mornings are for coffee and contemplation

While this whole turn of events had been interesting, it seemed to become even more so. Did people really not meet up anymore? Holly saw pictures of him and bailed? Uh, yikes. So, naturally, Lucas couldn’t help giving a nervous chuckle. “I don’t know if I should be offended or relieved. I think I wanna lean towards the latter, though. If we’re being honest… I didn’t think the date would go well. And I think the only reason it did go well was because, well… you’re not her.” Maybe it was a little harsh for him to say since he couldn’t really say he knew Holly. But their personalities seemed pretty different just in what conversations he’d had with her, and Olivia seemed to understand based on her honesty.

The more she spoke and the more she explained that night and her actions, the more enamored Lucas sort of felt. It was endearing. Olivia had wanted to help him out when she didn’t even know him. She wanted to have some fun, but felt bad for doing so. All of this probably should have scared him off but honestly? It only intrigued Lucas that much more. “Fun and nice and interesting. My ego feels a little better now, thank you.” He laughed. “That handshake had me a little nervous. I could tell something was going on, you know? But I didn’t know what. So, I was… a little hesitant to swing by here. I’m glad everything’s okay.” Watching Olivia’s reaction and getting her response, Lucas smiled. “They certainly can be. Not that I have any of my own, of course, but sometimes I feel like I might as well have. A couple of my friends can be a handful. Which you’ll probably meet sometime soon, then.” Lucas took a sip of his coffee before pulling his phone from his pocket and unlocking the screen. “I know you’re here with your son, and it’s work, so I don’t want to hold you here or anything. But yeah. We can try a real date? And I’m pretty sure we don’t have each other’s real number?” He brought up a blank text message for her to put her number in, slipping his phone across the table to her. 

Although Lucas seemed to be someone who didn’t get angry easily, Olivia was relieved to see that after her explanation, he didn’t look upset at her. He could get angry and upset at Holly for all she cared, but she had truly liked him, so it was a relief to see him smiling and being a dear with her. “I mean... I’m not lying. You are fun, even though you’ve never seen Jumanji. You’re very nice for giving me the opportunity to explain myself and well, if you weren’t interesting, I wouldn’t have stayed for as long as I did that night, so...” Again, she smiled at the tall man. His cute, child-like smile made her want to reach out and caress his cheek, but she kept her hands to herself. Too much intimacy.

“I’m actually glad you decided to stop by. I mean... sure, a heads up would’ve been great because I would have given me some time to prepare, but I’m happy you’re here and we’re having this coffee.” Wow. Lame. I bet Jordan would tell her she was being lame. And making plans to meet his friends? The possibility of spending enough time with him to be included in his life was actually refreshing. Liv couldn’t remember the last time she felt like this... especially when it came to men, since her ex was an asshole. “Yes, sure. I’d love that.” Liv replied with a smile as she typed her phone number and saved it on his phone as Olivia Hendersen, before returning it to him. “I promise not to end it with a handshake this time.” Oh.. um... was that too forward? She definitely didn’t mean it like that..

Lucas had already had plenty of time to think about things while waiting for her shift to end, but he tried not to think. Thinking created biases and he wanted to give her the chance to explain before he could confuse himself anymore by everything that happened. When she returned to their table, he thanked her for the coffee, a little surprised by the addition of muffins. “Honestly? I’m not really one for holding grudges or anything like that. It was just a little unexpected. That’s all.” So, she did know Holly. That made sense. It explained how she ended up in her place. Well, sort of. “I guess I’m still a little confused…? Was this planned? Why pretend to be someone else?” Lucas shook his head. Maybe that didn’t matter. “I didn’t really talk to Holly that much. We were just going to go out on a date and see what happened. But if everything else was true, I mean… As awkward as it turned out to be, I… I’m glad that it did?” He smiled, holding back a laugh. How crazy did he sound right about now? He had been lied to and it made him feel a bit paranoid. Especially since he hadn’t really dated in so long. But he enjoyed their little date. He liked her. He liked Olivia. “Did I mention I have an eerie amount of patience? It gets on my friends’ nerves all the time. But don’t worry about it. There are more important things.” Lucas took a sip of his coffee before lacing his fingers around it. Everything else was true. Yeah, he could take her word on that because she didn’t lie about where she worked. That was… refreshing. “Can we start over? No apologies necessary. I think I’d rather get to know Olivia better. If she’s okay with that. And Lucas… That’s a pretty great name.” He chuckled. 

