Saving Grace

John and I sat in a booth near the back of the cozy restaurant. It was clear that we were in a small town by all the curious looks the locals were giving us. Their gazes made me paranoid and self-conscious but John seemed oblivious to it all.

I easily found some relief from being observed by looking over the menu. "Do you have any idea on what you're getting?" John asked suddenly.

I didn't pull my eyes up, afraid that I would get distracted by everyone. "I-I'm not s-sure yet." I felt stupid for stuttering in front of John but I couldn't help it. I bit down hard on the inside of my lip, tucking a tuft of my now frizzed brunette waves behind my ear. "I'm thinking grilled-cheese and fries," I said after composing my fraying emotions. "What about you?"

"I'm thinking hamburger and fries." Just as I had guessed.

I nodded lightly and to my relief, a waitress walked over with a smile. "Hello, what can I get you two today?"

John glanced at me, "She'll take the grilled cheese with fries and I'll take the hamburger and fries."

The woman nodded with a bright, perfect smile. "Coming right up," she said, taking our menus from us before spinning on her heel and walking away.

I reached for my soft drink, using that as my safety net and lightly sipped at the end of my straw. John folded his arms on the tabletop and studied me, making me ten times more paranoid. I turned my eyes downward to stare at the gray-blue table. "What's going on between you and Nick?" John asked suddenly.

I looked up, wondering if I had heard him correctly. "Excuse me?"

"What's going on between you and Nick?" he repeated.

I shrugged turning my eyes back down to the table, still taking small sips from the carbonated drink in my hands.

"I noticed that you two have been acting different and every time I ask Nick about it, he just brushes it off," John said, his green eyes studying me intently.

I set my cup down carefully, the ice held inside making a small clinking noise as it brushed into the plastic sides that contained it. I shrugged once again, not wanting to talk about my relationship with my boyfriend's go-to man. It would get me in more trouble than anything, I was sure of it.

The sound of glasses and plates clinked over the soft music playing in the background. People's voices grew louder at times and softer at others. The place was small, cozy and welcoming with off-white painted walls and windows lining the front of the building which were perfect to watch the sunset from.

"Would you like me to drive?" I asked changing the subject.

"Do you want to?"

I nodded. It was, after-all, only fair. Before anything else was said our waitress walked over. "Would you like a re-fill?" she asked, nodding toward my nearly empty soda glass.

I nodded. "Yes, thank you," I said, handing my cup to her.

"No problem," she said before leaving John and I.

Within minutes she was back with my freshly filled cup. "How long have you two been going out?" she asked as she set my glass before me, making small talk.

I was about to correct her but John spoke first. "Four months," he said with a light smile, looking to me.

She nodded with a smile. "That's sweet."

I nodded. "Yeah, it is," I said before picking up my drink, making my voice sugar-coated.

I realized that I was suppose to be John's girlfriend, but I thought that our "relationship" only started in Tempe.

John lightly kicked me beneath the table knowing that my act sounded fake. I scowled at him. "She's meeting my parents for the first time... she's a little nervous," he stated as an accuse for my behavior.

The waitress looked at me with large, twinkling blue eyes. They were probably one of the prettiest shade I'd ever seen: a light blue similar to the color of the ocean at Cape Cod.

It made me smile inwardly as the thought brought up memories of the summer days I had spent on the coast.

"I wouldn't worry," she said, snapping me from reminiscing, a gorgeous smile placed neatly on her face. "I'm sure you'll make a good impression on them," she reassured.

"That's what I've been telling her the entire time!" John cried, easily falling into the part of my boyfriend.

I turned to him and smiled a little. "He has been," I confirmed, glancing to our waitress, nodding and finally slipping into my role as John's girlfriend and no longer Nicholas's. At least for the time being.

The sound of the door opening caught the woman's attention and she excused herself before going to seat the small family that had just entered. When I looked back my eyes caught John's. We stared at each other, our gazes locked. "I-I didn't realize that I was your girlfriend just yet," I stated after an extremely long moment of silence between us.

He shrugged a little. "Might as well start getting into role right away," he said simply.

I studied him for another long beat, the soft sounds of Leann Rimes playing softly over the speakers. I was never a huge fan of country music but she was a tolerable singer.

I gave up with our short staring game first, turning my eyes away to look down to my fingertips as they tapped and danced across the tabletop in beat with the music.

I could still feel John's gaze on me and I slowly felt myself start to blush. It was another one of my horrible, uncontrollable habits: blushing when under pressure. In attempt to hide the color flooding my face, I played with my hair, trying to discretely hide behind it.

John chuckled softly from across the table, sparking my curiosity. "What?"

He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "Nothing, really." I raised an eyebrow before he continued, "It's just funny that you're trying to hide."

"I am not trying to hide," I stated calmly, putting an emphasis on 'not' as I said it.

He nodded knowing otherwise. It was impossible to lie to John. He almost always saw through it so I wasn't sure why I was even bothering. "Sure, Amelia. You are such a liar."

"The waitress didn't seem to pick up on my fibs," I said softly so only John could hear.

He was about to retort but our waitress interrupted, balancing two plates in her hands with ease.

I sighed out a breath of relief, no longer wanting to converse with John. Everything just felt awkward once again. My conscious was practically shouting at me to stop this. In attempt to drown out my inner voice and to avoid conversation with John I turned to my food.