The Upside of Falling Back To You

chapter twenty six | another year older

THE CAR WAS missing from the driveway so I ended up taking an Uber to Ivory, the restaurant where we decided to celebrate Ronan and Seb's birthdays.

I got out and thanked the driver, who smiled brightly as I left. She wished me good luck, and I could see why. I did sort of look like I was going on a date, and it was near Valentine's day. Correcting her wasn't too big of a deal, so I headed towards the restaurant.

In Valentine's day fashion, the luxury restaurant was decorated with red and pink fabrics and hearts. I run my thumb down the strap of my side bag, nerves hitting me. It was the first time I've been at a restaurant this luxurious - actually, that was the case of all of us, except Ronan obviously. But at one point, we all wanted to have one meal here, and I guess today was the day.

It was comforting to hear chatter at the tables as I entered through the front doors. There were a few couples in front of me, so I stood awkwardly as I waited. I couldn't see my friends from where I was.

I glanced at the grandfather clock on the far side. I was slightly late already. I began to unbutton my winter coat when I heard someone call my name. Turning around, I see Ronan running my way.

"Are you late?" I asked him. "Dude, how dare you be late to your own party?" He stops beside me. I reach up to remove his hat. It wasn't a winter one - just a plain baseball cap. "Really? Your hair is a mess."

He let out a laugh. "I've been told that my hair often looks better when it's messy." I scrunch my nose, knowing it was me who said that. "If you want to know, I was trying to park somewhere hidden."

"A valet?"

He paused. "Oh, I could have done that. I enjoyed the walk from the parking lot, though. So, why are you here alone? I could have picked you up again if you needed it."

"Um, just ran late." Because my mother suddenly had a raging fit, breaking plates everywhere because of something Dad said. "And Griff took my car again so I ended up taking an Uber."

"Again, could have picked you up." We got to the front of the line. I could tell the hostess was a little thrown off seeing Ronan, even though she probably served so many more celebrities in the past. "Hi, I think part of our group is already here. The reservation is under the name Tamaki."

The hostess scanned the list. "Yes, I have you here. Table for eight?" We nodded. "Dave will lead you to your table."

We followed the waiter through the restaurant. It was pretty packed, actually. If people noticed Ronan, they didn't make a huge deal about it. All these people should be people who live high - end lives, they've all probably gotten front row tickets to his concert if they were fans.

Judging isn't nice, Asteria.

"Aye, they're here!" Lucas said excitedly when he sees us. The group is sitting at a table near a large window. There's a pile of presents on the floor next to where everyone was sitting. Two seats in the center, across from Laila and Seb, were left empty for us.

Oh, so we're sitting together. Cool.

We get comfortable. The menus were already placed on the table. I hang my coat on the back of my chair and flip it open.

"Asteria, you just got here and you're looking at the menu?" Laila asked.

"It's a restaurant and I'm hungry, Laila. I'm just looking at what they have here." I took one look at the prices and inhaled a sharp breath. "And if they're this expensive, I want to make sure I don't end up wasting whatever I get."

"Just get whatever, I'll cover the bill."

"NO!" The seven of us shut Ronan down quickly. There was a light laughter.