Moments later, the girls were seated at the guys’ table. The guys kept chatting, eating, and checking their phones. Carl waved when they joined but didn’t pay much more attention. He was texting and grinning as if he was having too much fun caring about the rest of the people around him.
Beth had managed to sit Odette next to Carl. Abby sat between Odette and Beth, who had her boyfriend next to her. Keith sat across from Odette and tried to make conversation and include Abby and Odette. She appreciated Beth’s brother’s effort. Keith even elbowed Carl, but it seemed hopeless.
An hour went by when Carl finally returned to the land of the living and asked for more food.
His eyes browsed around the table. “Hey, Charming. I didn’t notice you there.”
Odette peeked at him. Is he for real? Is she still invisible?
She grinned. “That’s okay. I noticed you were busy.” Talking with some chick on your phone, she added to herself.
“The girls will join us tonight at Jung’s,” Brian said to Carl. “Beth tells me they are regulars there.”
Carl asked Odette, “What’s your favorite drink there?”
“W-water.”
Carl laughed. “You’re funny, Charming.” He leaned closer to her. “They have German beers. I like good beer. My father is in the business, so I’m a bit of a connoisseur. It means a specialist.”
“I know,” Odette said, nodding.
“Do you like beer?”
“I can’t say I’ve tried a lot of them.”
His eyes moved down her neck and to her cleavage. “I like what you did to your hair.”
Odette squirmed in her seat, unsure if she should fix her shirt and cover her cleavage or not. She would seem like a prude if she did. Plus, Carl showing interest in her wasn’t bad, was it?
“What’s your favorite movie?” she asked.
“Anything with fast cars,” he said with a grin. “Are you inviting me to a movie?”
“W-what?”
“Relax, I was joking. There’s nothing good at the movies this week.” He leaned back in his seat and spread his legs. “I’m tired from practice today. I still have homework to do, so I should go home instead of going out for a drink.”
“Should you drink when you’re trying to become a professional player?” Odette asked him.
“Everybody drinks to decompress. Nothing out of the ordinary there.”
“Huh.”
He glanced at her. “Sex and drink are stress relievers.”
Her cheeks burned, and she looked at Abby, unsure of what to say.
“I’m sure you have some way to deal with your stress,” Carl added.
“I’m not stressed,” Odette blurted out.
He smiled, and her stomach dropped.
The guys took selfies, and Odette tried to smile at the camera.
“Here’s your order.” The waitress dropped a plate of French fries on the table next to Carl.
“Do you want some, or are you on a diet?” Carl pushed the plate in front of Odette.
“No, I can eat.” Odette took one and ate it.
“I like girls who can eat,” he shared. “You just have to exercise to burn all the calories, right?”
Though Odette had no idea why she nodded.
“What do you do? Yoga, Pilates, Zumba? You seem fit.” He ate a few more fries.
“I had ballet classes until I was eighteen. Then, I did a bit of contemporary dancing, but now I mostly do yoga with my mom. I also go rock climbing with my dad when he has time. Mom doesn’t like camping too much, though.” She noticed that Carl’s mouth dropped open. “Why do you look surprised?”
“I thought you read books all day.”
“People who read can still lead healthy lifestyles.”
“I’m not a big fan of reading. Why read when we can watch a movie? It’s faster and easier. We already have a lot to read for college.”
“I’m sure you don’t have a lot of free time with your studies and football practice.”
“I’m glad you understand. Sometimes, I barely have time to sleep,” Carl shared.
“Carl, you sexy beast, look how many likes the picture I took of you has already?” one of the guys said from the other side of the table.
Carl joked, “Did I give you permission to take my photo? You have to pay for copyrights!”
“All the girls want to know if you’re still single,” the guy said and laughed. “Charming, you look hot in this pic. My friends want your number.”
Odette leaned forward and glanced at his phone. “What do you mean?”
The dude had taken a picture of her next to Carl and didn’t even ask for her permission to share it.
“Could you remove me from that photo?” Odette asked him.
