Earlier during the day, I had looked up the restaurant to find it only about two blocks away, so there was no need to ask Michael to drive me. Besides, he already seemed displeased with my agreement to go—though he just wouldn’t admit it—and I didn’t want to put him in that position. I wasn’t sure if his disapproval was a result of being protective, or if it was something more personal. Frankly, I didn’t want to entertain either thought, so I walked down the street, careful to make sure I hadn’t been followed by anyone dead or alive, until I reached the Dynasty.
The Chinese restaurant was tucked between a barbershop and a Subway and the inside was dim but with a quiet atmosphere. There were beautiful paintings on the walls of emperors and warriors and miniature chandeliers hanging above each table. The tables themselves were covered in forest green cloth that went well with the dark carpet. There was a short line at the front so I had to wait. Terrell was waiting for me at the center table. He smiled and waved when he saw me. My pulse skyrocketed. This was such a bad idea.
“Table for one?” the maitre’d asked, catching my attention.
I shook my head, pointing. “I see my party, it’s fine.”
He smiled. “Enjoy your date, ma’am.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s not a date.”
He raised his eyebrows at the sudden hostility. I muttered an apology before I walked to the table. Terrell offered to pull my chair out but I declined, scooting up to the table on my own.
“You’re early,” I pointed out, having nothing better to say.
Terrell shrugged. “I had nothing better to do and I was honestly looking forward to this.”
I felt my suspicion rising. “Why? Last time I checked, people usually aren’t eager to see their ex-girlfriends unless it’s for lascivious purposes.”
He chuckled, sending a shiver down my spine. Damn that laugh of his. It was like having someone trace a finger down my back. He could advertise Old Spice commercials with that voice if he wanted to. “Lascivious? You’ve been reading, haven’t you?”
“Guilty as charged.”
The waitress came by and asked what I’d like to drink. I ordered tea and flipped open my menu, happy to find an excuse not to look at Terrell any more. The food was pretty standard for a Chinese restaurant. I always ordered the same thing anyway.
“Would you like to order your food now or do you need more time?”
I glanced at Terrell, who shook his head. “I’m ready if you are.”
“General Tso’s chicken, shrimp fried rice for the side, and Moo Goo Gai Pan,” I answered, handing her the menu. Terrell gave his order as well, the same thing he always got even when we were dating—orange chicken and rice.
“I see your tastes haven’t changed over the years,” he said, dark brown eyes glittering in the dim lights.
I squirmed in my seat, resisting the urge to plunge my hand into my duster pocket to touch the rosary. It had become a nervous habit of mine.
“Guess not.” Silence fell. Awkward R’ Us.
“You look good, Jor.” His tone softened, not so teasing this time around.
I felt my cheeks filling with heat. “Thanks. You too.”
“And here I was thinking you didn’t notice,” he replied, grinning.
I finally felt comfortable enough to glare at him. His grin only widened.
“And there’s that infamous glare. Still as scary as the last time I saw it.”
“Thanks, I’ve been working on it.” For the love of God, where was the food? I needed to stuff something in my mouth before I said something even stupider. Thankfully, she came back soon with the steaming piles of chicken and vegetables, though by now my stomach had turned into too many knots to truly enjoy the meal. He chose chopsticks while I stuck with a fork. Didn’t have much practice with them as of yet.
“I don’t get it.”
Terrell glanced upward from his chopsticks, one thick eyebrow raised.
I shifted in my seat, spearing a steaming hot mushroom on my fork before continuing. “Why…are you being so nice to me? We didn’t exactly leave on pleasant terms.”
He didn’t answer right away. He set down his chopsticks and folded his hands on the table like he used to when he had something serious to say. Seeing his old habits, his body movements, felt surreal, like slowly remembering the lines to a movie you’ve seen a hundred times.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about what happened,” Terrell said finally.
“At first, I blamed it all on you. The way you shut me out…it made me feel like we’d never really known each other and like you didn’t respect me enough to tell me what was wrong.”
His words made me wince because I knew everything he said was true. To him, I’m sure that I came across as a heartless bitch, especially since it had seemed to come from out of nowhere. In all honesty, it had. With Mr. N dead and my transformation into a Seer complete, I destroyed any remaining links to my old life. Unfortunately, Terrell had been part of the destruction.
“But as time went on, I realized that there were some things I could have done better. After you left, I didn’t go after you. I could have tried harder to help you but I didn’t because I was still angry. Seeing you again like this…it’s got to be for a purpose.”
I shook my head. “Not everything is like that, Terrell.”
“Everything has its place, Jordan. You might be too afraid to admit it, but you know it’s true.”