“I--no. I mean... I don’t know.” Olivia furrowed her brows as she kept staring at her cup of coffee, trying to remember more accurately her train of thoughts prior to her date with him. “Holly---” The blonde began again, after a brief pause and then looked up from her coffee to meet Lucas’ gaze. She felt like she owed him that much. “--can be very mean when she wants to.” And Olivia hated to be the one saying that because it did feel like she was trash talking a friend, but it wasn’t her fault that it was the truth. It could have been worse... she could’ve said that Holly was a bitch (which wouldn’t be a lie either). “She managed to get some pictures of you from your mutual friend and said you looked boring. That she didn’t want to waste her time and that she was going to stand you up.” Shit, maybe she shouldn’t have said those words about Lucas. Liv thought about it as she sipped on her coffee. It was bad enough that she had lied, now her honesty might offend him. Great. 

“I... honestly don’t know what made me go to the bar that night. I don’t really go on dates, so maybe that was a way for me to go on one without actually going on one? I don’t know... but I promise I didn’t do it because I wanted to hurt you or anything. I even thought about telling you right away, but I didn’t want you to be upset. Then, my plan became to pretend to be her and sort of let you down easy?” She admitted with an apologetic shrug. “But... you were so fun and nice and interesting... the conversation flowed easily and before I knew, it was too late to say something, so I panicked.” Liv chuckled nervously. “I was going for a hug, but my hand got in the way and that’s how the handshake happened.” His proposal caught her off guard though, which was what caused Olivia to stare at Lucas like a deer in headlights, but there was a small smile on her lips because yes, she would love that! She kept thinking about him and reprimanding herself... now she could actually give it a try. “Su--sure? Sure, she’d love that. I’d love that.” The Lucas part of it was still undecided because she didn’t want for her son to get to know a guy and get attached to them only to be left alone like his father would do. “That really is a pretty great name, I have to admit. And he’s a great kid, too. He’s my buddy, I’m really lucky to have him. He can be a little handful sometimes, but all kids are handful.”

“That’s always a good feeling. Getting everything accomplished on time.” She was expecting for him not to be there. Well, Lucas would say that would be pretty typical to assume. Perhaps most people would have taken off. But he didn’t see the harm in staying. He was already there. Why not talk? Lucas shrugged, returning a small smile. “It’s no big deal. I’m already here, and it’s nice to see you again.” Which was true. Because even if she lied about who she was, Lucas had to assume she wasn’t faking everything. Plus, yeah, he didn’t have any other plans and the commute back home would feel even longer if he would have just left everything as it was. He wanted to shake his head at her offer since it honestly wasn’t necessary but decided to cave. “Uh, a small latte is fine?” Once she was comfortably seated, Lucas provided another small smile. “So… Olivia, and Lucas? Your… son?”

After having him accept her coffee offer, Liv felt relieved. Now she could think of how to explain everything to him. It gave her some time to think while standing in line to get them coffee and something to munch on, which she did. Olivia placed his latte in front of him and a plate with two muffins on the table, before sitting down with her own macchiato. “I... yeah.” She nodded looking down at her coffee while holding the cup with both hands. The petite blonde paused for a moment, gathering enough courage to continue talking. “I really am sorry for lying to you, Lucas.” She sighed, running her fingers through her short, blonde hair and then looked up at him. “I’m not like that... throughout the night, I wanted to tell you the truth... but you had gone there for Holly and I was selfish... I wanted to enjoy the night a little more. Before I knew, it was too late to say anything... I left suddenly because I knew it wasn’t right to continue tricking you like that.” Would it be right to say she had liked him? It felt like it was too much. Better not say anything. “But my name is Olivia. I do know Holly. She’s... a friend. I don’t have any siblings... Holly does. I have a seven year old called Lucas... who is my roommate... and everything else I told you was true. Still, I am sorry for lying to you. You didn’t deserve that. You’re way too nice to be tricked like that.”

