"Okay, as my de facto best friend, you have to hook me up with one of her friends is all I'm saying" Cam said, tugging on his jacket as he and Zane stepped out into the chilly Pittsburgh weather from the burger joint.
Zane zipped up his jacket extra tightly, trying to keep as much of his warmth as he could. The winter had come on violently and unapologetically. He never enjoyed the cold, finding it cruel for no reason. It must be the Caribbean blood coursing through his veins.
"First and foremost, de facto is kind of crazy, don't you think?" Zane tutted, waiting for Cam to fish the keys to his Mom's SUV from one of the seemingly 100 pockets in his tan jacket. When Cam got for his birthday, he had explained that the practicality would pay off in the long run. Zane hadn't seen a cent in pay off yet a year later.
"What do you mean by that?" Cam continued to pat himself all over, the lightbulb suddenly switching on as his hand felt the imprint of the key by his chest.
"De facto? You had dinner with grandparents three days ago. Who else can you say that with?"
Cam shrugged, clicking the doors open and the two of them hustled to get into their respective seats. Zane breathed into his hands, attempting to thaw them out as best as he could until the car's heat kicked on.
"All I'm saying, is you're my dawg. And now you're dating-"
"Going on a singular date."
"Dating this smoking hot senior girl. All I'm saying is she must have friends. Just unlock the door for me - I'll kick the fucker in myself."
Zane made a face as Cam kicked the car into reverse. "Wouldn't unlocking the door make kicking it in redundant?"
Cam peered into his rearview camera, pulled out of the spot, and shifted into drive. As he did, he gave Zane a short look. "You're fucking up my flow by being so unbrotherly."
"I'm making zero promises, but I'll see if she has a friend that would be even remotely interested in doing some charity work." Zane joked, digging into his bag and fishing out some fries.
"Charity work is craziness."
***
The restaurant sat tucked between a florist and an antique bookshop, its narrow façade easy to miss unless you followed the scent. Garlic, basil, and slow-simmered tomato drifted through the street like an invitation. A faded red awning sagged a little in the middle, its edges scalloped and sun-bleached, and beside the door, a chalkboard menu leaned against the wall, scrawled in looping Italian with the day’s specials—something involving truffle oil and handmade pappardelle.
Zane sat at one of the chairs, sliding through his text threads as he waited for his date to arrive. Bianca had insisted on driving herself, which at first, took Zane aback. But then, she went on a tangent about the "archaic traits of modern-day dating" and that "she could get herself to a spot they agreed on together". Since his random friendship developing with her, he had learned that arguing with her was rarely worth the mental debate.
He breathed deeply, an inch away from a sigh as he tried to steady his heartbeat. Every so often, he would find himself wiping his palms on his jeans.
He looked up out of routine, and that's where he saw her. Like always, it was a sight to behold.
Her eyes—startling, glacial blue against her olive skin—took a moment to adjust to the dim glow, then flicked across the room with a quiet alertness, like she was always half-expecting to recognize someone she hadn’t seen in years.
She wasn’t dressed to be noticed, not exactly—a soft gray sweater tucked into dark jeans, a simple gold chain at her throat—but she drew eyes anyway. Something about her had the kind of gravity that made people look twice: the assuredness of her stride, the unhurried grace of someone used to being both admired and misunderstood. The candlelight caught in her hair as she walked—inky, lustrous, almost blue at the edges—and when she smiled at the waiter who greeted her, it was with the sort of warmth that felt rare in a world too busy to offer it.
Zane swallowed and gave a meek wave to gain her attention. He witnessed her find him - the transition from a wary scan to a warm notice.
She waltzed over, eyes still flicking from all across the restaurant from their meals to her. He took it all in, watching her into the table like he was snapping a football out of the air.
"Sorry I'm late," she said in a huff as she poured herself into her seat. "The parking lot is a such a shitshow, I didn't think it would be this swamped on a weekday night."
"Don't even trip, I didn't even know this place existed." he flicked to the menu in front of him, peering at the items he could hardly pronounce. He had long decided that the Chicken Parmesan was his choice. Safe choice.
They set into a nice rhythm that was both comfortable and familiar to them. Zane would jokingly tease her about her friends and whatever drama was afflicting the group now. Bianca would rebound with sarcastic cracks at football. Surface level stuff. After getting their food, they shared a comfortable silence past a few audible enjoyments of their respective dish.
Zane sat back, content with his meal, and washing it down with a glass of water so cold it fogged the inside of the glass as soon as he made contact with it. He peered up and noticed Bianca inspecting him. He raised an eyebrow.
"What's up?"
She breathed a moment, as if contemplating if what she was thinking was worth the risk of making it known. It felt as though her tongue and her mind were currently at war.
"I like you, Zane." He set his cup down, feeling as though she wasn't done with her thought.
"I like you too."
"I'm so comfortable existing around you. You don't give me a hard time about anything. Which is rare to have someone have zero complaints."
Zane stirred his water absentmindedly, his eyes peering down to the ice swishing slowly in the liquid. "My grandma always say to enjoy the little things in life. That there are some things that aren't worth being upset over."
"Smart woman."
Zane smiled to himself. "The smartest."
"I'm graduating this year," she started to explain. "And I don't know what your expectations of where this is going are, but I'm nervous to bite off something that might not be worth chewing."
Zane looked her in the eyes, taking in what she was saying. He tried to ignore the knot that was subtly building in his gut. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "We have tonight. And we have tomorrow. Let's take it day-by-day, and go from there."
She contemplated a moment before flashing her moments, leaving her hand out, palm out on the table. Zane took it, feeling her warmth. It radiated through his hand and up his arm.
"I need to ask you something, and it's kind of important." Zane asked, gripping her hand ever so tightly. She tilted
"My boy Cam wants to date your friends, do you think you can break it to him that they would all sooner die than date him?"
She blinked again and burst out laughing.
