𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 ─── 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 ༄‧₊˚ (EDITING)

・𝟐𝟐

page twenty-two.

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FROM TIME TO TIME, I FROWNED, LOOKED DOWN AT MY PLATE, and thought about the words Alex might have wanted to speak to me through the thousands of calls I had missed. My mind came up with the impossible, the most outrageous theories. It became hard to feign my focus on Nick's words.

He glanced in my direction ever so often, with an expression that wondered what was keeping me from responding to his comments. I looked up at him and shook my head, attempting to smile. He slightly squinted but returned to talking almost instantly.

''D'you like the food?'' He asked, looking down at my half-empty plate. As I was still chewing, I could not manage to give him a response other than a nod, but he smiled whole-heartedly.

''Yours looks very good'' I said once my mouth was empty. Nick agreed with my comment right away. I could see how satisfied he appeared to be with his meal.

We kept chewing our food, chuckling at random times. But behind my much more composed appearance, there was a voice rippling through my mental walls. The image of Alex needing me was something truly surprising. Somehow progress in our relationship.

''Check, please?'' Nick spoke up, smiling politely at our waitress. I shut my eyes for a second as he had just wrecked my train of thought. After a moment, the woman serving us returned and handed him the check.

Instantly, I pulled my purse closer to me and began looking for my wallet as fast as I could. Nick looked up from the piece of paper and shook his head.

''What are you doin'?'' With a smile, he inquired. I made an expression, thinking it was clear.

''Paying?'' I said with a humorous tone, unfocused by his amused face. But soon it became a frown when my one word spoken set it.

''Don't. It's on me'' Nick rolled his eyes teasingly, watching me for another second while I ignored his commands and began unzipping my wallet. At a fast pace, he pulled out some money from his pocket —since he always appeared to lose his wallets— and held it in front of the waitress.

''Come on'' I whispered under my breath, completely embarrassed. ''You shouldn't have bothered'' I said, more clearly this time.

''Shall I take you home?'' He asked, ignoring the evident color in my cheeks. I nodded, standing up as I held onto my skirt and purse.

''Thank you for that'' It seemed like the millionth time I had pronounced those words but the thankfulness would never go unnoticed.

''It's nothing. I enjoyed having lunch with you'' The sides of his lips curved into an honest smile, one that became too contagious.