Love Is Flower Like

Chapter 12

Edited 05/30/21

Meadow sat in Paul's car with her knees facing the passenger side door and her head against the window. She ignored the moments when her head banged against the window with a low thud due to the bumpiness of the road. The car was silent as Paul drove them somewhere to grab a bite to eat. Meadow had been against getting food because she just ate a bowl of soup, but even she couldn't hide the incessant rumbling of her stomach. She was still hungry. She glanced at Paul when the car stopped and caught his eye. He smiled and gestured for her to follow him out of the car.

She looked at the building in front of them and noticed that it was The Lodge, a restaurant she had been dragged to on more than one occasion to celebrate with her dad and Charlie. Paul opened the door to the restaurant for her, so she stepped through the door first. They were seated across from each other, meaning it would be hard for Meadow to avoid eye contact with him. When they ordered their food and the waiter left them to talk, Paul grabbed her hands in his, causing her to look at him.

"Tell me about yourself," he said.

"What?" Meadow asked.

"Tell me about yourself: what are your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies. Those sorts of things," he elaborated.

"Um...I don't.....I mean....."

"How about I go first, then?"

Meadow nodded her head and listened to him list his favorite and least-liked things. She used his example as a template for her own response.

"I like the forest and going to bonfires. I hate cold things and taking orders, but you gotta do what you gotta do. For hobbies, well, I usually just hang out with Sam and Jared," Paul listed. He looked at her expectedly and motioned for her to answer.

"I like reading and....sweet things."

"Like candy?" Paul interrupted. He gave her a sheepish smile when he realized what he did.

"Chocolate and ice cream," Meadow corrected him.

"And your dislikes?"

"Being lied to, people who mess with my brother and his friends."

"You're really defensive when it comes to Jacob," Paul observed cautiously. Meadow shrugged her shoulders and looked away from Paul as the waiter placed their drinks on the table and informed them their food would be right out. She took a sip of Sprite before she said anything else.

"For hobbies, I like to, well, read and go to the beach," she finished.

"I see you at the beach all the time," he said absentmindedly. Meadow rose an eyebrow and watched as he started to backtrack when he noticed the things his words insinuated. She stopped him when he continued to ramble.

"I forgot to mention that I also don't like rambling," she said. He let out a nervous chuckle and frowned afterwards. He sighed and scrubbed the back of his head, mussing up the hair at the back of his head.

"I guess I didn't leave the best impression at Sue's diner, then," he said.

"Not really," Meadow said bluntly. His frown deepened. She felt like she should say something after that but hesitated. Picking at her nails, she said nervously, "But you weren't that bad."

He perked up after that. With his confidence back, he joked, "You sure about that? You came at me, Sam, and Jared the day after that."

Meadow scowled but smiled at the memory. She giggled at the memory of the startled looks they had had on their faces when she had stormed up to them.