He’d be lying if he said his head wasn’t spinning a bit, but given his occupation, he had plenty of patience and was willing to get to the bottom of all this. If that was something she wanted too. Lucas didn’t want to fire off questions or place blame anywhere. They were both adults. She had her reasons. He could have just told her to forget it and he could have walked away. But then what would either of them learn? That it was okay to avoid confrontation just because it wasn’t favorable? All Lucas could do was nod when she told him to stop apologizing. “No, not at all. It’s not too much. You’d be surprised how easily entertained I am. Besides, there’s still plenty to check out around here.” He was about to tell her that was unnecessary, buying him coffee and a pastry. But he let it be. One thing at a time. “One hour. I can meet you by the… cafe?”

Plans having been set in motion, Lucas parted ways with Olivia for the time being so she could get back to work. He kept an eye on the time as he roamed around other parts of the museum, people watching just as much as he was looking at the various artwork. Lucas was a little startled when he tried to turn around, almost running a little girl over who seemed to sneak up behind him, staring up at him with a grin and waving. Which prompted the parent to come over and apologize, but Lucas just shook his head, waving back at the toddler. Olivia had a kid. Older than this girl but still. It… was an interesting addition to this whole situation. Seeing the time, Lucas made his way to the LACMA’s cafe, taking a seat at one of the tables outside to keep an eye out for Olivia. And when he saw her, he waved and got up from his seat, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “How… was the rest of work?”

Olivia didn’t only feel bad... no... she felt awful. Even worse than that particular night where she had lied to him, simply because she wasn’t expecting to run into him again. Yet, here she was... But she focused on her task at hand, finishing some emails and that one phone call in her office before turning off her computer, grabbing her things and then heading outside to meet Lucas at the cafe. Her own Lucas was still at the kids section according to Jenna, which easied up Liv’s mind as she stepped into the cafe and waved back at Lucas, then approaching him. “It was good. I managed to finish everything on time, which is a miracle, so I’d say it was good.” She pressed her lips together for a moment, before offering him a small smile as she set her coat down on her seat and adjusted her shirt. “Again, thanks for waiting and for letting me explain everything--I was kind of expecting you not to be here. What can I get you? My treat.”

Lucas didn’t think much of the little boy’s presence because she never mentioned having a child. But boy, did he have everything wrong. She’s not auntie Holly, her name’s Olivia! And the look on her face. Fuck. What… was happening? Obviously, Lucas shouldn’t have come here. His attention bounced from the blonde to the little boy and back again. Everything felt like it was going over his head, in one ear and right out the other, sorely confused. So, she was a mother? “I… yeah. I’m Lucas.” He still gave a small wave and smile to the boy before—was it Olivia?—grabbed a coworker’s attention to take him elsewhere. 

Once little Lucas was gone and she turned back to him, it took a moment for her words to truly register. “It’s… okay. I shouldn’t come here.” Lucas felt like he was mostly talking to himself. Pondering why she lied, and if anything she even told him was true from the start. But it was possible she had her reasons, right? He wasn’t one to jump to conclusions and judge. At least he tried not to. “Water under the bridge.” Lucas had no idea this could have been a possible outcome upon running into her here. How could he? Even still, he wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it. Especially since she was at work. “Nice to officially meet you, then. Your, uh, your roommate wasn’t quite what I expected. He’s a cutie though.” Lucas managed another small smile, assuming and putting two and two together. He cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair and slowly nodding to himself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just shown up like this. You don’t have to explain anything.” Because she looked like a ghost when she recognized him, whether it was from being caught in a lie or because she did genuinely feel bad, it didn’t matter. She didn’t lie about working here. At least there was that. At this point, Lucas felt bad if he just left but that was probably the best option, wasn’t it? “But if you do want to talk, maybe… we can meet around the coffee shop?” Perhaps she could take a break, or she would be out of here soon. Or she wouldn’t want to talk at all. He wanted to give her the option, though not entirely sure she was even interested, considering this turn of events.

It really bothered her that he was the one standing there and saying things like ‘I shouldn’t have come here’ or ‘I’m sorry’ when he had done nothing but being nice and sweet and a goddamn adorable guy, while she had lied and pretended to be someone she clearly wasn’t. “Please stop...” The petite blonde shook her head, running her fingers through her golden strands and sighing as she pinned them on the top of her head, trying to organize her thoughts so she wouldn’t make things worse. “Stop apologizing... none of this is your fault.” She was actually surprised that he was willing to sit down and talk about it, but considering the fact that he was a social worker, maybe that was why. Liv ignored his comment about Lucas... in fact, she ignored a lot of things that he had said, simply because she was so deeply ashamed that it was hard for her to focus on everything that he was saying.

