Page 25 of Jump on Three

Well, he was standing too close to me, but it was almost my turn, so I didn’t bother telling him taking a massive step back would have made me the most comfortable.

I ordered my favorite dinner rolls and hurried to the salad bar, piling a plate with spinach, carrots—baby, not shredded—broccoli, and garbanzo beans topped with balsamic vinaigrette. This combination had been my food obsession since the beginning of the year. It might have been an autism thing, or it might have just been me. I supposed that was one and the same since I was who I was because I was autistic.

Ryan caught up with me again, craning his neck to see what was on my tray. “I don’t think I’m going to be copying your rabbit food, but I ordered a couple of your rolls.”

“They aren’t my rolls.”

His arm gently bumped mine. “Yeah, but they’re the rolls you ordered. I bet you order them every dinner, don’t you?”

My cheeks heated. I was aware it wasn’t normal to eat the same thing for every meal, but I had hoped my classmates were so busy gazing at their own navels they hadn’t noticed my habits.

Apparently, I was wrong.

“I like certain things,” I muttered.

“That’s cool. Variety is the spice of life, but not everyone likes spice. I dig.”

I took the chance to look at him to see if he was making fun of me. Nowhere in his guileless expression did I see venom. Either I was misreading him, or he was being…nice.

Which I didn’t understand. There was no reason for this boy I’d barely spoken to to be nice to me. I must have been misreading him. He was going to go laugh at me with his friends after this. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

“I have to go. Have a nice dinner.”

I rushed away from him before he could get in another word.

Chapter Nine

Evelyn

Ivan was already seated when I arrived. We were the first to dinner, just the two of us at our big, round table. My sister and Rhys were probably making out and had lost track of time. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Ivan pulled out the chair next to him before I could even put my tray down. Though I was more than capable of pulling out my own chair, it was nice of him.

In contrast to his polite gesture, he spoke gruffly. “Why was he talking to you?”

I plopped in my seat with a frown. “Who?”

He jerked his chin toward Ryan, who was sitting across the aisle at a table full of soccer boys. Ryan noticed me looking and gave a friendly wave. I turned away, putting me eye to eye with Ivan.

“I don’t really know. He just did.”

Ivan’s throat made a noise that sounded like a rockslide. “He’s looking at you. Did he want something?”

Picking up a roll, I waved it at Ivan. “He wanted to copy my bakery order. I told him my favorite scone a few days ago, and now he seems to think I’m a baked goods expert.”

He pinned me with a stare so hard and unflinching it was a tangible thing, twisting around my tendons and making me squirm with discomfort.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.

He let his gaze fall to my hands as he leaned in closer. “You can’t believe he wants to talk to you about scones and dinner rolls.”

“I can’t think of any other reason.”

Ivan scoffed, and I felt it in my chest. Sometimes, I missed things. I knew that. But I hated being made to feel like I was stupid for not grasping what was obvious to everyone else.

My hand slightly trembling, I picked up my fork and speared a piece of broccoli. Ivan’s gaze remained on me while I chewed my first piece, then my second.

He was still looking at me when Freddie slammed his tray down on the table and fell into the seat next to him.