I wasn't trying to provoke anything. I just thought this was simple — a chance for both of us to sit somewhere ordinary and enjoy ourselves without the weight of the day following us in. He shot me a cold glance and said, "Eat quickly."
His phone buzzed before the silence between us could settle into anything. He checked it, frowned at whatever he found there, and stood to take the call away from the table. I nodded and watched him go, then turned back to my food with something close to relief. The barbecued meat was ready, fragrant and charred at the edges exactly the way it should be, and I didn't wait. I ate without ceremony, greedily and without apology, savoring the rare freedom of no interruptions, no careful positioning, no one watching to assess what each bite said about me.
