"Yo! I thought you said you weren't coming," I heard a voice the moment I took a seat, and I really didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"Silver," I muttered under my breath, then noticed Selena waving in the direction the voice came from. With a resigned sigh that felt like it came from my soul, I turned towards that direction and could see him headed towards me with a tray of food.
I knew it.
This bastard's a high ranker.
"Can I sit with you guys?" He asked with that trademark grin of his, and I was about to straight up say no when…
"Of course you can," I heard, and in shock turned to see Selena with a small, welcoming smile.
Tsk.
For a moment there I thought we were on the same page.
"Sweet," said the bastard, smoothly sliding into the seat across from us like he owned the place.
Sigh. I guess I was bound to endure him today, no matter what I did. To make this already fucking annoying situation even more frustrating, he was far stronger than I.
"But man," he said, taking a casual bite of what looked like premium grilled meat, "I never knew you had a girlfriend."
"We literally met three hours ago," I said blankly, hoping that would end this line of conversation.
"Exactly!" he said with a dramatic shake of his head like he had just witnessed something terrible. "Three hours and I don't know everything about you?"
"If you're going to be weird, just fuck off," I said.
"Come on, dear, that's no way to talk to your friend," said Selena with a motherly smile that somehow made me feel like a scolded child.
Where is this all going? I thought, watching her transform from the girl who nearly broke my ribs earlier to someone caring and sweet.
"Exactly! He'll never make more friends at this rate," Silver chimed in, and she nodded with a cute purse of her lips like I was some beggar.
At this point, I decided not to bother with these idiots.
"Here's your order," I heard, then looked up as several staff members approached our table carrying an impressive array of dishes.
My eyes widened as they set down plate after plate in front of Selena.
"Wait… you ordered all this?" I asked.
She tilted her head innocently. "Is it not enough?"
I stared at the feast before us, then at her expectant face. "Um… No, it's fine," I was about to say something about the cost, but I just decided to go with it. She was covering my whole meal. If she was using my points for this then... I was probably looking at two more months of debt just from this lunch. Yeah, fuck it. At this point, she might as well be my girlfriend.
"Alright, but we can always order more if you're still hungry," she said, casually moving her chair closer to mine.
"What?" I asked, suddenly very aware of how close she was.
"Eat," she said simply.
"I was about to."
"Then?" She tilted her head, and I caught a whiff of her shampoo.
"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked because having her face this close wasn't exactly ideal. That lunatic Eloisa could be lurking around anywhere, and the last thing I needed was that.
"Feed me," she said.
Somehow, I'd expected that, but I still felt completely out of my depth. I mean, this goddamn situation was weird as fuck! I literally met her a few minutes ago, and it was already like we'd been together since childhood.
"No," I said.
"Please?" she pleaded.
What the hell? Was this the same girl who'd almost killed me with just physical strength moments ago?
"Don't be an ass, bro. Feed your girl," I heard an unnecessary remark from Silver. This confirmed it – this bastard wasn't normal. Any regular single guy would have felt awkward with this whole fluffy atmosphere, but the bastard was actually grinning like he was watching his favorite rom-com. I felt more insecure by the moment.
"Fine," I conceded. What was the use of acting like a child? She'd bought it, so I might as well do what she wanted. I might be a scumbag of the highest order, but I did know when to appreciate a favor… sometimes.
I grabbed the utensils, trying to ignore Silver's amused expression, and scooped some of the food from the first plate. The meat looked perfectly cooked, practically melting off the fork. I brought it to her mouth, and she smiled before opening up. As I fed her, she made a small sound of satisfaction.
Then she hugged me. Just like that. Arms around my shoulders, face pressed against my neck, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Please, someone, tell me this was normal, because I was starting to not understand anything anymore.
"Can we sit here?" I heard a voice that made my blood run cold.
That voice.
"Ariana," I said, looking back to confirm. Sure enough, it was her, but she wasn't alone. Eloisa and Rizel flanked her.
"No, you can't," I said with the most determined expression I could muster, but they literally acted like I hadn't said anything and sat down anyway.