Bound to Occur

Chapter Four - Re-introduced

   The car I hop into reeks of used herbs and the failed attempt of trying to cover it up with men's cologne. Natalie turns her head, looking over her shoulder.
"Smells like a pot farm, I know. Sorry about that," she rolls her eyes as Dean ends his conversation with the hollow-heads. He looks back at me, smiling lightly.
"We ready to head out?" His eyes fixate on me, then Natalie. She returns the smile and nods. As Dean puts the car in reverse, Natalie grabs his hand. When he looks her way, she steals a kiss.
Yeah, thanks guys. I just got out of a relationship, and I'm currently the third wheel, but thanks.
The drive is long, but surprisingly entertaining. Dean gives Natalie his phone, asking her to play random songs. Then, him and I have to guess the title of the songs, which equals one point. Guessing the artist of the song would give you half a point. This goes on until we abruptly stop in front of a packed restaurant.
"Isn't this place a little crowded?" I ask, leaning over toward my window.
"Well, it is new. I heard the food here is amazing! Have you ever heard of Gang Keow Wan?" Natalie turns to me.
   "Uh, no." I furrow my eyebrows.
"I haven't either," Dean joins in. Natalie tries to explain what the dish is, but I cut her off.
   "How about we just go in and see what there is to order?" I suggest, my legs killing me from sitting so long. Natalie nods and we all get out of the car, walking up to the front doors of Thai Mania. Nice name. Dean heads for the front desk, asking for a table. All of a sudden, Natalie steps in front of me, scanning my face, outfit, and hair.
   "You look stunning. Go get 'em, tiger," she says, giving a thumbs up as she starts to walk off with Dean to their table.
   "Huh? What do you mean?" I yell, watching her walk off. Whatever. I turn, starting to walk toward the women's restroom when I bump into someone.
   "Oh, sorry." I look up. "Excuse-" I stop. Those hazel eyes. "Seth?" I back up, a smile growing upon my face as my cheeks change pigment. I instantly wrap my arms around him, squeezing tightly. He holds me for what seems like an eternity, and I'm not complaining. He lets his grip on my body loose. Shrugging his shoulders, he chuckles.
   "In the flesh, I guess," he smiles and for the first time in a while, my heart jumps. "I didn't know if who I was admiring was you," he pauses and smirks. "Until I heard that snort in your laugh." My cheeks flush as my hands fiddle with each other behind my back.
Seth was someone I truly loved before Lynn. He always made me smile, at least, that's what I remember. His hazel eyes hypnotize me. His smile killed me, in a good way, of course. His pierced ears made me blush. Yes, that's my kind of style. He, all in all, is my favorite crush. We would video chat frequently; chatting until one of us fell asleep, but the thing is, I wouldn't end the call; I would just listen to the rhythmic soft breaths he took. I would crave to be by his side. We video chatted, called, and texted 24/7. All of my friends, past and current, know about "my ex Seth". We broke off during the 3 months that Lynn came along. So yes, I cheated; sue me. I was madly in love with Seth and I couldn't let him stay away. That is, until Lynn shunned me from ever talking to him, which is understandable. Anyway, I don't know how and I don't know why Seth is suddenly here before my eyes.
   "W-..what are you doing here, Seth?" My curious mind wonders as his smile grows wide. I feel a rock form in my throat as I scan him up and down.
"Well, Natalie contacted me, about the whole break up thing. I frankly remember you telling me you never wanted me to visit. Oh, and that if I did, you'd just slam your front door in my face," he says, crossing his arms as he taps his right foot on the floor. Once he sees my guilt ridden expression, he smirks. "Rose Petal, I'm just messing around. I'm letting bygones be bygones," he gently punches my shoulder and I let out a nervous laugh. I'm dreaming. Yeah, that's it. I'll just pinch myself and wake up. I pinch my hand, so hard, that I have to bite my lip to swallow the harsh vocal that may come out. I keep a smile. Seth sees my expression and raises an eyebrow.
   "Are you that happy to see me?" He laughs a little before winking at me. "Come on, let's go find Natalie and Dean's table." My cheeks are beyond flushed as my heart skips a beat. Did he mean..? Alright, same old seductive Seth.
When we reach the table, Natalie's eyes are wide and her face shows that she is full of interest. Dean, on the other hand, has a subtle look as he reads the menu.
   "So, I see you two met up," Natalie says, smiling as she leans over the table. I've told her everything about my past relationships, even that I've missed Seth for a while.
"Yeah, and I got to thank you for contacting me. I thought I'd never get the chance to see Rose in person. She looks even lovelier in person," he smirks. "The red pigment in her cheeks, it's so defined now." I feel awkward, but loved so I'm in between on how I'm feeling.
"How about we just order, huh?" I chuckle nervously.
"Sure thing." Seth smiles and I reach for a menu at the exact time he does. Our hands touch for the first time. My heart stops. He looks into my eyes and I can tell his cheeks are quite pink.
"I can see the red pigment in yours, too," I say, giggling.