Lynne

Chapter 21

He sighed. His hands were folded on the table, next to his folded up glasses. "You're right." He gestured to me. "Happy Birthday, Rin."

I crossed my arms, smiling nervously at the attention. "Stop~" I looked down at the floor.

"Oh come on." Len spoke up next to me. "Don't be shy on a day like this."

"I can't help it!" I retorted. I nearly jumped as the waiter set a glass of water in front of me. He had appeared so silently, I never would have noticed him.

Everyone picked up their menus, and I did the same. Italian, I realized, instantly knowing exactly what I was getting. I only had to find it on the menu. Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo. Yum.

My eyes darted out from behind my menu, scanning the room. It was pretty busy, which made sense on a Saturday at dinnertime. There were other groups near us, couples, even a few people eating by themselves. Families littered the booths, some children sitting politely and others running around the table like madmen. I felt bad for their waiters.

And then, from behind my menu, I caught sight of a table that made my heart drop.

Kanon was sitting at a table, facing me, her legs crossed and her elbows resting on either side of her plate. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, and she wore a slim white dress with an overly flirty neckline. She was engaged in a conversation with the pink-haired boy across from her.

My eyes widened. There was no way she hadn't seen us. But I wasn't as worried about that. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Yuma.

-Watcha up to?

Be cool. Be cool. I forced my eyes back to the menu. There are TONS of dudes with pink hair in this town.

It was no use. The boy across from her, with his back to me, pulled out his phone, gave it a quick glance, and put it back in his pocket.

I blinked blankly at my menu, unable to read the words. Maybe it's just a business thing, I reasoned with myself. It has to be.

My eyes kept flickering back to the table. If Kanon saw me, she never acknowledged me. She was smiling sweetly and innocently at Yuma, occasionally laughing way too loud at something he said.

Finally, I accepted the reality of the situation. My menu was still up, hiding me from the others. I blinked quicker. I slowly overcame my sudden urge to cry. I could only pay attention to the two of them, no matter where I looked. They were always just in the corner of my eye. There was no escape. And we hadn't even ordered our food yet.

"What're you getting?" Len's enthusiastic voice pulled me back to reality.

"I-um, I'm getting this." I laid my menu flat on the table, pointing to my pasta dish.

His eyes widened. "Holy shit. That sounds good, too."

I nodded wordlessly. Kanon laughed again. Yuma pulled his phone back out of his pocket, typing something.

My phone rang. I didn't want to look at it. With a defeated sigh, I read the text under the table.

-Just hanging out with the guys. Talk later?

God dammit, I thought to myself.

"You can text your boyfriend later," Len told me jokingly.

His words hurt me more than he knew. "He's not my boyfriend," I spat out between my teeth.

Len seemed almost alarmed at my response. "What?" The others were too engrossed in their own talk to pay attention to us.