A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Sixteen: Part One

I didn’t give myself any time to think. I ran as fast as I could towards Keita, with my hands flapping around my head.

It was amazing how I didn’t knock anything over when I made my dash towards him.

When I arrived before his table, he lifted his head towards me, eying me with that expressionless gaze of his. But before he even had any time to open his mouth to speak, I screeched in one breath, “Whadaya doin’ here?!” as if all of those words were squished into one word.

“I’m having dinner,” Keita calmly answered, despite my impolite greeting.

“Dinner?! Shouldn’t you have had dinner an hour ago?”

“Yes, but it’s an hour later tonight because I want to have dinner here.”

I felt my eye twitch annoyingly. “Why did you come here?”

“I told you already. I’m having dinner.”

“But why here? Why not at home with your lovely set of maids and chauffeurs and gourmet chefs?”

“Because you’re here.”

I froze against his answer, with my mouth slightly open ajar.

After a few seconds of exchanging my bewildered gaze with his expressionless one, he turned away.

“I was going to come here anyway. If I’m going to come all the way here, I might as well eat here instead of at home.”

I heard footsteps approaching from behind me and I peered over my shoulder. Sora had two dishes on her tray, and she wore her usual, bright, delighted smile as she approached us.

“Here are your orders of Chunky Chunky Choco Cake,” Sora chirped as she set both of the plates onto the table one by one.

My eyes widened in slightly curiosity. It was so peculiar how a formal person like Keita would order something that—like I stated before—looked like it was a pried chunk off of the road.

I looked at the two plates that sat on his table. Was he seriously going to eat both of those slices by himself?

As if he had heard my thoughts whispered aloud, he immediately slid one of the plates across the table. “Sit.” He murmured, eying me with the most blunt of expressions.

I obeyed, nervously slipping into the seat as if I was hesitating to sit into a pool of lava. Once I was facing him with a look that I knew looked completely bemused, he whispered, “Dig in.”

“Um,” was what I had responded to him with.

“I believe the term ‘dig in’ means ‘start eating’.” Keita calmly enunciated, still keeping his gaze fully focused on me.

“This is for me?” I pointed at the slice of chunkiness that sat before me.

“Obviously.”

“But—“

“I am having dinner with you tonight.” He whispered, stabbing the corner of the cake slice with his fork.

“But—“ I repeated, although I was interrupted.

“I am having dinner with you tonight.” He had enunciated his repetition differently this time, and it went into notice. “You’re not escaping tonight’s dinner. If you’re having dinner here, I will as well.”

There wasn’t anything I could think of saying in objection. I peered down at the cake slice that sat before me with pursed lips.

I had to admit that I didn’t really want to put any of what sat in front of me into my mouth. It might have been delicious to other customers, but I knew I was reluctant.