Love, On Read (MxM)

Chapter 28: Last Chance

A/N: after 28 chapters I finally know where I'm going to go with this story, and how I'll end it, lmaooo. I'm estimating around 7 or 8 more chapters till the end <3

Ollie's POV

I regretted not bringing my pair of sunglasses to the cafe, but the medicine I took this morning started to kick in, so the headache wasn't nearly as bad as when I first woke up.

That, or Haruto, was a distraction from the slight hangover headache from drinking with the girls. They had forced me to play another couple of Mario Kart rounds after I got off the phone with Haruto, which led to way too many shots to count.

After helping a mother by pacifying her screaming child with one of their cake pops, Haruto walked over with two pastry bags. He plopped them on the table in front of me. "Hungry?"

"Yes," I said, reaching for one of the bags, pleased to see one of the cheesecake brownies inside. "Thank you. Also, I am so sorry for anything I might've drunkenly said."

"Nothing incriminating," Haruto mused. "I'd say you weren't that drunk."

I frowned. "Still, I can't believe I called you."

"It's fine. It sounds like you had fun with your friends."

"Aside from losing Mario Kart, yes," I said. He pulled out some napkins from his work apron, unfolding them to place his brownie. "It's been a while since I've drank that much with them. Usually, I stick to one or two seltzers—as terrible as they taste—or a glass or two of wine."

Haruto tilted his head. "Shots? Or beer?"

I shuddered. "No beer, I can't stand it. Just shots. They weren't full, mostly half or three-quarters full. Honestly couldn't tell you how many I had to down. I lost so many rounds."

"Even on the easier circuits?"

"Failed almost all of them."

"Even Mario's Circuit? Or the one with cows?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I kept hitting every single cow."

He laughed. "Can you win when you're sober?"

With a shrug, I said, "I'd probably clip a cow or two if I'm being honest."

"I'd love to see it," he mused. "I hope you're a better driver in real life, though."

I rolled my eyes. "It's why I take the bus. I think it's the depth perception, but the drivers here aren't the greatest either. The buses have many close-calls with some of the Ubers and Lyfts, especially by the school."

He nodded. "I've had a few close calls with some Ubers before too. Driving gets easier over time, though. Definitely a different type of driver here in the states."

"You've driven elsewhere?"

"A little in Brazil, maybe a couple of years ago when I visited family. In Japan, I drove in some of the rural areas. That wasn't too bad, but that's because the car was smaller." He opened his phone, typing something up before showing me his phone. "It was like this small pickup truck. A lot of the farmers have something like this for deliveries. One of my aunts owned one and needed groceries."

"You didn't need a license?"

"I probably did, but I had my U.S. license with me. If it was illegal—"He held a finger to his lips. "Don't tell anyone."

We shared a laugh. "Your secrets are safe with me."

"Have you traveled?" He set the phone down. "To another country?"

I shook my head. "Unless you count the time my mom went to Canada while I was in her womb still, then no. I've been to a few different states though if that counts for anything."