Then You Look At Me |COMPLETED|

Protective

~M16 on my lap. Korean missiles in the sky. No matter where I go on the map; you got my protection.~ Miguel.

Chapter Theme Song: 'Banana Clip' by Miguel.

••

Rainey

Spending time with Ansel is one of the greatest joys for me. Since Riley and Alex went about their business this morning, granting us and themselves space and time, Ansel and I haven't stopped laughing since. I had a few pieces of stuff to get; a new cellphone and a few school supplies for Riley. After doing the relevant housekeeping Ansel and I spent some time window shopping and making a joke out of everything we see.

During our shared laughter and gimmicks however, I did notice a few girls openly checking him out. When we visited the stores, the female assistants would bite their lips seductively or sway their hips with obvious exaggeration. Ansel always remained oblivious to their efforts since he was busy making me smile. This resulted in a lot of the girls sending me cold stares and me pretending not to notice.

We decide that we are finally hungry and make our way to a restaurant Ansel recommended for lunch. The Sea Cottage. I have never been here before since I have only moved to Crossview some weeks ago. I am yet to become familiar with the many areas of this city.

"After you, my lady." Ansel forges a British accent as he holds the door open for me.

A whiff of roasted fish greets my nostrils as I laugh, stepping in past him. "Thank you, my lord."

He gawps at my attempt and I smile sheepishly. "You sounded like a British just then, how on earth did you do that?"

I chuckle. "I have no idea and I don't think I'll ever be able to do that again."

He laughs as he takes my hand in his, leading us to a table at the far back. "My parents love to come here; you know my dad takes my mom here every Valentine's Day."

"Aww, that's sweet."

"Yeah, but my mom is secretly tired of it." Ansel smiles, pulling my chair out for me to sit then moving around to his side of the table. "They come here so often that my dad gets every meal on half-price."

"Good afternoon. What can I get you?"

We look up to see a waitress. She is wearing a pink dress shirt with the restaurant's logo and a tight black skirt. I look around and notice that all staff members are adorned in the same attire; the men wearing trousers instead. I admire the uniformity they uphold here, and I already see myself visiting this restaurant quite often. Maybe it will become Ansel and I's little date spot.

My plans waver however as I take notice of the way the brunette waitress is staring at Ansel. Her eyes are drinking him in like an alcoholic, her big lips stacked between her teeth. For the first time today, Ansel seems to notice the open affection and swiftly shifts his eyes to me.

"What would you like, Rain?"

"Uhm, whatever you're having. Recommend me something."

"The roasted fish burgers here are nice. You should try it."

I smile. "Fish burgers it is."

He returns the gesture, looking back to the waitress. "Can we have two fish burgers with fries, please?"

"Sure." She peels her eyes from him with a face of lustful seduction as she scribbles down on her notepad. I shift uneasily, hoping I can make it through this order without having to call her out. I am aware that it is a part of her jurisdiction to offer proper customer service, but her whole manner is one of endearment, the way she was blatantly biting her lip at every word that rolled off Ansel's tongue.