*Selena's POV*
"Wait!" Before I could even stop myself, I had called back to him.
Stopping in his tracks, he turned back to face me as he responded, "Yeah?"
"Um, if you aren't doing anything, would you like to go eat with me before I go shopping with Nicole?"
As his eyes widened, he nodded lightly, "Sure, yeah that sounds good. What did you have in mind?"
Thinking of restaurants, I ended up defaulting on my favorite place.
"Well, there's the diner not too far from here..." I hesitantly offered.
"I'd love to go there. It's probably my favorite restaurant in this area!"
"Really? Same here!" I smiled.
Well, perhaps we have some things in common.
"Well, I'll meet you there then," he smiled in return.
"Ok!"
After we parted ways, I got in my car to drive to the diner.
Wow, this is our first date... I let that thought sink in as I pulled into the parking lot.
Once having parked, I made my way to the door as I noticed Josh walking in my direction. Although I was walking fast, he still beat me to the door. As he grabbed the handle, he opened the door and stepped aside waiting for me to walk through.
He's strangely attentive today...
You know it's bad when I can't even go one second without questioning his motives. Jogging me from my thoughts he motioned with his hand, encouraging me to walk in.
"Oh, thank you," I expressed as I entered the diner.
Drifiting towards the first table I saw, Josh followed, not far behind as we took our seats. It was strangely quiet. I was almost grateful when the waitor came to take our order.
"Hello! My name is Jon and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with something to drink?"
"Can I get a sweet tea?" I replied.
The waitor nodded and looked to Josh.
"Same for me," he replied softly.
"Ok, I will go get those started for you." Jon smiled before leaving table.
I smiled at Josh, not really sure what to do or even say, "So..."
At that moment, I heard a light vibration that I assumed to be Josh's phone.
"One second," he stated as he reached for his phone.
As he proceeded to text, I simply glanced around the room, feeling the awkwardness continue to grow the more I sat there. I looked down at the menu, even though what I was going to order wasn't listed there anyway.
Part of me just wanted to feel like I was concentrating on something so I wouldn't have to feel awkward while I waited for him to finish texting. Before the moment grew unbearable, the waitor always came back to bail me out, increasing my joy as he approached our table.
Smiling, the waiter placed our cups in front of us, "Here are your drinks. And are you guys ready to order?"
"I'm ready," I said, almost begging for him to stay as long as possible.
Looking up from his phone, Josh stated "So am I," before placing his phone on the table.
How is he even going to order? He didn't even look at the menu once... I thought with slight irritation.
"I'm going to get a Turkey Avocado sandwich with whole grain bread, mayonnaise, lettuce, provolone cheese and a side of sour cream and chive fries."
My eyes widened as so many questions ran though my mind. I was however greeted with the revelation of my prior knowledge.
Josh was the guy that other waiter was talking about. He orders the same exact thing as me!
"And you?" I heard the waiter say.
If I wasn't already looking at the waiter, I probably wouldn't have even realized that he had said anything. In a slight trance, I answered slowly.
"I was going to get the same thing, actually."
Josh looked at me, but I don't think he quite realized what I realized.
Interrupting our staring contest, the waiter's voice brought us back to the moment, "Alright, I'll go put this order in for you. If you need anything, just wave me down."
As he walked away, I turned back to Josh, "That's so crazy!"
Quizically, Josh glanced at me, "What is?"
"I always order that same exact thing every time I come here. No one ever knows about it because it isn't even on the menu. I have gotten that plate since I was a little girl. How did you even know about it?"
"Well, to be honest, when I first came to your pack, Alpha Jordan Miller took me and Tyler here to eat for dinner. I had asked Alpha Jordan if they had a plate with Avocado or anything and he told me he didn't know. So, when the waiter came, I asked him if he could fix me a Turkey Avocado plate. And he said, although it isn't listed, they can still make it for me. It was so good, I've gotten it every time I've come here."
"Really?" I inquired.
"Yeah! And I've come here almost every single time since I first started initiate training to become a part of the pack."
"Wow. It's just such a coincidence that you order the food exactly the way that I do..." I pondered aloud.
"Or fate," Josh shrugged.
I inadvertantly rolled my eyes that I meant to be playful. However, I felt it kind of came off as rude as I watched Josh's playful attitude melt away into his usual, serious expression. As he dropped his gaze from mine, he looked back towards his phone.
As if he were psychic, the phone actually vibrated. Picking up the phone, he was back to texting as if I weren't even there.
I sighed as my eyes wandered over the room once again.
"I'm so sorry about this. Allison keeps texting me about the project we are going to have a few weeks from now. She's kind of a perfectionist," he chuckled.
"Oh ok." I replied.
Could he not just wait until later to text her back?
I wasn't exactly jealous, but at the same time, we are eating together. We should at least chat or something, not text other people. That defeats the purpose of me even asking him to eat lunch with me. I was seriously starting to regret even asking him to come eat with me.
