A Love Unexpected

CHAPTER 6: His Favor

The atmosphere at Luna&Sol Café buzzed with the lively chatter of students and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Ryndell, Heart, Arielle, Charity, and Coleen gathered around the counter, eagerly placing their orders.

“Can I get a vanilla frappe?” Arielle said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I’ll have an iced caramel matcha,” Heart added, her stomach fluttering at the thought of her drink.

“An iced Spanish latte for me,” Ryndell chimed in, his signature smirk playing on his lips.

“Iced matcha latte!” Coleen followed, her voice cheerful.

“And I’ll take an iced caramel macchiato,” Charity finished, grinning widely.

Once they received their takeout drinks, the group spilled out of the café and stepped into the warm afternoon sun, laughter filling the air as they began to stroll down the street. Heart found herself walking close to Ryndell, her heart racing with each casual brush of their arms.

As they ambled along, the conversation flowed easily, but then Ryndell’s expression shifted slightly. He leaned closer to Heart, his voice low and serious. “Hey, Heart, can you do me a favor?”

She turned to him, curiosity piqued. “Sure! What’s up?”

Just then, Ryndell’s eyes flicked to something behind her. Heart followed his gaze and felt her heart drop. Approaching them was Maxine, Ryndell’s ex-girlfriend, her confident stride and bright smile making her impossible to ignore.

“Can you pretend to be my girlfriend?” Ryndell whispered, a hint of urgency in his tone.

Heart’s eyes widened in surprise, her mind racing. “What?! Ryndell—”

Before she could protest further, Ryndell placed his hand gently on her waist, pulling her closer just as Maxine arrived.

“Ryndell! Long time no see!” Maxine exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she took in the scene. Her gaze flickered to Heart, a curious expression crossing her face.

“Hey, Maxine,” Ryndell replied, his voice casual, though his grip on Heart’s waist tightened slightly, as if to anchor them both.

Arielle, who was sipping her vanilla frappe, suddenly choked, sputtering as she tried to contain her laughter. “Oh my God!” she wheezed, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Coleen raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin spreading across her face as she leaned closer to hear what was happening. “What is happening right now?” she whispered to Charity, who was mid-sip of her drink.

Charity couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, accidentally spraying her iced caramel macchiato toward Arielle. “Did you just hear that?!” she managed to gasp between fits of laughter.

Maxine’s gaze flickered between Heart and Ryndell, her smile faltering for a brief moment. “Are you two... together?” she asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

Heart felt her cheeks flush, unsure of how to respond. She shot Ryndell a look that said, What are you doing?

“Yeah, we are,” Ryndell said smoothly, his tone cool as he maintained his grip on Heart, who was still processing the unexpected turn of events.

The tension hung in the air, thick with surprise and the sound of Arielle trying to contain her laughter. Heart felt the heat of embarrassment creeping up her neck, but she knew she had to play along, if only to help Ryndell out of a sticky situation.

“Right, Heart?” Ryndell prompted, looking down at her with an encouraging smile.

Heart swallowed hard and nodded, a smile plastered on her face as she tried to sound convincing. “Um, yeah! We’ve been together for a while now.”