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I arrived back with our purchase of food to an abandoned table. My orbs gazed around the four walls before I located him at the drink machine and emitted a sigh of relief. I marched right past him, and I didn't even notice. It made me think of all the times I must have done that in the past. He appeared to be filling our drinks because we overlooked it the initial time.
Banks strode over and sat our two drinks on the table. Then, the two of us were standing over the booth waiting to see who would sit down first. "You should," we recited at the same time like two dorks. He slid in the booth first, making the decision so we wouldn't continue getting awkward stares from Meryl. I followed suit and commenced cutting my waffle with a knife and fork.
"Daya, you don't know this about me but I have severe window seat trauma. May I get my spot back, please?" He batted his eyelashes and it was about the cutest thing I had ever seen.
"Thy whom sittest down first gets thy window seat," I said with an old-timey accent. "So, we're facing fears together," my natural voice came back loaded with hilarity.
"I recognize that we haven't known each other for long, but it feels like I've spent an eternity with you by my side," I clasped his knee as he padded his face with hash browns.
"I mean it in an endearing way, not in an, I want us to be buried together, type of way," I proceeded when he didn't respond.
Next, it was his turn to almost choke on his food, "I assumed you didn't mean it like that." He gulped, "I feel the same. I don't feel this way about everyone I meet. We just connected." Banks said the last sentence with his mouth full again. "I forget I don't know that much about you," he burped.
"Yeah, I like learning about you though," I stated before I took a swig of his coffee.
It seared down my throat and had a bitter aftertaste, "Is that what being a man tastes like?"
He stroked my shoulder, "Being a man is slightly crunchier." I tittered over the throbbing feeling in my throat.
"I wish we could have met sooner," I held his hand and being myself felt so natural. In preceding months, I was lonely and isolated. Most of it was my own fault, but Banks... he made everything better.
"Well, we could've but you," his finger connected with my nose for a second, "were very much off-limits."
"What does that mean?" I asked with my mind perilously crowded with confusion.
"Your brother... you know I was friends with him for a little while. During the time when I was going on a bit of a rampage. He told me to stay the fuck away from you. I think those were his exact words actually," his eyes were looking down at our hands.
"He had no right!" I spoke above my inside voice achieving the privilege of being judged by the older customers.
He sniffed roughly, "You dodged a bullet, really. Plus, if we would have met back then we wouldn't have this today."
"Why would he do that? Why would anyone have to be off-limits?" After the initial wave of annoyance at my brother died down I acknowledged the deeper issue.
His lips were as straight as lines on the highway. "It wasn't just you, some of Brians cousins, Pipers older sister. And I told you that I knew your brother."
"You asked if I was his sister! You didn't say that he hates you and doesn't want me anywhere near you! Why?" I repeated since he dodged my question.
"I've already told you. I was out of control and nothing mattered to me besides making myself feel complete, even if it was as the expense of others. You wouldn't have liked me back then anyway," he declared knowingly. No matter how much I found out about him it always felt like I never knew the full story.
"I need to ask you something. You keep alluding to this event that happened to you or that you did. Whatever made you go crazy... made you act that way," I clarified.
To continue I stated, "You said yesterday when you were talking about Liv that something happened with you and your friends that made you fall out and that's why you were at that party alone. Now you're telling me that my brother thought you were so far gone that I shouldn't be around you. What occurred, Banks?"
He shrugged his shoulder as if it would just go away. "It's not really a Waffle House type conversation, Daya."
"Please," my voice was raspy and I simply needed to know.
"I remember that day when he told me that, the day I first noticed you. You walked by, you looked at him kinda weird. I made a comment about you, a stupid comment that I shouldn't have made and I'm so sorry. Dennis, he grabbed me and shoved me against the locker," I jumped at that revelation.
"Dennis told me to stay the fuck away from his sister and that if I ever even looked at you again that he would kill my ass. It's not like I was scared of your brother, but I thought its just one girl. If it was that big of a deal to him then I'd stay away," he sniffed again as if solely thinking about that time could force him to break out into tears.
I wanted to bang my head against the table, to do anything that would make him answer. "Why didn't you?"
Huffing as if the answer was obvious he said, "You walked up to me. You sat at my lunch table. You looked at me right in the eyes when that kid walked up behind you and demanded to speak to you. I wanted to protect you... from someone who could've been just like me."
"Banks, I wasn't lying when I said that your past doesn't matter to me. And I was telling the truth when I told you that I want to know so that I can trust you at your word. Be honest with me," I was begging at that point as I leaned into the side of his face.
"I'm sorry, Day," the tears in his eyes were displaying more apparent.
"That's not enough. So many people are warning me about you and I'm choosing to ignore all of that for you. Now my own brother has an issue with you. This isn't okay, Banks. I... I just need a minute," I protested as I stumbled my way out of the booth.
Banks smoothed my hand with his fingertips and proclaimed, "Please! Sit back down."
"Sometimes you make it so easy to believe what everyone says about you." My lip quivered as I jerked my hand away and hastened towards the Waffle House bathroom. It was surprisingly clean and decent looking, not that it was significant. I plainly required a place to settle that he wasn't brooding in.
