Distraction by Angela McPherson Read Free Book Online

something nice but casual tonight. Tristan
said he was taking me to a well-known Mexican restaurant on Quaker, nothing
fancy. I kept my hair down, draped over my bare shoulder. The hunter green
shirt fell to one side exposing just a hint a skin. The color brought out the
deep jade color of my eyes. Alyssa called them my strongest attribute and I
agreed. The weather remained killer hot outside, so I opted to pair the cute
shirt with my beige shorts and gladiator sandals.
    "You ready in there," Tristan yelled. "I ' m
hungry. "
    "Yeah, I ' ll be out in just a sec," I yelled back. With a deep
sigh, I picked up my handbag and left my room. I found Tristan in the kitchen
scarfing down my leftovers from lunch.
    "You look great."
    "You do realize we ' re heading to dinner, right?"
    "I got hungry. Besides, this is just a snack." He
finished the last of my grilled chicken before throwing the container in the
trash. "Let ' s go, I ' m starving."
    I shook my head. Knowing he could shove a full meal down his
throat, and turn around and take out a meal afterward, still fascinated me. We took
his car and drove the short distance, finding a parking spot semi-close to the
front doors.
    Inside the restaurant, we were seated in a back corner booth
surrounded by huge terracotta vases. A plump waitress with a bright blue paper
flower in her hair walked over and handed us menus. I ordered an iced tea for
myself and a Coke for Tristan. Our waitress scribbled our drink orders on her
small note pad then trailed off. Tristan always ordered the same food. If I
were betting, he ' d order the beef fajita plate.
    "So, what looks good to you?" His eyes stayed fixed
on the menu, concentrating.
    "I think I ' ll get the chicken tacos. They ' re to die for,
and we have to order sopapillas for dessert." I could taste them now;
crisp, flakey, deep fried tortillas with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar
cooked into the dough. Mouthwatering. I glanced up, finding Tristan still
scanning the menu when our waitress carried our drinks out.
    With a thick accent, she asked, "Are you ready to order?"
Tristan set his menu down, and nodded for me to order first.
    "I ' ll have the shredded chicken taco plate, please." I
smiled, and handed over my menu. She turned, waiting for Tristan ' s order.
    "I think I ' ll go with the beef fajita plate," he said, handing his
menu to her as well. The waitress wrote our orders down and then walked away
again. I knew I ' d win my bet, and laughed.
    "What ' s so funny?" He sucked down a big drink.
    "I knew you were going to order the beef fajitas. I don ' t know why you
even look at a menu when you know what you ' re going to
order anyway."
    "Why order something you ' re not sure you ' ll like when you
can always have a sure thing."
    "Hmm." I wondered what he meant, but decided not to
ask. "So, how ' s school going?"
    He hesitated. "Uh, that ' s kind of what I
wanted to talk to you about. Er, at least one of them." He hesitated,
again. "I ' m actually enrolled at Tech. I ' m on the
football team, too."
    I could only stare.
    Tristan continued. "Last night, Jarred, and I were going
over some plays. When you walked up, he changed the subject. He knew I wanted
to wait until tonight to tell you about going to school and stuff."
    Really not what I ' d expected him to say, but wow,
awesome, and my face easily showed my feelings.
    " I bet your dad' s excited about you playing ball here." I grabbed a chip
and loaded on a heap of salsa.
    "Yeah, I guess." He looked away, though not before
I caught the hint of uncertainty in his eyes. He definitely had something on
his mind, but whatever it may be, he ' d come out with it soon enough. One
thing I ' d learned over the years, if he wasn ' t ready to talk,
I wouldn ' t get anything out of him.
    "I can ' t believe you kept this a secret from me." I threw a
chip at him and he caught it. Tristan ' s lip twitched at the corner. Shit,
why did he have to be so damn attractive? "What was up last night, about
you