise that I'd pay for my first date," West said sheepishly, and Miss Li accepted his money with a smile. Dumbfounded, I stared at him for a few seconds before getting a hold of myself.

"Aww, so you think of think of this as a date. How cute," I teased as we stepped out into the sidewalk, walking towards Sharma's Sweetmeat.

"Oh please, Aditi, you're dying with delight inside," he tried, but the fact that he was scratching his neck gave him away. I grinned to myself, tucking the money the Principal had given me into the diner's donation box for climate change.

Noticing an exceptionally vibrant royal blue poppy by the sidewalk, I bent to pick it up. Twirling in around on my palm, I said, "You know, West, in a field of poppies, you'd be this one. The most electrifying blue."

Regretting saying things right after I say them is becoming a talent of mine. I immediately mentally facepalmed, thinking that he would never let me live it down. However, he smiled softly. "Thank you. I don't have you completely figured out already though. I'll tell you which poppy you are once I do."

I didn't get a chance to reply, because as soon as we turned the curb, a crowd in front of Sharma's snatched away my attention. Exchanging apprehensive looks, we crossed the street, standing beside the police car. I could see nothing courtesy of my height, and contended myself with trying to peer around the wall of people in front of the gate. Glimpsing at West, I saw that he'd gone very white as he eyed whatever was beyond the commotion.

"Innanillah," West breathed, making my eyes snap up to his, and my heart skipped a beat with fear.

"What's going on?" West didn't reply, tugging on my hand. When I realised that he was leading me away, I pulled my hand back. "Dammit West, will you tell me what's going on?!"

West's mien had become very pale and harrowed, and he couldn't speak. Suddenly, a woman's piercing shriek cut through the air like a knife, making me jolt.

-

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