~Melanie~

I put on a smile, "Okay."

Once Bianca and I are in her car, she asks, "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

I sigh, of course she knows something's up with me.

"I just feel so much pressure right now," I tell her. "With not hearing back from any of my interviews, and it's been at least two weeks, and then with James asking about what place we should be getting, and then there's talk of marriage!"

"Marriage?" Bianca exclaims as she turns out of the gravel driveway onto the road.

I nod, "First, James mentioned it on the way here, and then you heard your mom."

She scoffs, "Ignore my mom. She's just nosy, as you know. James, however, is another fact to consider. He's thinking of marriage, huh?" She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I look out the window as we near Mojo Cafe. "I don't think I'm ready for any of this yet. I still feel like just some dumb college kid, not an adult."

Bianca nods, "I know. Me too. So, maybe just tell James to lay off a bit. Tell him you need time to process everything. Also, you can't move to Boston until you have a job, so there's that."

"Yeah."

Bianca pulls into the small parking lot in front of Mojo Cafe. It's just as I remember: yellow siding and a small front porch. Inside are tall ceilings with dark wooden beams and industrial piping.

Only a few people are here, sitting at the tables against the wall of windows to the left. We make our way over to the wooden bar on the right wall and sit down on the metal stools.

The bartender walks over wearing a black tee shirt with Mojo Cafe's logo printed largely on the front.

"Hey there, are you ordering drinks or also food?" he asks.

"Drinks and food, but we don't need a menu," Bianca says. "We'd like two carne asada tacos with rice and beans and two Fair Maiden Double IPAs."

"IDs?"

Bianca and I take our IDs out and show them to the bartender. He nods and walks away to put in our order. We've been coming here every summer since we were kids. It's crazy that we are now of drinking age and can order beers.

"So, enough about my overwhelming love life. How's yours?" I smile.

She dismisses my question with a wave of her hand, "Nonexistent, and that's fine by me. One less distraction while I also try to find a job."

"True."

"But you know who does have a love life?" She pauses as the bartender hands us our beers. "Ethan."

"Ethan!" I practically choke on my first sip of beer.

"Yep. When he came home from spring break, he wouldn't stop texting this girl."

My face flushes and I quickly turn to face the chalkboard beer list above the bar, "Oh."

If that's the case, then why is Ethan ignoring me?

~~~