I rolled my eyes. "You're crazy."
"I'm telling you," he insisted. "From an outside, objective view, it's obvious."
So she's jealous? I thought. Of Pinky? That was just stupid. Since we were thirteen, both of us had dated other people. We used to tell each other about our crushes. We used to talk about having playdates with our kids when I had a wife and she had a husband. We used to lie in bed together, centimeters apart, and talk about movies and places around the world and what it must be like to fall in love.
"Well I don't like her," I said sorrowfully. "At least, not like that." He said nothing and kept chewing, reaching across the table to pull the salad closer to him. I watched his t-shirt sleeve stretch around his bicep. "I like you," I whispered.
He slowed his chewing for a second and looked at me. "Yeah, I know."
I didn't really expect it to be a shock. After all, he'd accused me of this in the past. But I'd never really been sure if he was just kidding around. As crazy as it sounded, sometimes all of it, the flirting, the kissing and everything else, still seemed like some weird joke. And now it was finally solidified in my mind that no, it was definitely for real.
"I just thought I'd tell you," I murmured, picking at the plastic wrap on the second chicken sandwich.
He had finished his already. "You better eat that before I do," he said, staring at it.
I sighed and pushed it in his direction before standing. "Enjoy."
"Come on, wait a second," he said, reaching for my arm. I pulled it away and his hand ended up colliding with my thigh instead. "Sit down."
I reluctantly took Sarah's seat and watched him slide the uneaten sandwich over to me.
"I got this for you," he said, and against my wishes my heart decided to find that sweet. "So you have it. What are you doing tonight?"
"Homework."
"Boring." He popped open the plastic salad container. "Why don't you come with me?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Come with you? Isn't every time you leave to go fuck someone?"
He chuckled and aggressively stabbed some lettuce with the fork. "No. I mean, yeah, most of the time it turns into that. But you could come just hang out with me and my friends. You could use some new ones, right?"
"So... it's like a party?"
"Kind of. There's a lot of drugs. Drinking. Sometimes orgies. It's fun. You'll see."
"Sarah's right." I picked up the sandwich and took a tentative bite. "You're a terrible influence."
He looked up and smiled. "I'm a great influence. Wanna try the salad? It's healthy. Lots of..." He squinted at it. "Lots of leaves in here."
I forked a slice of cucumber.
"Oh, by the way. I texted the Uber driver while you were, uh, talking, and apologized for threatening his life and all, and he's going to try to return your stuff. Emphasis on try. Sound good?"
"You threatened his life?"
"Yes. In the heat of the moment. I was very upset. I'm sure he's done things he's not proud of as well. Like stealing drunk college students' clothes. I sorta hinted that I could totally destroy his career and he seemed cooperative."
I smiled and pressed my lips together. "So you said sorry for threatening him and then threatened him again?"
"Sometimes that's what it takes." He closed the salad and picked up the wrapper of his sandwich before standing. "See you tonight, Benny."