Crumbling Cakes

Part XXIII (23) *POV Bonus*

Groaning, I slapped a hand to my forehead, the resounding thwack offering some therapeutic reprieve. Just come clean. "Okay, okay." I pried an eye open to look at him. I imagined I had a stellar future as a pirate impersonator at this rate. "I am going, but I need to warn you."

"About?" My anxiety must have piqued his curiosity because it seemed I had Ronaldo's full attention. A shame that.

Sighing, I accepted my fate. "About a woman who will interrogate you to an inch of your life." This garnered his interest. "The place I would get my supplies from is this market on the corner of 17th. It had been a bit of a walk but the neighborhood is great and well it's an incredible place with great prices." I was rambling, I knew that.

"Okay." He responded.

"So this place is owned by the Zhou's, and they're just so great. They're like my surrogate grandparents. Really, really great." I admitted. Enough with the greats already. Will you be impersonating your own parrot too? "You weren't the only one trying to help, Ronaldo. I've turned them down many more times than I had you." I hoped this would appease him as to why I wouldn't turn to him for help, and alleviate any blame he may conjure up when it came to them.

"I'm following."

"Lei..." I hesitated. "She is a hell of a force, that one. And she got it in her head that we were, you know..." my hand flopped in the air, completely unhelpful. "Even though I assured her it was not that." I watched the corner of his mouth fighting to keep from lifting up. It seemed that I would never be able to say the words dating when referencing this. "You coming along is basically going to brand me a liar, which I think I've accepted, but be prepared for some looks. And you like to play with fire a little too much."

And there went his self-control. The grin a threat all on its own. Shit. "I promise, I'll be on my best behavior."

Yea I bet, Ronaldo. I just bet. This was now my life. On the bright side, at least I'd make it on time to the Zhou's with Ronnie's car, gotta look at the positives.

***

We parked and started the several block trek to the Zhou's—the joys of city parking y'all—and my anxiety started to build. My fingers tapping away at my leg with each step caused my elbow to keep jostling into Ronaldo's arm. He didn't say anything but kept side-eyeing me.

Here's the thing, had this situation been even remotely close to what that sweet, frightening little old lady thought it was, I wouldn't be anywhere near this nervous. I could handle giving her some serious truths. I couldn't handle having to convince her that I had been telling the truth, still am, and this was not what it appeared to be. I have this nervous tick sometimes, one that works against me.

The more nervous I am about something—especially if it's embarrassing—the more I smile, giggle, and it looks like I'm hiding something. I'm not, my face is just an asshole spouting falsehoods. It's a habit I've had incredible difficulty breaking. Right now, on the other hand, I was so far into my own head fearing that Lei was going to walk away from this with the wrong impression that I was barely checking my surroundings for creepy dudes with grabby hands. Not like they would try anything with the Great Wall of Sebastian walking next to me, but I didn't want them to see him either.

There were too many plates that I was trying to spin all at the same time, frantically hoping that not a single one would topple over. Hiding the misfits from Sebastian, hiding Sebastian from Bathilda, hiding the misfits from Bathilda, masking my plans with the misfits from Sebastian AND Bathilda, keeping Lei from getting her hopes crushed about my real relationship with Sebastian, hiding my feelings for Sebastian—wait, what? Scratch that last one. There are no feelings, nope. Not a single one. Liar.