After Mike's diner, anyone who crossed paths with Jess and I would have seen the difference between us very clearly.
Jess looked so cheerful with her half-jumping steps while carrying a cloth bag containing two boxes of pineapple that Mike gave me after Jess mentioned one of my favorite cookies to him.
And I kept on taking deep breaths as I walked beside Jess, following in my best friend's footsteps which were slowly getting harder for me to keep up with my present steps.
"Jess..."
"Hmm?" Jess said, stopping in her tracks as she glanced behind me with one eyebrow raised in confusion. "Is it just my feeling or are you walking too slowly, Richard? How come you keep walking like a snail? Do you want us to be late to go back to work later?"
"Enough, stop your fake dedication. I could tell you were faking when you said that."
"Tch. Even though I said it with all my heart and you even accused me of pretending."
"That's the truth, right?"
