"This is bad," Lily said as she circled the stain with her finger, "I'm sorry about this."
Zero, feeling that movement on his chest, felt a lump in his throat. He quickly grabbed that finger and took a step back, "It's fine."
Lily blinked.
Then flushed red even more.
What had she been doing?!
Zero's hand was holding on to her hand, with her index finger in between his thumb and index finger. His hands were rough but warm.
Lily felt she must be looking like a lobster right now.
How could there be any person so perfect?
Good looking, kind, sweet, protective, knows how to appreciate food, and most of all, be so steady and reliable.
Lily glanced at Lianne, her feelings mixed.
Zero had said that Lianne was his sister, but there was this nagging feeling within her. Zero and Lianne didn't look anything alike.
Even she, with her half-brother Justin, had some similar features. But then again, that could be because her mother's genes were so strong. Perhaps, in Zero and Lianne's case, they were half-siblings that took after the different parent?
The reason why she was feeling rather apprehensive was the fact that the way the two interacted didn't seem like they were siblings. Yes, Zero had said he was only pretending to be her boyfriend yet, what brother could act so well?
Justin surely would barf before doing any of the things Zero had been doing when she had first met them.
The suspicion had been there in the beginning and it was steadily growing.
A part of her was telling herself that this date wasn't real anyway, so why was she so bothered?
Was it because it painted Zero in a bad light and she didn't like that?
Or was it because she was interested in Zero that she was starting to have these weird thoughts?
Thinking back on what her mother had gone through, Lily was prone to have some sort of suspicion. Her innocent self wanted to believe in Zero but her mother's experience told her to be wary.
She slowly retracted her hand, a bit shy despite her uneasiness.
When she looked into Zero's eyes, she saw nothing but clarity and frankness.
Her heart settled down just like that.
No-one, with eyes like that, could be like her father.
Lily smiled.
Zero, in the meantime, was feeling like his hand was rather empty suddenly. Never did he realise that a woman's hand can be so small and soft. How could such a wonderful baker have such soft hands?
Her tiny hand seemed to be engulfed in his, and he had this split second thought of not letting go.
He was then assaulted with her smile.
He couldn't help but smile back in return.
Why was he smiling so much nowadays?!
Lianne, in the meantime, was busy trying to stop herself from laughing at Zero's predicament. Looks like his spring has finally arrived, but he was still a bit blur about what was happening to him.
No worries there.
Lianne would definitely have fun pushing him forward to where he should go. Of course, it wasn't as if Lianne would force him if they weren't compatible or if Zero had no positive feelings. She was simply making the road smoother, so to speak. Zero himself was the one who would have to take the steps needed.
Just like how he felt she should give Kai a chance, Zero, too, should give Lily a chance.
At least Kai was good for something.
Besides being eye-candy, that is.
✿ Author only posts on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l. ✿
Lianne found dinner to be surprisingly pleasant.
There was no awkwardness like she had expected, and Kai was a perfect gentleman. He didn't try to 'take over' in ordering and specifically asked what they like to eat before recommending something from the menu.
The ambiance in the place was also good.
Not too formal or fancy that it made one uncomfortable. Lianne didn't quite like that overly-rich-type restaurant type of place, even though she was rich enough to afford having a meal anywhere.
In short, she didn't quite like to go to fine dining restaurants.
Where is the joy in having to dress up just to go out to eat?
Sometimes, the food was also not worth it.
Costing a bomb for 'art' that hardly filled the stomach.
Lianne appreciated good food, but she was not what one would consider a foodie. She was not adventurous enough to try an unknown or weird thing on the menu, lest it not be nice.
What was important was that her stomach was filled with food that she liked and could enjoy.
However, if one was to say that something was good and she had not tried it yet, she would try it based on that person's recommendation.
Thus, right now, Lianne was trying some newly-fangled lamb dish that was supposed to be tender, soft and oozing with juices after being marinated with some special blend of herbs and spices.
On the side, there were some pickled radish, salad and a bulb of roasted garlic. The unpeeled bulb had the top part slightly sliced off and roasted. It was truly unusual, but Lianne found that when she separated the garlic cloves, it was soft and the taste was very nice.
Overall, the dish was fantastic.
Unfortunately, she was unable to finish the meal as she had that sausage bun earlier.
Now she wished she didn't, for the meal really was nice. She also didn't like to waste food but she couldn't help but order it after Kai gushed about it.
Zero saw Lianne staring at her lamb, and that she was eating slower than ever.
He was sitting across of her and had already finished his meal, while Lily (who was sitting beside him) was still eating hers. Without a word, he tapped Lianne's plate and she looked at him pitifully.
He sighed and took her plate, thinking that he's got to do some extra training tomorrow.
Lianne grinned widely as Zero started finishing off her meal.
Kai, who was beside Lianne, was not happy seeing this scene. It was as if it was something Zero did all the time. Like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
Kai munched on his steak unhappily.
Yup, he was not happy at all.