Liv checked her watch---she should be able to clock out soon, but then again, she wondered if Lucas would be willing to wait. “I need to handle this situation upstairs, but I’m off in one hour. I know it’s too much to ask, but I really appreciate you wanting to talk about this... because I feel bad about lying to you and I want to explain myself. I’ll buy you coffee... and a pastry.” She smiled, apologetically. “That is... if you can wait. I don’t want to hold you if you can’t.”

Considering she didn’t say anything in regards to the not-so-subtle date comment, Lucas tried not to think much of it. It could have been too soon to bring it up, or the date wasn’t going as well for her as he felt it was for him. Which was odd because he swore he was reading things differently. But it was fine. He just wouldn’t bring up a possibility of a future date again. “Lame? Nah. I’d say smart.” Lucas finished off his beer just as she checked her phone again and explained that she had to go home. And just when he told himself he wasn’t going to think too much about it. “Yeah? Okay.” Seeing her leave money for her half, Lucas followed suit and pulled out his wallet to make sure the rest was covered, tip included. “It was fun. And nice to officially meet you. I can walk you out, if you’d like? To wait for the Uber.” Lucas didn’t want to apologize because that meant bringing the topic up again, but in case he did have it wrong, it only felt right to say something. “Hey… I’m sorry if I said anything that made you uncomfortable. Definitely was not my intention.” 

Honestly, Olivia felt bad to leave like that, but she couldn’t keep on lying to this guy’s face. He looked nice enough and she had never been a fan of lying to others. This was doing none of them any favors and the only thing it would happen was disappointing Lucas even more... while disappointing herself too, so even though she wanted to stick around and talk more, it was better to go home. “It really was nice.” Liv smiled honestly as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “First dates are usually nerve wrecking, but you made it very easy.” She confessed with a light chuckle as they began getting ready to leave... and then he apologized and, fuck--she felt even worse. At that time, Olivia wanted to come clean, to apologize for lying to him and actually suggest they’d go on a date of their own, no lies, no nothing... but she didn’t. She was too much of a coward. “You didn’t... I promise you didn’t. You’re an amazing guy... I just really need to go home. It has to do with my roommate.” The blonde smiled at him, hoping she’d been genuine enough. As they walked outside, Liv put her jacket back on because it was chilly outside and she didn’t want to start shivering even though her Uber was close enough according to her app. “He’s here...” She said, after spotting the Uber and signaling for them, then turned to Lucas again---shit, what would she do? Ugh, fuck! Her first instinct was to offer her hand, which she immediately regretted because she could’ve gone for a hug at least. Oh well... “It was great meeting you, Lucas. I’ll see you around, okay?”

“Don’t get me wrong. Halloween is great, but yeah…” Lucas smiled, half hiding his face behind his hand. And she touched his knee again. Wasn’t that kind of a sign for flirting? That wasn’t always the case though and Lucas didn’t want to assume. What was he supposed to do to reciprocate if it was? Pat her knee in return? Yikes, he was bad at this. He really should have tried to go on more dates while working through school. “Ah, okay. Kind of like whatever happens, happens. Whoever’s around.” He nodded. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it much more than that, so he left it.

“Woohoo! I remembered the monkey!” Lucas had to laugh. He knew he’d watched that movie when he was a kid but damn, he couldn’t remember anything that happened in it. “You should go for it. I’m sure it’s on DVD and in a video store somewhere. Or the internet.” When she gave a little synopsis of the movie he wasn’t familiar with, he couldn’t help smiling and nodding along. “You could have a movie night. Watch Jumanji, and after you’ve been creeped out by the spiders and crocodiles, you can watch the other one. Balances everything out. It could… potentially make a great date night too.” It didn’t hurt to make that a suggestion, right? Because with the way the night had been thus far, Lucas would like to see her again if she was up to it. “Alright, just making sure everything’s okay.” He grabbed a couple more fries while pondering over her question. “I don’t know. I’m a pretty open book. I don’t know if I have any secrets. What about you? Or anything you’ve done before and embarrassed yourself?”

