Can You Keep a Secret

Olive Garden became our place when both Ray and I lived in the US. We both grew up loving pasta and so it just became the place we always went. We had yet to change what we ordered since we first visited the restaurant.

"Here's your meals," the waitress said with a smile. She left shortly afterwards.

"Now, tell me all about your new job!" Ray pushed excitedly.

I laughed. "It's really cool. I met a lot of the people that work there. I kind of became friends with two of the people that work there."

"Okay, thanks for the vague outline. Now tell me more. Do you have your own office or just a desk? What?" he asked.

I took a bite of my pasta, savoring the taste. "I have my own office. They told me I can decorate it however, so I was going to go look for some paint this weekend and maybe some picture frames," I told him.

"Nice! What do you think you'll do? Something boring like always?" he teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Beige is not boring," I retorted.

"Beige? Come on! Find something a little more exciting. Please. Live a little!"

I snorted. "Whatever."

"Since my arguement seems pointless, tell me about your new friends."

"One is named Craig. He's really nice. He works a few doors over from me. He's been working there for about two years now. He showed me the ropes and everything. Then the tech guy, Max, came in and help set up my computer and everything. He was really nice. Turns out he went to U of A, too."

Ray frowned. "Sounds like you like that Maddy dude," he muttered.

I roled my eyes. "Max. And no, I don't. He's just a nice guy," I corrected. I took a sip of my ice water.

"That's why you were so smily while talking about him, huh?"

I rolled my eyes as I roughly put my glass back down on the table. "Ray, calm yourself. He's just a nice guy," I stated.

Ray laughed. "Right. I bet you that in the next month, he'll ask you on a date," he said with a smirk.

I scooted forward in my booth. "If you're wrong, you take me to a play."

"If I'm right, you can't go on that date," he returned.

I stuck my hand out across the table. "Deal."

"Deal."

We pulled out hands back, laughing. "Anyways," he began. "Do you want some help putting your office together?"

I shrugged. "That's okay. I think I can handle," I told him honestly.

He nodded. "Well, call me if you want. I don't think we're doing anything," he told me.

"How has the team been doing?" I asked.

"Good. We're doing really well. We might make it to the Cup this year," he said with a hopeful expression.

"Yeah? I'll be in the stands cheering for you," I promised.

He smiled. "Just like always."

We continued our conversation through dinner. We talked about the team and some of the their games. He's gotten hit into the boards and earned a split eyebrow. I laughed as he complained about how the stiches ripped and continued to whine about everything.

"Maybe I'll look like you after it's all healed up," he suggested.

My left eyebrow had a scar through the middle of it. It had been there since I was twelve. "What in the world convinced you to go out on the ice while Eric was skating around... I still can't figure it out," he said, shaking his head.

I blushed. Ray had been under the impression for years that my scar was from Eric's skate. "I told you, I dropped something on the ice and crawled out there to get it. Did you want me to just leave it there?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "You could have asked him to get it for you," he pointed out.

"He was busy skating around!"

"Exactly why you got a skate in the face," he replied with a smirk.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I remember that day pretty well. Ray ran home to go get his skates that he'd left at home. I was left to sit next to the rink and wait for him. I was not allowed on the ice at all, Ray made that very clear. As soon as Ray's truck was out of site, Eric had handed me a pair of skates and told me to hurry up and put them on.

Eric gave me a five minute lesson before I fell and hit the edge of one of the boards by the backyard rink. My eyebrow took most of the impact, causing it to split wide open. Eric freaked out and yelled for his mom to drive us to the hospital so it would stop bleeding. There had been so much blood everywhere.

When Ray showed up, Eric was freaking out and apologizing like crazy. I simply made up a quick story about how I was on the ice and Eric didn't see me. Hence how "his skate collided with my face".

I smiled to myself as I took a sip of my water. I always felt so confident knowing that for once, Ray didn't know exactly what was going on in my life. It was superfluous and idiotic, but it was the only time I had really been able to keep something hidden.

Ray and I left the restaurant shortly after, him treating me to dinner saying it was a celebration. My brother and I used never get along, but things changed. Something clicked one day and we just became close. He took care of me and made sure things were going good in my life while I kept his idiotic ideas and actions to a minimun and gave him girl advice - which he happened to need often.

Ray gave me a hug. "Bye, Ricky," he told me.

I smiled up at him. "Bye, Ray-Ray," I returned. I drove home after that, my left overs sitting in the seat next to me.