The Wall Between

Live music played outside and the smell of fresh cooked meals surrounded the yard. The tables were made up of wooden picnic-style tops and benches. People were all over the tables, some with dogs hiding in the shade and chewing on treats given out by waitresses. Live music was being played from inside, all of the windows open and letting the sound out.

Folding her feet up on the bench comfortably, Clarke handed her ID to the waitress after ordering a beer. Tyler did the same thing before smiling happily and signing something for the waitress, a woman whose son apparently loved the Dallas Stars and had Tyler’s jersey.

It was interesting, to watch Tyler pause their conversation to sign something and smile at the woman. His entire face lit up and he was very animated, telling her that her son had good taste before ordering his own food, thanking her for the speedy service. He was humble. It was nice.

“So smooth with the ladies,” Clarke teased. Dixie was under her bench, dozing off with Marshal’s nose pressed against her hind leg. “Even the moms.”

“What can I say, I’m a smooth criminal from Canada.”

“Which is strange, because the south seems to suit you.”

He seemed surprised. “Does it?”

Clarke shrugged and paused as she thanked the waitress for her beer. She took the frosted glass and took a few gulps, the dry taste staining her tongue and cooling her throat. It had taken a few years for Clarke to enjoy the taste of beer, but she had grown extremely accustomed to it.

“I think it does. You seem to blend in a little bit. Don’t think I didn’t see you singing those country songs this morning, I totally did.”

“I have a tendency to adapt.”

Drinking their beers, Tyler ordered a burger and Clarke ordered an array of wings, making them as hot as she could. Tyler and the waitress both gave her raised brows but she grinned happily. Ever since she was little, spicy food had been Clarke’s favorite. She distinctly remembered a time when she popped a ghost pepper in her mouth and gave her family a heart attack only to find out that she was completely fine. Collin had even started calling her ‘Dragon’ for a while, but the name had worn off in middle school.

Sitting with her knees pressed against the table, Clarke listened to Tyler talk about how he had adopted Marshall and how he wanted to get more Labradors. Clarke felt the same away about the breed, but with her tight school schedule, Dixie was enough to take care of.

When he had finished talking about Marshall, Clarke started talking about how she had gotten into sports medicine, discussing watching how Collin’s dream had completely vanished when he hadn’t healed properly. Clarke watched curiously as he drank in her every word, taking them and nodding and smiling at all appropriate parts.

Halfway through talking about her schooling, someone caught Clarke’s eye. She looked beyond Tyler to the red headed girl from his apartment walking down the street, talking on the phone. Clarke glanced back at Tyler. “Your red head friend is about to walk by on the other side of the gate.”

“What?” He demanded, his cool demeanor slipping as he turned around, ducking slightly. Clarke quirked her mouth to the side, watching him as he flushed red. “I totally blew her off today.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“Not at all, but I imagine you know how it is?”

Clarke made a face. “I don’t, but I can guess. Invite her over here.”

“Are you crazy?”

“No! Ask her to come join us so she doesn’t think we’re on a date, idiot.”

Tyler looked away from her and back at Clarke. He opened and closed his mouth for a second, watching her. He made a face then, the quickest twist of an expression that Clarke could not gather before he got up, calling her name. “Sheena!”

Biting her nail, Clarke watched. Tyler stood at the chain link fence that surrounded the outside sitting area of the restaurant. He was scratching the back of his neck, Sheena- an interesting name, Clarke thought- was not in Clarke’s line of vision. She watched the way Tyler’s muscles flex under his shirt when he threw a thumb over his shoulder, and the way he popped his hip out while standing and talking.

After a few moments, he was turning and walking back to the table, Sheena heading for the gate. Tyler gave her a look that she once again didn’t understand, but Clarke smiled. Sheena’s red hair was pulled out of her face, half-up and half-down. Her round features were open and beautiful, like her face thrived off of sunlight and her full lips pulled into a smile as she reached the table.

“Hi,” Clarke said easily, standing and offering her hand. “Sheena, right?” The girl nodded, shaking Clarke’s hand easily. “Tyler was just telling me how he was worried because our dog-plans were running into his timing with you. The service here is usually a little faster but at least you’re here!”

“Right?” she said, easily sitting next to Tyler. He was flicking his eyes nervously back and forth but Clarke ignored him. He had absolutely no reason to be nervous, but she assumed it was a male thing. “I just happened to be walking by and he shouted at me.”

“I call that fate,” Clarke smiled. “Here, I’ll catch the waitress so you can order.”

Sheena ordered a burger and a beer as well, folding her legs up onto the bench in the same manner as Clarke had. She quickly went on about how she was trying to find a place for good wedding shoes, as her old roommate was getting married the next month. Clarke gave her an address of a small, local shoe store, insisting that they had amazing shoes that no one else was going to find.