Lucas furrowed his brow as she started talking about needing Bloody Mary and worrying about spirits, his confusion and immediate sense of hell no distracting him. So, before he could protest, feeling her grab his knee made him jump. Lucas placed a hand over his heart while rolling his eyes at himself, laughing at the fact that he actually jumped. “No, you’re fine! That’s funny. Just don’t ever put me in one of those fun house things on Halloween with all the mirrors everywhere. I’ll pass on that.” As she spoke about Christmas, he nodded in understanding. “I get it. It’s like the Christmas spirit, and all the decorations and things. It’s nice. Now I know you said your sisters aren’t around, but do you get together with anyone? Do they come back home or do you see your parents?” Hopefully that wasn’t a sensitive subject but Lucas just kind of associated a lot of holidays with family. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Jumanji? I honestly don’t think I remember it, wow. Robin Williams. And I’m pretty sure there was a monkey. Damn, it’s been too long.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’ve heard of the other one? Or I’m just not remembering it by name, but that’s awesome. Renting movies. Who does that anymore? Kids these days will never know the struggle of having to physically rewind a movie, man.” Lucas grabbed a couple more fries while still managing not to make a mess, chewing in thought as the question was thrown back at him. “There were some pretty great 80s and 90s movies, for sure. I might have to go with, hm… Memento? I don’t know if it’s like, my absolute favorite but movies like that always intrigue me. Psychological thriller types. Makes you think.” Checking phones frequently was something Lucas was used to but maybe there was a slight change in her expression that had him asking, “Everything okay?” Because if she needed to be somewhere or if it was getting late for her, or even if she just wanted to leave, he wanted to respect that. “We can make this our sort of ‘last call’ if you want.”

“Alright, so no fun houses on Halloween for you.” Olivia gently patted on his knee, hoping she wasn’t invading his personal space or seeming too flirty, which made her grow self conscious, so she practically imediately pulled her hand back to her own lap, only to try and keep them busy by holding onto her drink or grabbing a few other fries. Luckily, she stopped herself from saying something about wanting to take on a mirrored house next time because as fun as Lucas was, this was supposed to be a one-time thing. Besides... she was Holly, right? Then, he brought up her sisters not being around and fuck--now they were talking about family and she couldn’t drag him into her own personal drama. Usually her Christmas were spent with her own Lucas at the Rogers house, but if she said anything about it, it wouldn’t be Holly anymore, right? “I meet up with whoever is in town.” Which was pretty much what Holly would say. Something vague not to raise lots of questions, but it did make her wonder why she was still friends with the other woman.

 “There is a monkey!” She giggled, joining her hands in one single clap as she leaned in, then away. “They don’t make movies like that anymore. I mean... Jumanji was amazing. It made me laugh, cry and got all creeped out by the spiders and crocodiles. Wow... you’re making me want to watch it again.” She joined him when he picked a couple of more fries, then downed them with her drink. “It’s about these four friends who have an adventurous summer in the 70′s. It’s such a fun movie for girls! Demi Moore is in it. And right? Ugh, and we had to pay extra if we didn’t rewind the tapes. Awful!” She threw her hands up, pretending to be frustrated, only to laugh softly again. Olivia was having so much fun, she almost forgot that this wasn’t her date, that Lucas wasn’t interested in her... so when she remembered it, it made her check her phone to see if the babysitter had sent her anything. “No, I don’t have to go for at least another hour.” She replied with a smile, not wanting him to feel like she was bored, because Liv was the opposite of that. “Tell me something you never told anyone.”

Before Lucas could say anything, he heard the song playing overhead just as she pointed it out, earning a laugh from him. “Perfect timing. I don’t know if I’m aware of all the common superstitions, so maybe I do certain things and don’t even realize it. Uh… Breaking mirrors? I think they’re supposed to be associated with bad luck. I don’t really believe in that but mirrors are kind of freaky?” He smiled, knowing he sounded a little ridiculous, right? “I think I’ve watched too many movies or something, where spirits attach themselves to mirrors. And the whole Bloody Mary thing.” Once they had their chili cheese fries, Lucas managed to grab one a bit off to the side that wouldn’t be quite as messy, happily taking a bite and nodding. “Yeah, it doesn’t really have a set date. It’s based off a Chinese calendar at the start of a second moon?” He had to chuckle a little nervously. “I’m not even sure how to properly explain it, so uh… No, I’m not very connected with my roots. I was born and raised here. The only thing that’s like, reinforced, I guess? Is the language. Like, I know Mandarin.” Perhaps that was a little sad, but his parents had always been pretty chill. The only thing they really did differently was swapping Thanksgiving for Lunar New Year. Oof, he felt like he was talking a lot… “What about you? Do you have a favorite holiday? — No, but that makes sense. Everything’s so accessible now, it’s hard to leave without your phone. I keep everything in mine too. Probably a terrible habit.” Lucas smiled. “That’s a hard question to answer, though. I need like, a list of songs in front of me to choose. I don’t know. I don’t have one that comes to mind. Favorite movie?”

