Chapter 6: This is Totally a Date But Someone Won't Admit it
When late Friday afternoon rolled around, my family and the Birches went to the fairgrounds to help set up for the annual fair happening tomorrow. Sawyer and I were the only two not going, thankfully. His excuse of him showing me around the town and running a few errands worked.
I was just happy I got to stay home since I was part of Sawyer's excuse.
While I was in the kitchen looking for something to eat, Sawyer walked down the stairs. "Ready to go?"
I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at him. "Go where?"
"Uh, into town so I could show you around," Sawyer said. "Make sure you know and remember where everything is."
"You were serious about that?" I asked. "I thought you were just using it as an excuse to stay home."
"There's no reason why we can't go out anyway," Sawyer said. "And that way, I wasn't actually lying about what I said. I really would be taking you into the town. Nobody can get mad at that."
"Awe, so you really want to take me out on a date?" I asked to tease Sawyer since it was something I did a lot. Multiple times per day really. Sometimes, he may seem annoyed but with the smile he was attempting to hide, he really wasn't annoyed by it.
If he was, I definitely would stop because I wouldn't want him to feel uncomfortable.
Sawyer gave me the same reaction he always did, a sigh and an eye roll topped with the corner of his lips trying to curve into a smile. "No, Jamie, I'm not asking you on a date. I'm literally just taking you into town to show you around. We don't have to go."
"No, I'm only kidding," I said. "I do want to go. I haven't really been around the town yet since we moved back and I'm not sure if I fully remember where everything is."
"Then let's go," Sawyer said. "We can start by going to the diner. Get something to eat first since you were looking for something to eat. I'll pay."
"Sawyer, you can't offer to pay," I said. "That will make it seem more like a date."
"Friends can pay for other friends, Jamie," Sawyer said. "I'm trying to be nice here."
"I'm kidding," I said. "Kind of. Sort of. Oh, come on, you have to admit that you walked into that one."
Sawyer didn't reply, knowing I was right. He just sighed and headed to the front door so I followed him. After the two of us got our shoes on, we walked outside and headed to his truck. The first place we went to was the main diner in town. There weren't many places people could go out to eat. Just the diner and a few restaurants. No fast food places but honestly, I enjoyed it. It gave Ruralburgh a unique flair.
Of course, there was fast food joints in the city which wasn't too far of a drive so if someone was really craving fast food, they could just head there.
I slightly remembered going to the diner a few times when I lived here before and I was happy to see that nothing had really changed from what I did remember. It was such a special place in the town, being one of the buildings that had actually been here since Ruralburgh was formed. They did a few renovations here and there to make sure the building stayed in shape but they did keep the vintage feel to it.
There were a few new things added to the menu so of course, it was taking me a long time to choose what to get.
"Made your decision yet?" Sawyer asked.
"It's too hard to," I said. "There are way too many things I want to have."
"It's a good thing the diner isn't going anywhere," Sawyer said. "You can come here all you want to try everything."
"That doesn't make the decision any easier," I said. "Alright, I can't choose. You're going to have to choose for me. Just don't choose anything... Actually, I don't have any dislikes. I'm fine with anything."
"Anything?" Sawyer asked. "Even the spiciest burger on the menu?"
"I feel like you're trying to challenge me," I said.
"I never said anything whatsoever about challenging you. I was simply asking if you'll be fine trying the spiciest burger on the menu."
"That still sounds like a challenge to me and you know what? You're on. I'll gladly have the spiciest burger. And I bet I can eat it all before I take a single drink to soothe the heat."
"I wouldn't get too brave if I were you," Sawyer said. "It really packs a punch. My whole family once did a contest to see who could finish it first. The most bites one of us were able to take before taking a drink was three."
I had to admit, that worried me a bit. One thing I remembered about the Birch family was how they took part of the chili cook off that happened at the annual fair in Ruralburgh and every time, they entered the spicy category. They won all the time because of how spicy they mad it. Even the tiniest bite felt like it could burn your tongue off but the Birches were never affected by it since they were the ones who got accustomed to their chili.
If they couldn't handle the burger, I was screwed.
Too bad I was an overconfident person who didn't want to back down from a challenge.
"I'm still trying it," I said. "And I bet I can last at least four bites without taking a drink."
"And if you don't?" Sawyer asked.
"Ooh, is this turning into a bet?" I asked. "I like bets. They can take many directions, if you know what I mean."
"I feel like you're hinting at something dirty," Sawyer said.
"You know me so well."
"You're unbelievable," Sawyer said. "How about this for a bet? If you're able to take four bites without getting a drink then... I'll pay for everything for you tomorrow at the fair. Any game you want to do, any ride you want to go on, anything you want to eat."
"I like the sound of that," I said. "And if I lose and I'm not able to take four bites, I'll... Hold on, let me think of something that doesn't involve money because I'm poor... Okay, I'll take your mucking duties for the week."
