Don't Cry Over Phở

Chapter 28: A Clear Picture

I headed outside the cafeteria, squinting my eyes at the bright sunlight that I wasn't used to. Using my hand as shade over my eyes, I scanned the courtyard outside the cafeteria, looking for Luca.

He said he wanted to talk to me outside so where was he?

"Allison!"

I jumped at my name being called, whipping around immediately to come face to face with a familiar stone-faced boy. I placed a hand over my heart, glaring at him.

"You almost gave me a heart attack! The restaurant needs me you know!"

He smiled a little, shaking his head at my dramatic behavior. "I wanted to talk to you about a plan for the restaurant. You know how the inspector is coming in a few days right?"

I nodded, my mood suddenly turning serious.

He continued, "I don't think the restaurant has reached its full potential yet. There's still some things we can improve on."

I gazed at him, trying to ignore how good he looked right now with the sunlight casting a warm hue on his dark hair and eyes. "What are you thinking?"

He blinked, shifting his full focus on me after looking thoughtful for a few minutes. "We should redesign the whole menu with new photos. We could also print big photos of our specials to put on the windows?"

"That's a good idea Luca. I think we could finish everything before the inspector comes. Hopefully the restaurant is good enough for them," I said, biting my lip nervously.

Luca was right. There was still some things we could change and improve on. It was all the little things that made a restaurant successful. The question though was, would it be enough?

"So do you have a quality camera you could bring or...?"

Shit. Luca brought up a good point. We needed high quality photos and the best thing I had was my crusty iPhone 6 that looked like a historical artifact at this point.

"Umm... no, do you?"

He shook his head in reply and we both fell silent for a moment, the evident disappointment simmering between us.

"I can ask my parents after school?" I said hesitantly.

"Yeah, but we have to take the photos fast before the inspector comes. We can't afford to waste any more time Allison."

I nodded gravely, making eye contact with the serious expression he shared with me on his face. The restaurant's fate was basically on the line here. We would know its ultimate fate based on what the inspector said. Everything was depending on it.

Luca suddenly flashed me one of his rare, gentle smiles. His usual stoic features softened and I felt my breath catch in my throat. There it is. That feeling again. The butterflies in my stomach always seem to flutter when he catches me off guard.

"I know we can do it though. We have to try," he insisted.

I awkwardly broke eye contact, feeling suddenly very aware of the effect he had on me. Now I was unsure of how to act around him.

"Yup," I cleared my throat, still not quite meeting him in the eye.

I felt him step a little closer to me and I instinctively took a step back at his close proximity. My cheeks blushed as I looked up directly into his questioning eyes.

"What are you doing?" I blurted.

He frowned a little at me as if I grew 2 heads or something. "What's the matter with you today? You're jumpier than usual. I just wanted to remove this."