“Too late! The world has seen it, and it has been shared.” He raised his phone and made a grimace to take another selfie. “Hashtag drinking with my mates.”
“Listen—”
Abby nudged Odette’s arm. “Forget it. He’s not going to understand.”
The guy bent over the table and showed Odette his phone. “Can I have your number, Charming?”
Beth got up and pushed him back. “No, you can’t. Now stop harassing my friend.”
The guy eyed Beth as if she had three heads and sat back down.
Keith slapped the back of the dude’s neck. “Odette is like a sister to me. Behave,” he warned him.
Sneering, the guy looked at his phone and scrolled down his social media profile without bothering anyone again.
“Why is everybody so scared of Beth?” Abby whispered in Odette’s ear.
Odette eyed Beth before speaking in the same hushed tone. “Didn’t she tell you?”
Abby shook her head.
“Beth is a third-dan black belt in taekwondo. She also practices fencing and can ride a horse very well.”
“Oh!” Abby’s eyes widened in awe. “I had no idea she was this cool.”
“She was always a very energetic kid, and her parents wanted her to learn something to defend herself. She liked to protect everybody from the bullies at school.”
“Not everybody, but I protected you many times,” Beth said, joining the conversation. Smirking, she added, “Being the only girl in a family of four boys, I had to learn how to protect myself.”
“I’m sorry,” Keith interrupted. “You had to protect yourself? I believe that we had to protect ourselves from you. She was always a tom-boy.”
Beth glared at Keith. “Were we talking to you?”
“Calm down.” Odette patted Beth’s back. “You’re beautiful, kind, and peaceful.”
“I am,” Beth agreed with a grin and relaxed in her chair. Looking at Brian, she added, “You’re cute, too.”
“Is that a mantra to calm her down?” Abby asked.
“Odette is the only one who can do that,” Keith answered. “Odette is magical.”
“She looks like a delicate fairy,” Carl said.
Odette turned to him. “I do?”
“Like those white elves from Tolkien’s movies,” he added.
Odette perked up. “Oh, you like Tolkien?”
“I watched the movies. I slept through them a few times, but the fighting scenes were interesting.”
“Do you like superhero movies?” Odette asked him.
“Of course. My favorite is DC comics.”
“Oh, I’m more of a Marvel fan.”
“Let me guess, Superman?” he asked.
She blinked with pursed lips since Superman belonged to DC. “No. I love the Flash best from DC Comics, but my favorite Marvel hero is…”
“Wonder Woman,” he tried to guess.
She shook her head. “Spiderman. I also like Thor.”
“Who doesn’t like Thor,” Abby chimed in with a huge grin.
Odette nodded.
“Looking at Carl,” Abby continued, “he does look a bit like the actor who plays Superman, doesn’t he?”
Odette analyzed him. “Yes. You’re right.”
Carl leaned forward. “I’m into modeling. I hope to model when I go pro and find more sponsors. Who knows? I might become an actor once my football career is over. Dwayne Johnson did that. He’s one of my idols.”
“Oh, the Rock. My dad loves him,” Odette shared.
“Are you thirsty?” Carl asked her. “I can order you a drink.”
“No. I’m good.” Blinking, she asked him, “Are you still hungry? We can order more fries.”
“No. I had enough carbs for today. I’ll eat again when we arrive at the pub, and I'll order my beer. I can’t drink on an empty stomach, or I’ll be sick the next morning.” He pulled his chair closer to her. “What do your parents do for a living? I thought you were a scholarship student like me. Aren’t you at the top of your class?”
“My parents deal with antiques,” Odette replied.
“Oh!” Carl rested his elbow on the table and leaned against his hand. “That’s interesting. Does that include collectibles, too?”
“Well, yes, but it’s more about books than anything else.”
“No vintage baseball cards, then?”
Odette shook her head.
“Pity, I have a few that I would like to have appraised. I like to collect baseball cards. I also collect baseball caps.”
Odette smiled as she listened to him talk about his hobbies and his favorite football players.