After the ballet rehearsal had ended, Alexis brushed the sweat from his forehead, panting and catching his breath. Aurora then approached him with her usual teasing smile. "Your dance was quite different today Alexis, in a good way too." She said, her tone light and curious, "Is a special someone on your mind?"
Alexis stiffened, caught off guard, "What? Of course not!" He denied, pouting a bit, trying not to stop the faint flush from rushing to his cheeks. He quickly wiped himself with the towel wishing she'd drop the topic.
Before Aurora could tease him further, Kenjiro walked up to him, his usual carefree smile plastered on his face, "Hey Alexis, do you wanna hang out? I'm heading to Cafe Chua."
Alexis shook his head almost immediately, "No thanks, I have imp—"
Aurora interrupted in a subtle scolding tone. "Alexis, your friend went out of his way to invite you out, it's rude to refuse."
Alexis sighed reluctantly as he finally agreed, "Alright, fine."
They arrived at the cafe and placed their orders before making their way to the table near the window. The Cafe was warm as usual with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. After a while, their drinks were served. Alexis sipped his green tea, hoping for a more light-hearted conversation, but clearly Kenjiro had other plans.
"So," Kenjiro began, a sly grin on his face as he asked, "What's going on with you and Hanaria?"
Alexis, who had just taken a sip of his tea, nearly choked at the question, "W-what do you mean by that?"
Kenjiro chuckled, clearly enjoying his surprised expression, "I see you sneaking glances out of the studio whenever Hanaria tends to the flowers."
Alexis's cheeks then turn a shade darker as he tries to deny it, "I'm not looking at her! The flowers.. they just make me feel at peace."
Kenjiro raises his eyebrow, clearly not buying it but deciding to drop it—for now. Instead, he leaned closer, lowering his voice, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there's an ongoing bet about when you and Hanaria will finally get together. Even Ms. Aurora betted on less than six months."
Alexis choked on his tea again as he wiped his mouth with a flushed face. "What!? Who in the right mind even started that bet!?"
Before Kenjiro could tease him further, Raphael had approached the table with their pastries. He glanced at Alexis with a casual smile, "Oh, you're Alexis from the ballet club, right?"
"Yeah," Alexis replied with a blank tone, "And, you're from the Taekwondo club, right?"
Raphael smiled, though there was something in his smile that Alexis didn't like, "That's right."
Kenjiro then interjected, "So, you must be close with Hanaria huh?"
Raphael glanced at Alexis before answering, "Yeah, we've been friends long before she became friends with Sheila."
Kenjiro then smirked, lowering his voice. "You must've known about the ongoing bet right?" He asked, "So what did you bet on?"
"Oh, I didn't bet." Raphael shrugged casually, "I just don't think Alexis and Hanaria would end up together." His voice slightly had a menacing tone in them even though he was still smiling which made Kenjiro shiver.
Alexis frowned at this but remained silent, brushing it off as a casual comment. Raphael then continued, his tone casual but firm, "Hanaria may look tough, but she deserves someone who treats her like a princess.
Alexis's eyes narrowed slightly, sensing something off from Raphael's words. Raphael then adds with a smile, "You know, you can just tell them to stop the bets to avoid further misunderstanding."
"The bets don't concern me." Alexis replied almost instantly, "I'm in no place to force people to stop doing what they want to do"
Raphael simply nodded, his smile unwavering, "I see." He paused looking at him with a slight narrow look on his eyes, "Hanaria is too kind for her own good. That doesn't give you the right to abuse her."
Alexis felt a strange chill from Raphael's words. Before he could respond, Raphael had just laughed lightly and walked away, leaving the atmosphere tense.
"I don't know why, but that guy's smile gives me the creeps." Kenjiro replied, feeling uncomfortable about the situation.
The two continued to eat and brush off what had happened earlier. After a while, Kenjiro's phone rang, deciding that it was time to go. "Odette is calling for me, are you going anywhere after?"
Alexis continued to sip his tea before answering, "I'm waiting for someone."
Kenjiro gave him a mischievous grin before giving him a teasing nudge, "It's Hanaria isn't it?"
Alexis shrugged it off almost immediately, "You wish."
"Oh, before I go, here's my number." Kenjiro said as he tore a sheet of paper and wrote down his number before handing it to Alexis, "Let's keep in touch man,"
Kenjiro laughed as he waved goodbye, leaving Alexis alone at the table, with his thoughts swirling. Something about what Raphael said didn't sit right with him, just as how he felt whenever he heard Hanaria's name. He continued drinking his tea, wondering what all of this even meant.