Listening to Sheena talk, Clarke decided that she was extremely intelligent. She was articulate in a way that made Clarke have a hard time following her, but it wasn’t as much as it was strange. Sheena had graduated the past fall semester with a major in journalism and a minor in English literature. The light bulb went off in Clarke’s head as she realized why Sheena was so affluent in speaking and had good questions and quick wit.

“What do you do?” Sheena has just bitten into her burger, their food arriving and causing a shift in topic. She watched Clarke easily. “I’ve seen you with books whenever I leave Ty’s. Still in school?”

“Finishing up this semester and then graduating with a major in sports medicine and a minor in anatomy. You probably see me with books because I am in a committed relationship with studying.”

“Anatomy and physiology,” she grumbled. “I took that as a general science requirement thinking, sure I know the body. I was extremely wrong and I almost failed the class. But you know what they say?”

“C’s get degrees?” Clarke offered, making Sheena nod loudly and hold her hand up for a high-five. Clarke gave her one smoothly, careful not to get the orange tint of the red wing sauce on her. “I think everyone feels that way freshman year.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “All this college talk is making me feel left out.”

“Good,” Clarke grinned. “I like her more than you.”

Once again, a look crossed Tyler’s face just as it had before, gone as quickly as it had been there and just as confusing as the last. Clarke didn’t pay mind to it, continuing to eat her wings, which were of perfect make. Dixie pressed her nose against Clarke’s foot, making Clarke roll her eyes and give her a piece of celery, even though she knew it was a bad habit.

The rest of lunch floated around casual conversation. Clarke enjoyed Sheena’s presence and Tyler had finally stopped acting strange. He fell into easy conversation with them and Clarke saw him sneaking Marshall fries. Especially when Dixie ditched Clarke’s celery for Tyler’s fried food. Even her own dog adored Tyler.

When the waitress came, Tyler insisted on being the one to pay the bill. Both Sheena and Clarke disagreed and managed to fight with him about it for five minutes before he threw his card at the waitress, apologizing if he had caught her off guard. Clarke glared at him as she finished her water, drinking only a single beer because it was Clarke that drove.

“What do you guys have planned the rest of the day?” Sheena asked as they walked out, the dogs secure on their collars. It was the first time that Sheena had visibly asked a question directed towards Tyler and not Clarke. Clarke looked the other way. “It’s only like two on a Saturday.”

“Oh, well I have to take Marshall back to the house,” Tyler started awkwardly, glancing at Clarke who had began to study him from the corner of his eye. It was obvious that he was suddenly at a loss of which way to go. “So there’s that.”

“I’ll take him,” Clarke offered, turning to face him full on. “Our dogs playing already cut into your plans. He’ll be fine with me until you get home!” Tyler hesitated. It looked like he changed his mind about saying whatever it was he parted his lips to say. “I promise he’ll be okay. He loves me, right?”

Licking his lips, Tyler nodded and handed the leash towards Clarke. She took it easily. Watching the leash change, Marshall instantly switched sides, walking to sit down next to Clarke, looking at her patiently. “Thank you so much. I’ll get him the second I’m home.”

“Seriously, he’ll be okay.” Clarke turned to Sheena, smiling. “It was awesome getting to officially meet you. Stop by my place any time you’re tired of this one.”

“I’ll definitely make sure to do that. Let’s get lunch sometime?”

“Yeah, just knock on my door.”

Sheena waved, heading towards the car. Tyler murmured something and she nodded, walking off without him. He turned around to face Clarke, looking her up and down. “You’re strange, you know that?”

“Hmm, sounds like something you’ve said before.”

“Thank you for covering my ass. I know I shouldn’t have blown her off but…” He shrugged.

“It is what it is,” Clarke filled in. A gust of wind knocked around a loose can on the pavement, loud against the silence that passed between the two of them. “Can I at least have a phone number for emergency purposes?”

“You’re definitely going to drunk dial me.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes you are. I’ll get a call at three in the morning- a booty call for sure.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “If I wanted to do that I would have already, I’ve lived next to you for a year.” She dug her phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Phone number, forty-nine.”

Beaming, Tyler took the phone, typing in his number. Clarke waited patiently for him, wondering what was taking forever. “I text myself so I have your number.” He gave her the phone back. She looked at it and gave him an exasperated look. He put his name in her phone as Tyler with several heart icons and a kissing face. “It gives it character.”

She looked at the text message. “’I have never loved someone else like I love you, forty-nine? From the girl in forty-seven?’ First of all, I would never type like that, you type like you’re in seventh grade.”

“And second of all?”

“I’ve never been in love so that first statement is negated.” Tyler seemed surprised but Clarke was already backing up, shoving the phone back in her pocket. “I’ll see you when you come to get Marsh. We’re going to watch movies and eat junk food.”

“Sounds like a good time.”

“Later, forty-nine.”

“As always, forty-seven.”