Liv’s ears practically perked up at the words horror movie simply because she absolutely loved those. The gorier the better, in her opinion, and everytime she had the chance, she’d watch something after Lucas’ bedtime. “If it makes you feel better, Bloody Mary needs to be conjured, but you’re totally right to be scared of spirits latching themselves to mirrors, so be careful. You never know when someone is going to pull your leg!” She was quick to grab his knee under the table, trying to spook him a little. I mean... Olivia had this silly, almost stupid kind of sense of humor and she already was pretending to be someone else, might as well not worry about people finding her weird, right? “Sorry...” She apologized while shaking her head. It honestly didn’t take much for Liv to focus on Lucas again and how he looked look way too adorable while trying to explain about Lunar year. She couldn’t help but feel very thankful for him to be talking a lot, otherwise, she’d be the one babbling. “As cheesy as it is... Christmas. I hate that it’s a very capitalist holiday, yes. But also, the city gets a different vibe to it. I don’t know how to explain it. It feels good, you know?” She offered him a smile, before reaching to grab a french fry. “Oh, come on!” The petite blonde complained, but since she would probably give him the same answer if the question had been turned to her, she simply dropped it and moved on. “Hmm... I think it’s a tie between Jumanji---the first version, with Robin Williams and Now and Then? I think it was the first movie I watched that had group of girls as the main characters, so that stuck with me for a while. I remember asking my mom to rent that movie all the time!” She giggled again. “Aw, man... I miss 90s movies. What about yours?” Liv asked and while she waited for his reply, she checked the time because of the babysitter.

“If I said it was bad, I think I’d have to take a hit then because I knew all of the original Pokemon too.” Lucas laughed. “But they’ve really gotten out of hand. Anyone that can name all of them now, I’m impressed.” Even when he was playing that Pokemon Go, there were some he didn’t know. “Yeah? You know, I can be pretty clumsy but I don’t think I’ve ever spilled salt. Maybe I’ll have to keep that in mind. Pull a reverse salt meme.” From walking under ladders to black cats and whatever else, the only thing that maybe bothered Lucas a little when it came to superstitions was broken mirrors. But surprisingly, that wasn’t something he had done yet either. He nodded, glad they were both on the same page before giving the next question some thought. “Hm… I think I’m gonna go with New Year’s, just because it’s always exciting to celebrate the beginning of another year. But uh, the Lunar New Year is nice too. My parents are from Taiwan, so they try to get everyone together and we have a big meal to celebrate the first day. It’s like Thanksgiving, but in January or February. What is something you never leave home without?”

Liv couldn’t help but giggle when he admitted knowing all of the original Pokemon. It was such a huge thing back when she was like--seven or eight years old (maybe a little older than that, but who was counting?). Her own Lucas liked playing Pokemon Go on her phone whenever they were out together, but she didn’t let him have her phone for too long to begin with---plus, he would get bored easily too. “A reverse salt meme... that’s one nice way to put it. What about you? Any superstitions, I should know?” Funny enough, that Stevie Wonder song started playing in the background, which stole another giggle from Liv’s lips. “I think that’s your cue to tell me all about your superstitions, you know? Oh! Also! I always drink after making a toast. It’s a silly thing that people say, but I think it’s more of like---a habit than a superstition for me.” As he explained about his favorite holiday, she couldn’t help but smile. The way he would always go back to his family made Liv think that had their situation been different, she would’ve loved going on a second date with him and actually trying something with him. “Wow, that sounds so nice? So Lunar year is usually in January or February? Are you very connected to your asian roots?” One thing she didn’t leave home without? That was easy. “My phone. I know it makes me look bad, but my whole life is there... from medical appointments to fun stuff like coming to this date. Favorite song and why?”

