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She pops it into her mouth and raises her brows as she chews. “That’s really good.”
“I told you,” I say, leaving the basket in the middle of the table so she can have more if she wants them. “Though you covered it in so much ranch that I doubt you could even taste the sprout.”
She laughs. “Now, who’s judging?”
The entire team eats and talks, most of us rehashing moments from the game. About halfway through the meal, Emerson goes to the restroom, leaving her phone on the table, face up. It starts ringing. I look at the screen to see that Eliott is calling. The call goes to voice mail. A second later, it rings again. She takes her seat a few minutes later.
“Eliott just called,” I tell her.
“Okay, thanks.”
I watch her face, gauging her reaction to see who Eliott is to her. But she remains stoic, placing her phone face down on the table after looking at the screen.
“Who’s Eliott?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.
“My boyfriend.”
I finish my beer and toss my used napkin into the empty basket of food. “Ah, so Eliott’s the elusive boyfriend you rarely speak of. You gonna call him back?”
“Eventually,” she says evasively, taking a long pull of soda from her straw.
I’m interested to know who Eliott is. I wonder what kind of man Emerson is attracted to and how long they’ve been dating. If they’re serious.
We both get pulled into different conversations for a while. About twenty minutes later, Emerson slips out the front door. I follow, not wanting her to walk home alone, if that’s where she’s headed. I find her in the alleyway instead with the phone pressed to her ear.
“I’m sorry,” I overhear her say before she sighs. “This is the first chance I’ve had all night.” The frustration is thick in her voice.
I hesitate, ready to turn around and walk back inside to give her privacy when she spots me.
She covers the mouthpiece with her palm. “Do you need something?”
Her tone takes me off guard. Both the accusation behind her words and the anger are unexpected. I thought we were in a better place now, maybe even becoming friends. But she’s suddenly looking at me like she did earlier in the week. Like I’m an asshole and she can barely stand me.
“No. Just didn’t want you walking back to the hotel alone, if that’s where you were headed.”
“Obviously not.” She gestures toward the phone.
“My bad.” I frown with a huff. “I won’t worry about your well-being anymore.”
I turn to leave, but she grabs my shirt with a sigh, stopping me.
“Look, Eliott …” She turns her attention back to the call. “I can’t really talk right now. I’ll call you when I get back to the room.”
He says something I can’t hear. She sighs again, lifting her face to the sky.
“Okay, fine. I’ll just talk to you tomorrow.” She hangs up the call and shoves the cell into the back pocket of her jeans. After a few seconds, she turns toward me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bitch.”
“Trouble in paradise?” I ask, leaning against the brick wall next to her.
“You could say that.”
“Want to talk about it?” The alleyway is dark, except for the glow from the restaurant that lights the sidewalk in front of the building.
She shrugs and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, staying silent. I wait her out.
“He wants to get married.”
Emerson watches my face to see my reaction. She looks more surprised that she told me than I am at what she just revealed. I guess that answers the question about how serious they are.
