Palinoia

Chapter 16

I continued to stare at her in surprise, ignoring my surroundings. She still seemed a bit taken aback by the push so I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I asked. It was weird for me to show actual concern since I rarely did. Velvet took me aback with a reassuring smile and a nod.

"I'm fine," was her answer. "Just surprised to run into you again. What are you doing here?"

I didn't pay attention to her question because I was too busy looking over my shoulder, still worried that that woman was following after me. My mind wasn't stable. A lot of thought ran through and the last thing I wanted was to be out in the open.

"Sebastian?"

I turned my head around sharply. "Yes? Is something wrong? Someone there?"

Velvet raised her hands up and her eyebrows. "Everything's fine. I should be asking you are you okay? You seem really tense."

I shook my head and let out a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just tired." I was tired but I definitely wasn't fine.

"Oh," she said. For a second, I thought she sent me a look of disappointment. This made me frown for some reason. Her response was off as if I said something she didn't like. I suddenly heard my stomach growl and I couldn't help but groan. Velvet laughed which made me lose the frown.

Damn I really wanted that steak.

"Well you sure seem hungry too. Want to grab something to eat?" she asked.

"Uh together?" I questioned, not really certain what kind of situation she wanted to create.

"Of course. I was just about to get something to eat too. C'mon it'll be fun," she answered.

Sadly, I didn't have time to protest because she was already tugging at my hand to lead me away. I sighed, not having a choice and because I really was hungry. I just didn't see why I needed to be accompanied. I was certain she wasn't even planning to go to the diner I wanted to go to so what was the point of us eating together?

The fortunate thing was that we were moving away from the side I didn't trust but who knew what was further out there.

Velvet lead me to an open area where different people moved about. One thing I noticed about the place that there were many pairs that moved about where they all seemed to be in a love bubble in their own. I had no idea why she brought me to a hotspot for couples.

We stepped into a restaurant that I did not recognise from the outside until I had a clear view inside. The restaurant was a fancy one. One where only the posh, elite and happy couples went to. It definitely wasn't on my choice list.

"Why are we here?" I whispered over to her.

She glanced back at me with a grin. "You haven't tried the burgers here? They're absolutely amazing."

"Do they have steak?" I asked. She gave me a quick nod before turning back around.

"Allow me to assist you to a table," a lady at the counter said. She then stood up and walked through the venue. We followed behind, receiving looks from different people. Most of them smiled while the rest whispered something between each other.

"They look like a nice couple," one of them said. I instantly narrowed my eyes and wanted to give whoever said that a dirty look. Staring back at Velvet, she had a bright smile on her face and it was evident that she was enjoying herself.

We sat down at one of the window seats in a quieter area, much to my liking. The first thing I need was scan the menu and searched for their best steak.