"Sounds fair," Sawyer said. "You're on." He held out his hand so I shook it, indicating the bet was official. And I had to make sure I won this. I wouldn't care if I lose. Mucking the stalls weren't too big of a deal once you get used to it and I had done it a few times while living here. I just liked winning so the only thing that was really on the line was my pride.
I was a bit nervous once our orders arrived. I made sure to also order a milkshake, a vanilla one, so if the burger did get too much for me, I could down that drink and hopefully soothe the pain I was going to feel.
"You seem hesitant," Sawyer said when he noticed I didn't even pick up the burger yet. "Are you... scared?"
"No, not at all," I said. "I'm just mentally preparing myself."
"Wow, you sound so confident," Sawyer said. "Are you sure you can handle taking four bites without a drink?"
No.
"Oh, definitely," I said. "I am winning this bet. I don't lose bets."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Sawyer said.
I glared at him before picking up the burger, trying to examine the contents inside so I knew what I was getting myself into. Jalapenos, peppers, probably some kind of sauce extracted from hell itself.
"Quick question," I said. "Do nibbles count as bites?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Sawyer said. "You have to take a normal sized bite. The same size you take when you eat any other burger."
"I nibble my burgers."
"Sure you do. Are you going to keep stalling or are you going to try taking a bite?"
I was going for it.
My teeth didn't even fully sink into the burger before I started feeling the burning sensation the burger had. I had to try my best to ignore the pain and just chew the bite I took, no matter how much I wanted to give in already.
I could feel my face starting to burn as well with some sweat forming on my forehead. Ignore the pain. Just ignore the pain.
"You alright there?" Sawyer asked amusingly.
"I'm fine," I said after I swallowed the bite, though my voice sounded a bit hoarse at the moment. Three more bites.
Oh, how I wanted a drink of my milkshake so badly.
I took another bite straight away so the pain wouldn't have had time to die down before growing again. I just had to get this done and over with.
The second bite was definitely worse than the first. That was when I ended up getting a bunch of the hot sauce on the burger, burning every inch of my mouth. I even got some on the edge of my mouth and it was burning there as well.
I was about to reach for the milkshake but I was able to force myself not to. I had to suffer through all this pain.
I couldn't even take a third bite right now, though. I didn't want to take the third bite. I wanted to quit right then and there.
I had to wait a few moments before going for the third bite, feeling more sweat started to form. I coughed a few times, the burning getting worse and worse.
"You're doing better than I though," Sawyer said. "You beat Vincent, Erica, and my mom. My dad, Monica, and I all lasted three bites before going for the milkshake."
I gave Sawyer a thumbs up, not being able to give him a vocal response. He smiled at me, clearly enjoying the pain I was suffering.
I picked up the burger again, about to take the fourth bite but I couldn't. I set it down and reached for my milkshake, so tempted to just chug the whole thing.
I somehow had enough willpower to place the milkshake back on the table before groaning and repeatedly hitting my head on the table. Maybe getting a headache will make me forget about the hell I was going through.
I really wanted to drink the milkshake so I did had had to be done. I took the fourth bite out of the burger and as soon as I swallowed it, I completely downed the milkshake, not even caring about the whipped cream I got all around my mouth.
Or the now sudden brain freeze I had.
Once I finished the milkshake, I placed the cup on the table and rubbed my forehead, wondering why I put myself through that pain.
"How're you feeling?" Sawyer asked, still amused by my pain.
"Horrible," I said, the burning in my mouth still there, just not as prevalent as before. "I don't even know if I can finish the burger."
"You did eat most of it," Sawyer said, grabbing a napkin off of the table and handing it to me. I grabbed it to wipe the food from around my mouth. "And you did beat my families' records so congratulations on that. You don't have to take my mucking duties for the weeks and you get to do whatever you want at the fair tomorrow."
"I'm probably going to miss it because I'll be in too much pain," I said.
"You'll be fine," Sawyer said. "Do you want anything else on the menu so you can still eat?"
I shook my head. "I'm good. I still have the fries that came with the burger."
After Sawyer and I finished eating, with me still feeling a tiny bit of burning, he paid for the food before we left the diner. I was about to head to his truck but he said we were just going to walk around the town instead. That way, I could actually spend time getting to know and remember where everything was.
I really enjoyed walking through the town with Sawyer. It was so easy and fun to talk to him. When I lived here before, we were as close as could be. And even though we didn't keep in touch for the ten years I lived in the city, it was like I never left. The was nothing awkward or unauthentic about our friendship.
I liked it.
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oof it's 3:52 am here help me.
it's my fault i didn't start writing this until close to midnight because i was paying a new game i bought lol. and i got home at 7pm today because of school so i didn't have much time to play it to begin with.
but woo i love updating this book. i already have dramatic stuff planned so woo.
which reminds me. in one of my classes today, my professor said us writers "manipulate people's emotions with character drama" honestly true and a big mood.