“Oh, hey! My friend just wants to say hello. They’re not judging you or anything because they would never do that,” Jordan mimicked something Olivia could say to “casually” video chat while on a date but obviously they were only joking. “I don’t like mixing friends with dating stuff. What if your intern learns something about me that you don’t know, and they’d start talking to you about me? Nope, nope.” Which was true, so at least they weren’t lying. Face paintings, though. That sounded great. “Good, give me all the potatoes—” Jordan tried to get up and ended up falling back on their ass, laughing at themselves. “Potatoes and bread! Shh! Don’t say anything!” They managed to get back on their feet this time, moving a little slower and so satisfied to have found their balance. 

“They would never do that, you say as you look him up and judge him from head to toe.” Olivia chuckled as she playfully smacked Jordan’s arm. She knew they would never judge someone on purpose, but wasn’t judging others something extremely hard not to do? Especially on a first date? “Alright, alright... fine, JoJo. You win. No interns coming your way, then.” Not that Liv was looking forward to playing cupid... no, in fact she hated when people forced others to do something they were not ready or not willing to do, which had happened to her in the past and the last thing she wanted was to repeat past mistakes with Jordan. She got up and was about to help them up too, but before she could even do that, Jordan was back on the ground, laughing and making her laugh too. “Baby, be careful! But okay, potatoes and bread! What kind of potatoes?” She asked, linking their arm with Jordan’s so they wouldn’t fall. “French fries? As in a greasy burger with fries?”

“Yeah, I don’t think he ever really had one? But I’m really close with my mom and sister, so he’s had them in his life too. A lot. And Lara.” Kyle supposed it was possible Ryan’s friends at school could have said something but Ryan never brought it up. And he always did his best to make sure Ryan knew he could come to him and talk to him about anything. Ever since he’d been close, or closer, with Lara, Ryan never seemed to mind missing an actual mother. “It’s hard. I don’t know if there is a right answer to that. I mean, he’s a dick. He doesn’t want anything to do with his son, so he shouldn’t have that right. Does Lucas actually want to see him or is he just asking about him?” Kyle nodded. “You’ll have less control over him as he gets older. But as long as you’re open with him and not too… overbearing, I’m sure he’ll make the right decision for himself. Not that I’m a professional or anything.” He chuckled. And he couldn’t agree more on the needing more adult interaction. Or maybe just needing to get out with a fresh face instead of being with his family all the time, no offense to them. Kyle grabbed his phone from his pocket and brought up Uber, putting in the location of the bar he had in mind. “Bar picked and Uber on the way, then.”

Lucas initially raised his brow, thinking the question that was coming was going to be something serious but he ended up laughing, nodding. “You got me. It’s all a part of my side gig.” It’ll have a long run. That… wasn’t a bad thing, right? It just meant there would be a greater opportunity for him to be able to pop in. But the likelihood of bumping into her would probably be more difficult too. "Yeah, definitely. And… if I run into you, all the better.” That was a safe, and honest, way to put it. 

Oh, he liked her. “Make it chili cheese fries, in that case. Then you’ve got yourself a deal.” Lucas grinned at her antics, following after her to move to a table. Funny too, because he didn’t really picture the night going this well. He wasn’t expecting for it to be horrible or anything, but Holly was great. Proof not to judge based on small text conversations. “Like a rapid fire question game? I don’t know how great I’ll be at that, but yeah. Deal.” He chuckled. And he wasn’t sure what to expect. How personal questions would get. But favorite childhood TV show? Lucas had to laugh. “Oh no, you’re gonna really make me think? What did I even watch as a kid… Pokemon and Digimon seems like a given, right? Um… Oh! Dragon Ball Z. That was probably my favorite one. Somewhere, there’s a picture of ten year old me dressed up as Goku for Halloween.” He tried to kind of hide behind his hand, laughing at himself and shaking his head. Today’s generations would never know of all the great shows of the 90s. “Okay, question for you… Do you have any superstitions or like, quirks?” Once a waiter stopped by, Lucas ordered their fries, letting Holly get another drink if she’d like, and getting another beer himself. “And just to make sure, if anything makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”