It never fails to baffle me how Josh can be so sweet and insensitive all at the same time.
Placing his phone down he looked back to me, "I know I'm not exactly being the best person to eat with right now, but thank you for being so patient."
With an attempt to sound happy, I returned a simple, "No problem," effectively contradicting my own feelings.
It wasn't long before the waiter gave us our food and provided a less awkward silence than there would have been without the food.
*Josh POV*
Sweetly, she smiled at me, causing my heart to beat faster than I was used to.
Her eyes shine so beautifully when she smiles... I randomly thought.
"So..." she started before my phone interrupted whatever she was going to say to me.
Light frustration gnawed at me as I muttered, "One second."
Picking up my phone, Allison's name flashed on my screen
1 New Message
Allison: Hey Joshy! You're going to be my partner for the project, right?
I mentally shook my head as I responded.
Josh: Yes, Allison. I already told you that I would do it with you.
Just as I thought I could get back to my and Selena's conversation, Allison responded back almost lightening fast.
Allison: Ok good! Just double checking ^_^ So, I wanted to go ahead and work out a schedule so that we can make sure we get everything done on time, but also divide the work evenly among us. So text me your upcoming schedule ASAP!
Ugh... I don't know why I agreed to this. She can get so annoying at times, but at least I know she'll get her work done.
The problem is that I never know what my schedule will be like, especially since I am starting training to be a warrior soon. So, who even knows if I'll be able to send her a proper schedule.
As I ponder these things, the waitor returns with our drinks. As the waitor asks us if we are ready to order, Selena rapidly responds.
"I'm ready."
I didn't look at the menu, but I didn't have to. I get the same thing every time. So, looking up from my phone I said that I was ready as well.
"I'm going to get a Turkey Avocado sandwich with whole grain bread, mayonnaise, lettuce, provolone cheese and a side of sour cream and chive fries."
As the waitor finished writing down my order, he turned to Selena to take her order.
"I was going to get the same thing, actually." She responded slowly.
I looked at her, only to see her staring wide-eyed with a confused look.
Wow, she must really be out of it today. First, she just stands there when I opened the door for her, now she's just looking at me like I just correctly answered the billion dollar question on Jeopardy.
Once the waitor walked away, Selena said, "That's so crazy!"
Now, it was my turn to be confused. "What is?"
"I always order that same exact thing every time I come here. No one ever knows about it because it isn't even on the menu. I have gotten that plate since I was a little girl. How did you even know about it?"
I told her all about how I had first started eating here and it really brought back so many memories. It feels like it wasn't too long ago when I first came to Alpha Jordan for him to take me and Tyler in.
At the time, I thought he had only taken me in because he was already in the process of initiating another couple, but now, I see that the Alpha saw something in my story that reflected his own life. For that, I will always be grateful.
"Wow. It's just such a coincidence that you order the food exactly the way that I do..." she muttered
"Or fate," I winked.
She rolled her eyes at my cheesy comment. Although I was being playful, I simply felt horrible. This simply served to remind me what happens when two people are fated. It comes with so many hurts. I dropped my gaze towards my phone thinking about the pain I have caused for so many people when my phone vibrated yet again.
Picking up the phone, I read the message from Allison.
Allison: Hello? I have an iPhone. I know you've read my message! What's your schedule? I need to know because I want to ensure that we are able to do the best project that we can. I hate feeling unprepared. Please respond Josh!
If I don't respond back to this woman, she will be texting me all day.
I reluctantly returned her untimely text.
Josh: Ok, ok. Hold on. I'll text you when I am able to get home to find my schedule. Calm down, Ms. Perfectionist.
I heard Selena and felt terrible for constantly having this girl message me. I also don't want her to think there's nothing going on, so I decided to be honest with her and tell her what's going on.
"I'm so sorry about this. Allison keeps texting me about the project we are going to have a few weeks from now. She's kind of a perfectionist," I lightly chuckled.
"Oh ok." She replied.
I cringed at her response. I feel like a total jerk, especially since she actually invited me out.
Silencing my phone so as to not be a distraction again, I placed it down on the table, "I know I'm not exactly being the best person to eat with right now, but thank you for being so patient."
"No problem," she returned.
Soon the waitor came back with our food. We conversed a little bit more, but not much as we mainly focused on eating.
***
Out in the parking lot, we said our goodbyes. I honestly felt like the dinner was a borderline disaster. I couldn't hardly keep the conversation going. Mainly because I felt so nervous, but I would never admit that.
"Thank you for inviting me out, Selena."
Withdrawn, she replied "You're welcome."
If I were to be honest, I had a slight impulse to hug her. However, I suppressed those feelings and remained objective.
"I'll see you tomorrow," I smiled
"See you," She smiled in return.
When it was time to go, she left to go shopping with Nicole as I left to go back home to get some rest before the party tomorrow.