"Anyway, where should we eat?" I asked, holding my hands behind my back.
"Hmm. Y'like meat? Or are you a grass-eater?" Rusty asked.
"Uh, no, I don't eat grass," I laughed.
"I meant vegetable-tarin."
"You mean vegetarian?"
"Yeah, that. So, are ya?"
I held back a snicker. "No."
He beamed, and his tail wagged a little too eagerly. "Really? Phew. I thought most human girls were."
"Seriously? Why?"
"Well, aren't most of the famous ones grass-eaters?"
I just facepalmed and resisted the urge to laugh. "Well, only some of 'em. But they have all kinds of diets."
"Oh, okay. C'mon." He reached for my hand as if to take it, but then he stopped himself, blushed, and quickly turned around to lead me, instead.
Sometimes, he could be so adorable. He then guided me to an earthy cabin with a stone chimney and windows carved in the shape of every moon phase. What a clever concept! He then opened the door for me, and I took in the rustic interior that was similar to the steakhouses in my old town. A wooden sculpture of a howling wolf decorated the center of the restaurant. There were even tapestries of the creatures gathered around a full moon on a silver cliffside.
We both found a booth near a window and picked up the laminated menus. Unlike the café on campus, the food here actually sounded normal and safe to ingest. There was every type of prime meat from cow to rabbit. But they also sold a few pastas, including a "couple's entrée" of spaghetti and cream cheese meatballs. At first, I wondered why it was meant for couples, but then I remembered that cute scene from Lady and the Tramp.
"Have you ever gotten the spaghetti?" I teasingly asked.
His eyes popped out in shock. "What? No way! My parents get that every time they come here."
I couldn't hold my tongue. "So, is it because of that movie?"
"The one with the dogs? Yeah. Basically. It's some kinda running gag in the community."
Conveniently, I noticed a young couple from the corner of my eye eating the same dish—which actually contained a pretty generous serving. Their tails wagged feverishly as they slurped on the same noodle and touched noses. Suddenly, that gave me an idea.
"Y'know, I'm really in the mood for spaghetti. I just don't think I'd be able to finish that big of a serving," I hinted.
He just laughed. "Well, I do like meatballs. And the ones here are the best in town."
A big grin crossed my face. When the waitress came to the table, she gasped at the sight of us together. "Russell! Your mother didn't tell me you had a girlfriend."
He turned sheepish. "Oh, Millie, this is my mom's best friend. Ms. Pawlette. And we're not dating."
"Hi!" I cheerfully waved.
"Oh, so she's just a friend?" she teased. "A human friend?"
"Yes, and that's pretty obvious. So, can we order or what? We're starved."
"Oh, where are my manners? So, what can I get ya to drink, sug? And we got appetizers. And we got our special—"
"We know what we want!"
She just giggled and looked at me. "Oh, he's always been like that. Y'know, a barker."
"Har-har." He rolled his eyes. "So original. Anyway, I want the bacon float."
"Mhm. And what about you, honey?"
"I'd like the pink lemonade," I added.
"You sure? Nobody ever orders that. They say it's too tart."
"She wants the pink lemonade!" he snapped.
"Oh, it must be that human tongue." She then wrote down the order on a notepad.
Rusty's ears drooped. "Sorry, Millie. Humans never come here."
"It's fine," I chirped.
"So, would ya like an appetizer? Or do you still need a few minutes?"
"We'd like the spaghetti, please," I piped up.
"Oh, really?" she asked with a playful lilt. Her brindle tail wagged slightly. "But I thought you said—"
"We want the spaghetti!" he barked.
"Pretty eager, aren't we?"
His face turned red once more. "Millie, there's a place down the street that serves spaghetti, too."
"Oh, don't you dare!" she hmphed. "I'll whip it right up."
With a smirk, she sashayed away from the table. Rusty buried his face in his hands. "See? This is the problem. These people are nosy. And they have no filter, so they'll say anything."
"Don't worry. I like when people are honest."
"You might think twice about that if you meet my mom," he muttered.
I perked up. "I'd like that."
"Really? I didn't mean it as a suggestion. She has a way of embarrassin' me everywhere I go."
"My aunt's the same way," I related.
He just smiled and wagged his tail. By then, our drinks arrived, and I took a sip of the cool lemonade. To my surprise, it was actually pretty good.
"It's too sour, isn't it?"
"No, it's actually pretty mild."
He did a doubletake. "What? I mean, they put sugar in it and everything. But nothing works to get rid of that tartness."
"It's supposed to be tart. It's lemonade. Everyone loves it where I live."
