Tonight, Not Again
Can Read My, Can Read My Poker Face
It was the first meal of our week-long press tour. Peter and his wife, who had joined him for the brief trip, wanted to take the rest of the us “kids” out for dinner. We ended up at an Italian place in Boston. Go figure.
We hadn’t even been sitting for more than ten minutes and already there were at least three different conversations going on. Kristen was telling us about a vacation she and Mike took to Mexico. Taylor regaled us of stories from his final year in high school and how he met this “really cute” girl in the lunch line. Peter talked about his kids.
Everyone had someone to talk about, so did I talk about Zoey? She was what I had to show for the past month of my life, but I didn’t know what to say.
“Rob.” Nikki poked my arm. “You haven’t said anything all night. What’s the deal?”
“Oh.” I hadn’t even realized that I was staring at the door. “Nothing, just listening to everyone. So did you find anything out about that movie deal?” I made a move to change the subject, but she stopped me.
“I don’t buy it.” Nikki was one of my closest friends, yet she had no idea that I was seeing Zoey. Why hadn’t I told anyone about her? “Is it Kate?”
Peter stopped talking and looked my way.
“Yeah, we heard about that.” He always spoke with his hands.
“Who didn’t?” I took a drink. My god I was incredibly uncomfortable.
“You haven’t seen her lately, have you?”
“Or are you seeing someone else?” The rest of the table abandoned their conversations and focused on me.
“No.” I decided to just tell them. “I’ve just been hanging out with, er, a friend.”
“Ow ow!” Leave it to Taylor. “Just a ‘friend’?”
“Who said it was a girl?” I tried to be sly, but then I realized that I just implied I might be gay.
“Your cheeks are flushed.” Ashley smiled at me from across the table. I was blushing? “What’s her name?”
“Zoey.”
“Rob and Zoey,” Kristen said, as if she was figuring out our probability based on how well our names sounded together. “That’s great!”
“No, no it’s not like that.”
But oh how I wished it was.
We hadn’t even been sitting for more than ten minutes and already there were at least three different conversations going on. Kristen was telling us about a vacation she and Mike took to Mexico. Taylor regaled us of stories from his final year in high school and how he met this “really cute” girl in the lunch line. Peter talked about his kids.
Everyone had someone to talk about, so did I talk about Zoey? She was what I had to show for the past month of my life, but I didn’t know what to say.
“Rob.” Nikki poked my arm. “You haven’t said anything all night. What’s the deal?”
“Oh.” I hadn’t even realized that I was staring at the door. “Nothing, just listening to everyone. So did you find anything out about that movie deal?” I made a move to change the subject, but she stopped me.
“I don’t buy it.” Nikki was one of my closest friends, yet she had no idea that I was seeing Zoey. Why hadn’t I told anyone about her? “Is it Kate?”
Peter stopped talking and looked my way.
“Yeah, we heard about that.” He always spoke with his hands.
“Who didn’t?” I took a drink. My god I was incredibly uncomfortable.
“You haven’t seen her lately, have you?”
“Or are you seeing someone else?” The rest of the table abandoned their conversations and focused on me.
“No.” I decided to just tell them. “I’ve just been hanging out with, er, a friend.”
“Ow ow!” Leave it to Taylor. “Just a ‘friend’?”
“Who said it was a girl?” I tried to be sly, but then I realized that I just implied I might be gay.
“Your cheeks are flushed.” Ashley smiled at me from across the table. I was blushing? “What’s her name?”
“Zoey.”
“Rob and Zoey,” Kristen said, as if she was figuring out our probability based on how well our names sounded together. “That’s great!”
“No, no it’s not like that.”
But oh how I wished it was.