Oops, My Boyfriend

第15章

As the dishes began arriving, I suggested to James, "If you're hungry, we can start eating."James replied, "Let's wait for your boyfriend to arrive so we can eat together."I nodded. The restaurant was close to the campus gate, so Caleb should be here any minute. I began arranging the chairs into an equilateral triangle, imagining the three of us at a round table, each occupying a 120-degree angle.James chuckled, "You still like doing weird stuff, just like before."I put down the chair, puzzled. "What?""You used to sharpen your mechanical pencil leads during math class, turning 0.7 mm leads into 0.5 mm," James recalled. "And you'd draw speech bubbles next to Confucius in our literature textbooks, writing things like 'Audrey is a good person'—all sorts of odd stuff."Surprised, I asked, "How did you know about that?"He laughed, quoting an old saying, "If you don't want others to know, don't do it."Curious, I pressed him, "What else do you know?"James looked at me earnestly, "I know a lot more."Feeling exposed, I realized that my youthful and silly acts, like the pencil sharpening, were witnessed by someone else—James's eyes.Just then, the curtain at the entrance fluttered, and I waved eagerly at Caleb as he arrived.As soon as Caleb entered, he slid the third chair next to mine, disrupting my carefully arranged 120-degree setup. Now, Caleb was sitting next to me, with James across from us.I introduced them, "This is James, my high school friend. And this is, uh, Caleb, my boyfriend."Caleb smiled and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Audrey's boyfriend."James also greeted him politely. There was an awkward silence until Caleb broke it by asking James, "Would you like a beer?"I quickly intervened, washing a glass with hot water, "He doesn't drink beer."Caleb turned to look at me.I explained, "He never drank at our class reunions."James smiled, "Yeah, I don't really like the taste of beer."Caleb suggested, "Then let's have tea. You'll need something to handle the heat of the Sichuan dishes here."As I handed over the cleaned glass, Caleb poured the tea and asked James, "Are you here just to have fun during the May Day holiday?"James explained, "No, our company has business here, so they sent a group of us."I asked, "Do you get any days off?"James replied, "That depends on the bosses' plans."Caleb added, "Let us know if you get a day off. Since you're here, you might as well visit all the local spots."James smiled and nodded, "Then I'll have a free tour guide."I had been worried that James might feel uncomfortable with Caleb around, but the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.Caleb and James started discussing local attractions and snacks, laughing and chatting like old friends.I'm the type who doesn't talk much at the table, so this was the perfect chance for me to focus on the food.The solid rosewood table didn't rotate, and I struggled to reach the spicy beef dish at the far end. After a few failed attempts, the beef was just out of reach on James's side. As I stretched over, Caleb quickly scooped up some beef with his chopsticks and placed it in my bowl.Just as he did, James also picked up some with his chopsticks, probably intending to pass it to me. Seeing my bowl already filled, he paused mid-air.I quickly passed my bowl to him, gratefully accepting the beef with a series of thanks.Caleb patted my head, grinning, "Just tell me what you want to eat. It's not easy for someone with short arms."Chewing the beef, I retorted, "Yeah, unlike some people who are like half-orcs, not fully evolved."Caleb tapped my head lightly.It was a hard tap, and just as I was about to retaliate, he caught my left hand with his right and pressed it down on the table.He warned, "Your friend is here, don't make a scene."Then he turned to James, smiling, "Being away on business for so long, your girlfriend didn't give you trouble?"James sipped his tea quietly, his gaze lowering as he responded without much expression, "My ex-girlfriend and I broke up two years ago."I felt a pang. He was probably talking about Yi Yi.I glared at Caleb, trying to pinch him with my left hand, but he gripped it tightly.Not wanting the atmosphere to turn cold, I said, "Let's talk about something happy. I'll tell you a joke."Caleb released my hand and took a sip