"Really? I'm surprised they have it on the menu. Nobody orders it. But I'm glad they did if you like it." He then rubbed his forehead. "Man, I sound like an idiot."
I just laughed. While we waited, I gazed out the window and watched the crowd of werewolves scampering along Main Street. After at least ten minutes, the waitress returned with a big plate piled with spaghetti coated in tomato sauce and garnished with basil leaves. Three chunky meatballs bursting with cream cheese steamed on the plate, making my mouth water.
I was so excited that I shot up and sat beside him in his booth. Since we were going to share, we needed to be a lot closer together.
"Mmm. It smells amazing," I sighed.
"Yeah, let's dig in." He then twisted his fork into a big wad of noodles and took a bite.
Just as I opened my mouth to taste the noodles, I stopped myself. "Wait, are the meatballs real?"
He choked on his food and fisted his chest. "Excuse me?"
"I mean, they're not made out of rabbit, are they?"
"Oh, you mean wild game? Or domesticated cow?"
"You know," I leaned closer to whisper, "beef."
He cracked a smile. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna accidentally let you eat anything that's on your crossed-off list." However, he looked a little worried. "But just to be on the safe side, could you give me a crossed-off list?"
"Well, I can start making it when I get home."
He looked relieved. "Good. I mean, I don't wanna assume or anything. But I kinda figured you only like beef and chicken."
"Well, I like sushi, too."
"Uh, so fish? Well, those are all considered delicacies here, and this restaurant is pretty nice. As long as we're not eatin' at a place like the ones Fido goes to, we're good."
Suddenly, I felt a little guilty. "Well, I mean, I'm not a picky eater. Some people eat other kinds of meat, I just don't like them. I guess that makes me picky, huh?"
He laughed. "Relax, Millie. Just be yourself. You don't have to eat somethin' you don't wanna eat."
I just smiled and took a bite of the tasty noodles. The cream cheese from the meatballs melted into the pasta, infusing the meal with a delectable flavor. We both chewed in a pleasant silence until the most surprising thing happened. Somehow, we both slurped on the same noodle and touched noses! His ears perked up in delight. Now, his reddish-brown eyes were only inches from mine.
Of course, I turned away and tried to hide my blushing face. My heart was racing faster than ever.
"I swear, that wasn't on purpose," he muttered.
"It's okay. Happens to everyone," I awkwardly responded.
I had to wonder, though . . . was it on purpose? I can't believe we almost recreated the scene from the movie! I mean, who kisses over spaghetti noodles? It was just odd. Unless . . . did he purposefully bite the same noodle and continue to chew until our noses touched? He was pretty eager to tell me it was an accident.
Now, we both sat there, feeling awkward. However, I couldn't deny that part of me liked being close to him. He finished the rest of the pasta until only the meatballs were left. I cut one in half with a knife, and steaming cream cheese cascaded onto the plate. The meat tasted absolutely divine—juicy with just the right amount of spices—and the cheesy blend warmed me to the core.
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm full."
"Yeah, me, too. You ready to get back?"
I nodded. "Mhm. But first, we need to get candy."
"Well, there's not anything you'd want here."
"Well, let's just go to a gas station outside of town or something. I want candy from my world. You can just stay in the car while I get it."
"You're not goin' in alone! I'm good with goin'."
"But what about your tail?"
"Don't worry about my tail," he assured. "They'll think I'm in cosplay."
"Well, alright. Thanks."
"C'mon, let's find the others. Or ditch 'em. Either way, I'm good."
I rolled my eyes and elbowed him in the side. Nevertheless, we strolled back to the jeep in the gravelly parking lot. Asher and Herb returned after I sent them a text messaging saying that we were ready to go. Once again, we piled into the jeep and cruised down the road shaded by pine trees.
"There's a gas station close to the hotel I was staying at," I mentioned. "Could we go there?"
He nodded. "I know where you're talkin' about."
"Wait, we're leavin' the Heights?" Asher questioned.
"Yeah, is that okay? I just need candy."
"Well, yeah, I'm just not used to passin' those caution signs."
I playfully rolled my eyes. "It'll be fine. You can stay in the car."
"No, I'll take my helmet off. I'd like to see a human gas station."
"Uh, okay . . .? Why?" I raised an eyebrow.
"'Cuz I never have before. Sounds like an adventure."
"A human g-gas station?" Herb quivered as if we were about to enter uncharted territory. "But what about my mushrooms? And wings?"
"Forget the mushrooms!" Rusty yelled for the second time today. "Either come or don't come."
