Page 37 of We Shouldn't Be Together
The milkshake machine stops buzzing, and soon Maddy makes her way to our table with Milo’s milkshake.
I whistle at the sight. “Geez, Maddy, you outdid yourself.”
The milkshake is topped high with cream, cake pieces, and sliced strawberries. Through the large serving glass, there are chunks of cake and strawberry swirled amongst the creamy liquid.
“Thanks,” Maddy says proudly, sitting the glass in front of Milo. “Enjoy, Milo.”
“Thanks.” He smiles up at Maddy. “Looks great.”
“Aunty,” Jamie whines from another table. “Once I get all the tables clean, can I go with Kai back to his place?”
“You can’t just invite yourself to…”
I cut Maddy off. “Yes, she can. You know Jamie unofficially owns our guest room.”
“Yeah, see, Aunty,” Jamie says, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Maddy shrugs. “Well, it doesn’t bother me. As long as it’s cool with Mr. and Mrs. Nelson.”
“It is,” I blurt.
“You haven’t even checked with Mom and Dad,” Milo says flatly.
“Just drink your milkshake,” I order.
Milo looks up to the left, unbothered to do a full eye roll, and leans forward to suck his milkshake through the red-striped straw.
“David is dropping off Chinese food later,” Maddy tells Jamie. “Did you want him to order you something?”
Jamie pokes two fingers in her mouth, making a gagging face. “Gross. You can pick me up after dinner.”
“David is a nice guy,” Maddy complains. “You should give him a chance.”
Jamie makes more gagging noises, spinning in her sneakers to clean another table near my booth. “Dude, you gotta save me from Mr. Stuffy. I’d actually like to eat dinner and instead of hurling it up.”
“I got you.” I wink at her. “You could move in for all I care.”
“Thanks,” she says with a laugh. “But I’ll be jumping off a cliff before David moves into our place.”
I snigger at the comment as Jamie moves further onto a table that actually needs to be cleaned.
“Umm,” Milo starts, tapping the sides of his milkshake glass.
“Ugh,” I huff. “What, Milo?”
His lips twist, trying to avoid the question. But it’s Milo. He can’t help himself. “Are you… Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you and Jamie?”
“Yuck, no!“ I grimace as a wad of saliva rolls to the back of my throat. “Eww, why would you ask that? That’s like asking if anything is going on between me andyou.”
Milo shudders, raising his palms in defense. “Eww, okay. Just checking.”
“Why would you ask that? You know, Jamie and I are friends.”
“Yeah, but sometimes, friendships turn into more.”
“And how would you know? How many girlfriends have you had to make you an expert?”
Milo huffs. “It’s not like you’re one to talk.”