Fury had rooted itself in the depths of my soul. I was frightful that anger would spew out of me in all the incorrect directions and I might have dispatched assumptions that I would've regretted later.
There was something wrong with me, there had to be. What was I thinking, tarrying around all night with a guy I barely knew? Everyone except Piper had something negative to say about him, including my own brother.
Each time I speak to Banks I get one inquiry answered and a million more plop into my mind. What could he have said about me that made Dennis want him dead? Was I making a consequential error only to prove a point?
Gripping the side of the sink, I took all of those concepts into perspective. At times he could be frustrating to the point that I could rip my hair out. Although on the other hand, I recognized so much virtue in him that my heart wouldn't let be disregarded.
Sulking in the bathroom wasn't fitting any longer, so I opened the door to be immediately welcomed by his apprehensive profile. "Before you say anything, Meryl thinks I'm making a huge mistake by loitering in front of the bathroom door for you. But, I think it's a charming gesture that you appreciate. So, who's right?"
Leaning against the entryway, I replied, "As tempting as it may have been, you probably should've listened to Meryl. She seems like a seasoned professional when it comes to teenage drama," I joked with a stout heart.
"Meryl also suggested that our food will get cold if we don't sit down. Maybe we should listen to that advice," he stretched his palm out as an invitation.
With skepticism, I took his hand and he guided us back to the booth. "Daya, I've had a colorful past. If someone tells you that I've done or said something, nice out of ten times I probably did. But, I'm trying to be better. I will tell you everything. Just please, don't make me talk about it right now." He kissed my forehead, but that wasn't enough.
"Fine," I had to let it go for that moment, but he was going to tell me. Even if I had to do something drastic.
"Can I ask you something?" He bargained in a lighter tone.
"Sure, but I don't promise that I'll actually answer," I half-joked through my dejected guise.
"Is this like our first date or something?" He smiled a goofy smile that he thought would make me feel a little better.
"Sure, if you want our first date to be at a Waffle House." I laughed through my words. Seemingly, he attained his goal.
He laughed, "Waffles are your favorite breakfast food and we're together having a good time. Despite my past rearing its ugly head, I'm enjoying our time together. Sounds like a good first date to me."
Hesitation flew over me before I said, "I would like it to be. The hypothetical second date is going to have to blow me out of the water though."
"What do you want to do for this 'hypothetical' first date then?" He used finger quotes over the word hypothetical.
"Maybe we could go back to the lighthouse. Your brothers could make our food and we could picnic out there and just talk surrounded by rushing water. Is that too much?" I got transported elsewhere in the mysterious sea that was his eyes.
He put his greasy palm on my cheek, "It sounds like a dream."
"You officially have to take me home now. My mom is blowing my phone up," I complained.
"What is she saying?" He looked over my shoulder as we exited the Waffle House less festive than when we stepped in.
"Come home as soon as possible. You had me worried sick. You know, the make your child feel extremely guilty, kind of text messages," I shoved my phone into his jacket pocket that I was still wearing.
"Those are the best kind," he said before I narrowed my eyes at him.
"She's going to tell me how disappointed she is with me," he opened the truck door for me and closed it after I got inside.
"What if she sees right through me?" I pouted as he opened the truck door on his side.
"I'd be more worried that she'll see right through the makeup," he joked.
"I'm not laughing," I said seriously. Perhaps lying was such an easy task for him, but it wasn't for me.
He sighed, "You will be fine. Piper will back up whatever you say." He cranked the vehicle up and sought to soothe my mind, but it didn't work.
"Am I supposed to pretend that this is Piper's truck?" We headed down the road towards my house.
"I can drop you off a house down," he said as I nodded.
"I'm sorry. My mom is going through so much right now, and I don't want her to worry about me, that's why I'm a bit cranky" I played with the hair on the back of his neck.
"I understand." He paused, "Are you going to tell them about your dad?"
I leaned over and laid my head on his shoulder, "I have to. There's no other choice."
I groaned into his shoulder, "If she starts talking about where you were last night, start talking about your dad."
"That's a good distraction. I just wish this didn't have to end," he squeezed my leg.
"It doesn't. We can hang out later today when I get off work." I had this sudden urge to kiss him but he was driving and I didn't want to die.
I lifted my head up, "My mom is going to want me to stay home with her today. To make sure I'm okay, emotionally and physically," I paused.
"God, I never thought I'd see the day that we would worry about my dad physically hurting one of us." It was still unbelievable to me, but I did just find out earlier this week. I needed more time to adjust to all the new situations in my life.
I could see the wheels turning in his mind, "We both got serious daddy issues," he seethed.
"But we also have each other now." I looked past him and out to the trees we passed by. Everything turned quiet beside the sounds of the car. My head pressed back against his shoulder, and I slipped my hand under his shirt in contempt.
*In the next chapters we have big confrontations coming. I'm so excited for y'all to read it.
I know the last few have been very Banks heavy, so how do you guys feel about that?
Hopefully, y'all will remember to follow, share, and comment for your girl!*