La Nuit Tourne Paranormal

Chapter Sixteen

"So what do you think?" Hiromi asks with a goofy smile plastered onto his face. I giggle with laughter as I'm unable to control myself.
"It's-it's great." I'm barely able to say as I continue to laugh.

We sit at a small pub, that's completely clown themed... even the servers are wearing red clown noses... I've never- where the hell am I, a fever dream? My uncontrollable laughter finally comes to a small chuckle as I'm still not able to take this place serious.

"If you can believe it, this is a fan favorite." He winks as I start to laugh again, enjoying my time and actually feeling happy since everything... I start to feel a bit sad again as my thoughts haunt me... memories can suck sometimes.

Right as my smile starts to fade the server comes over to us and squeaks her nose, causing me to giggle quietly trying to contain my behavior.
"Turn that frown upside down! What can we make you smile with today?" She greets us as I begin to understand why he brought me here... he's trying to cheer me up.

"I'll take your finest Chartreuse, and the polenta. Also whatever she would like." He turns his attention to me with a smile as he leans back into the chair, letting me take over.
"I'll take a water, and the chicken saltimbocca thank you." I smile as she nods taking our menus leaving us alone once more.

"Why the clown theme?" I ask curiously.
"The owners family ran a circus, and the store was founded on being circus themed, then adapted to just the clowns... the food here is delicious."
I look around at the full restaurant as I realize maybe he's not wrong.

"Anyways, did you ever think about my proposal?" He says smiling warmly at me, his smile is almost comforting... yet my head runs wild with anxiety from his words realizing I'm met with confrontation.
"I- I need more time." I say as my cheeks burn red with embarrassment.

"No rush." He winks as he continues to sit there calmly... his demeanor is very unproblematic.
"You didn't say no, so that's a start." He chuckles causing my heart to skip a beat... he's right. I didn't say no upright... am I actually considering mentoring under Hiromi?

Itsuki would hate me forever-
He doesn't deserve any type of thought after what happened... but I still can't help but consider his feelings. Am I falling in love with Itsuki? I can't say no or yes... I know that my feelings for him are there even after-

"Here's you guys food enjoy." The server interrupts me from my thoughts as she places our food on the table and walks back towards the kitchen... she did me a silent favor. We begin to eat, as I start to dig in I realize the food is absolutely amazing... he was not lying.
"Wow! This is really, really good Hiromi."
"I told you." He chuckles as I notice a warm smile tug across his lips, his eyes staring into mine as he crosses back and forth on my pupils focusing only on me.

"I'm glad you like it." He continues to eat as I furrow my eyebrows in confusion at his intense focus on me, why was he looking at me like that? I suddenly begin to feel warm with anxiety as I try to sip my water to rid the tenseness.
"Thank you... for bringing me here." I push myself to say, feeling the need to express my gratitude towards his presence and his help.

"No need to thank me, I enjoy spending time with you Zella." His words cause my heart to completely stop working as I almost choke on my water.
"W-what, why?"
He chuckles at my nervousness as he crosses his fingers together and focuses his attention on me once more.

"For some reason you intrigue me... and I'm drawn towards you. Also my job is instructed to assist you." He smirks at me as I try to hide behind my hair... he's drawn to me? So many questions run through my mind as I try to calm myself down by sipping more of my drink.