HAUNTED || chris sturniolo

𝟎𝟎𝟓. strawberry pancakes

CHAPTER 005 -
╰┈➤ ' strawberry pancakes ' ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
「 real life 」

─ real life ᥫ᭡

CHRIS TRAILED BEHIND ZAYN LIKE A LOST PUPPY, shadowing him as he moved through the bustling café. weekends were supposed to be a time for chris to relax, a break from the pressures of content creation, but lately, his "relaxation" involved hovering around zayn during his shifts, seeking his friend's company and, more importantly, advice about her. zayn, however, had his hands full, refilling drinks and taking orders, only half-listening to chris's endless chatter as he tried to keep the café running smoothly.

"you seem... unusually cheerful," zayn noted, arching an eyebrow as he prepared to take another table's order. "you're not on drugs, are you?"

chris scoffed, but the wide, almost manic grin remained plastered on his face. "nah, man. no drugs. just... feeling good. confident."

zayn shot him a sideways glance, not convinced. "confident about what, exactly? your plan to win back adriana?" he deadpanned, shaking his head as if chris had lost his mind.

chris's grin only widened, the mere mention of adriana making his chest swell. "exactly that. she'll come around. i can feel it."

zayn let out a low groan, pursing his lips as they approached a table of giggling girls. "yeah, sure. overconfidence is really working for you, huh?"

before he could retort, zayn switched on his signature charm, flashing the table a smile that could melt hearts. "ladies, what can i get for you today?"

chris stood back, watching zayn effortlessly charm them, especially the last girl, who twirled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger and bit her lip nervously. god, another cecelia type, chris thought with mild disgust. he couldn't let zayn keep flirting and letting this drag on, so he jumped in. "the blueberry waffles are amazing," he said, cutting into the conversation with a pointed look at zayn.

the girl's attention wavered between the two of them, before she finally settled on zayn's confirmation nod. "yeah, blueberry waffles sound great."

zayn shot chris a withering look as he collected the menus. once they were behind the counter, where chris was definitely not supposed to be, zayn smacked him lightly with the stack of menus. "dude, can you stop recommending your ex's favorite order to random girls? it's not a good look."

"what? i was just being helpful," chris defended, crossing his arms. "and by the way, it's her backup order, not her favorite. get it right."

zayn rolled his eyes dramatically. "oh, i'm so sorry i don't have a running tally of adriana's favorite foods like you. must've slipped my mind when i, you know, didn't date her for two years."

"exactly," chris muttered, trying to keep his cool. but zayn wasn't done.

"you know what else you did for two years? dated her and then broke up with her. on your anniversary, man." his smirk was infuriating.

chris opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, a familiar voice cut through the café.

"are you two gonna keep bickering or actually do your job?" cecelia's shrill voice rang out, making both of them turn. zayn grinned at the sight of her, but chris's eyes immediately darted to the bar stools beside her.

adriana.

there she was, looking as effortlessly beautiful as ever. her dark hair was neatly braided, and her bangs framed her face perfectly. she wasn't wearing lip gloss, chris knew that because she hated it on windy days. it wasn't sticky, like gloss would be, but her lips still gleamed, a testament to the chapstick he knew she favored. the sight of her sent a wave of longing and regret crashing into him. he swore his heart skipped a beat.

zayn, oblivious to the tension building in chris's chest, turned to adriana and asked with a casual smile, "and what about you?"

she opened her mouth, her voice soft and steady. "probably just a pepsi and... strawberry—"

"strawberry pancakes," chris finished for her, his voice steady but laced with a hint of nostalgia. their eyes met, and for a moment, he thought he saw something flicker in her gaze, surprise, maybe. or was it the same aching pull he felt? but just as quickly, she looked away, sighing.

"yeah," she murmured. "strawberry pancakes."

zayn blinked, his head snapping between the two of them. "uh, right. strawberry pancakes. got it." he passed the note to the kitchen, then turned to chris, his voice a hushed whisper. "strawberry pancakes? you serious?"

chris grinned. "it's her favorite. we're totally having a moment."

zayn raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "a moment? you think strawberry pancakes are going to win her back? you're delusional."

"i'm dead serious," chris insisted, nodding toward adriana. "she asked for a pepsi, too. i know her, zayn. this means something."

zayn stifled a laugh. "yeah, sure. let me know when she proposes to you over pancakes."

before chris could argue further, zayn tugged him through the kitchen and into the back, ignoring his protests. "what are you doing? we can't leave now! she's here, we just—"

"we just what? shared a breakfast order? that's not a moment, man, that's breakfast," zayn replied, throwing his jacket on. "my shift's over, and you're two seconds away from embarrassing yourself. let's get out of here before you make this worse."

chris's face fell. "worse? i'm trying to fix things."

zayn slung an arm over his shoulders and pulled him toward the exit. "yeah, well, you're not gonna fix anything while hovering like a lovesick puppy. trust me, you need to play it cool. now let's get some air before you end up crying into her pancakes."

evie speaks
zayns my fav ngl