"Well, we can't be too suspicious. And I guess Asher is the only one who might be able to blend in," he muttered.
"Yeah, those glowin' purple eyes don't give away a thing," Rusty snarked.
"Shuddup. I'll put on sunglasses. At least I don't have to cover up a tail and ears," Asher countered.
I sighed. "It's not rocket science. Just figure out a plan, okay?"
"Don't worry, Millie. I won't embarrass you," Rusty promised, giving me a brief glance.
I felt kind of guilty. Here they were, so excited about seeing a human gas station. Like the way I was excited to see everything about their world. "Don't worry, you guys can come inside. I don't think anyone will care."
"Well, if they do, I'll just drop-kick 'em," Rusty assured.
I held out my hands. "What?! You can't assault people! That's illegal."
"Oh." He blinked. "Then whaddaya do for fun?"
"Not that!"
"You better stock up on a lot of candy. These guys might be banned by the time they leave," Asher monotoned.
"I'm not going in," Herb cut in. "It's a real hassle to cover my wings. And my mushrooms—"
"We don't care!" Rusty snarled.
And so, it was settled. We passed the many caution signs warning us about dead ends and wolf crossings. Rusty drove down the sloped road leading back to the Tudor hotel, and eventually, I spotted the seedy gas station. It was a little creepier than I remembered. Probably because I was so excited when I was driving with Aunt Christie.
Rusty parked at the edge of the faded building, which looked more like a concrete block. A creepy guy in a hoodie did a weird dance next to the dumpsters out back.
"So, who's going in with me?" I wanted to clarify.
"I'm goin'," Rusty declared.
"I'm not passin' up an opportunity to see a human gas station," Asher weirdly remarked.
Alright, then. So, we piled out of the jeep. They both followed me to the gas station, and I pushed open the glass doors. The bell rang, announcing our arrival, but the signature odor of a seedy establishment made me want to run away. Holding my breath, I hurried to the aisle brimming with candy and potato chips. As soon as Rusty and Asher saw the colorful variety, they both looked astonished.
"Hey, Rusty, why don't you pick out some candy for yourself?" I asked while grabbing ten chocolate crème wafers.
"What? I don't even know what half of this stuff is." He swiveled his head in every direction like he had just landed on a new planet.
"Oh. Well, do you like peanut butter?"
His eyes glinted with interest. "Are you kiddin'? I love that stuff."
With a grin, I added ten peanut butter cups to my armful of sweets. "What about you, Asher?"
He flipped his bang out of his purple eye as he investigated the coolers. "I dunno. These energy drinks look kinda interesting."
"They'll keep you awake."
He scoffed. "I don't get that problem."
I blinked. "You don't sleep?"
"Well, yeah, sometimes, but we don't really need to sleep that much."
"Yeah, since you're all dead inside," Rusty snarked under his breath.
"Well, at least I don't scratch myself behind my ear with my foot."
"I don't do that!"
"Guys, don't talk about it so loud! People are staring," I whispered.
Several depressed strangers in dumpy clothing were gawking at Rusty's swishing tail. With any luck, they probably he thought he was just a cosplayer. While I was at it, I picked up a box of peanut butter cookies for him as well.
"What about chips?" I mentioned.
"Chips? Nah, they get stuck between my fangs."
"That happens to me with my gum," Asher related.
"Hey, look! You two have something in common," I bubbled.
They both groaned, obviously unconvinced.
"Okay, I think we're good now." I then shuffled to the counter with the cookies and candy balanced in my arms. The employee must have thought we were a bunch of insane people, but nevertheless, she rang up the sweets and tossed them into a plastic bag. Asher paid for his own armful of energy drinks and trailed behind us with a straight face.
I couldn't wait to see Rusty's reaction to the peanut butter cookies and candy. Herb was still caressing his mushrooms by the time we made it to the car, so it was a good thing he didn't come in. Honestly, he was kind of a freak.
When Rusty plopped into the driver's seat, I unwrapped one of the peanut butter cups and told him, "Hey, open your mouth and say 'ahh.'"
"Ugh. Not in front of me," Asher gagged. "This is, like, boyfriend-girlfriend stuff, isn't it?"
"Shuddup!" Rusty muttered, redder than ever.
"Are you jealous or something? The mushrooms feel uneasy," Herb stated.
"I feel uneasy," Asher deadpanned.
Well, maybe it was a better idea to give the chocolate to Rusty when we got back. Things were just awkward now. But I had to admit, ever since that creepy vampire Duran tried to attack me, I just wanted to be near Rusty. He was so easy to talk to, and even though he acted a little clueless at times, he was still understanding.