Noah Is Buying

"Noah, the meeting with professor Boa was already finished." 

"Yeah, I heard about it. Congratulations!" He glanced at Jess who was unusually quiet and just standing behind Oliver. 

"Thanks! Jess is treating me for lunch, would you like to join us?" 

She punched his side when she heard him inviting Noah to have lunch with them. 

"I haven't even agreed to treat you! You are being shameless just because I bought you lunch."

Oliver chuckled and grabbed her under his elbow. He pressed her cheeks in his palm using his thumb and index finger. "You -- are going to buy me lunch because I saved your ass!" 

"Let go! I didn't ask you to save me. Why are you asking me to buy you lunch now?" she pushed him away but failed. 

"How about I buy you two lunch?" he said watching them playing around. 

Oliver grinned, lifting his eyebrow at her. She creased her forehead at him, sending him a silent signal to decline Noah's invitation. 

"You don't have to, but thanks! Jess and I would love to have some Quesadilla for lunch."  He patted Noah's shoulder. 

"I'm not agreeing to this!" she protested as she slapped Oliver's back. 

"It's the best place. It's walkable from here and you love their Quesadilla." He just laughed as he dragged her under his armpit.

Noah's eyebrows were knitted on his forehead as he stared at Jess being hugged by Oliver. 

"Just follow me, because I'm scared that Noah would take back my internship with the way he is looking at me now," he whispered in her ears. 

She looked back and saw Noah slowly walking behind them, with his hands inside his pockets. She couldn't read the expression he has on his face. She quickly averted her eyes when their eyes met. 

She removed Oliver's arm from her shoulder and walked properly next to him. 

"Why do you think he would take back your internship?" she wrinkled her nose at him. 

"Well, the looks in his eyes are scary." he flicked her forehead with his forefinger. "Are you sure the two of you weren't dating?" he asked teasingly. 

"No," she answered sternly. 

She pulled her phone from her lab coat and send a message to Luke. She gave him the address of the Mexican restaurant they were going to and told him to come since she would buy him lunch as a reward for being accepted by ANAT and Pharma Co.

A small lie won't really matter. She smirked inwardly as she put back her phone in her pocket. It was true that they were going to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate getting the internship at ANAT and Pharma Co.

It wasn't a total lie. She simply omitted the fact that she wasn't alone and that she wasn't the one who would actually buy lunch. 

It was just ten minutes past eleven. There were still a lot of empty tables when they arrived at the Mexican restaurant since it was still a bit early for lunch. 

"Table for three?" the young waiter that looks like a student, working as a part-timer asked them when they entered the restaurant. 

"Yes, please." 

"No. For four please," she told the young server.

Noah threw her a questioning look. 

"Well, you are buying us lunch because we were accepted at ANAT and Pharma Co, right?" she narrowed her eyes at him, taunting him to deny it. When Noah didn't say something, she told Oliver, "Luke Ravenport is a friend, so I sent him a message to join us." she said, smiling. 

She walked ahead of the two men, and choose a table at the part end of the room next to a window decorated with colorful banderitas and sombrero. 

Noah and Oliver followed Jess in awkward silence. 

Oliver went ahead and took the chair across Jess. He was expecting Noah to take the chair beside Jess, but he was surprised when he sat next to him. 

As soon as they settled on their chair, their young server came with a pitcher of lemon water. He quietly poured lemon water into their glasses. 

"Ready to order?" he asked with a bright smile. His pen and small notebook were his ready to take their orders. 

Noah cleared his throat, picked up the menu when Jess started ordering food without looking at the menu. 

"I would like, some Quesadilla, burritos, chicken fajita, enchiladas, carne asada and a flan for dessert." 

"Should I have it for four people?" the server asked while he scribbled her orders in his notepad. 

"No. Just for two, please." 

The server glanced at Noah and Oliver then back to Jess. He has a puzzled expression on his face but didn't dare to ask. 

She smiled widely at the server and said, "Thank you." 

Oliver cleared his throat and drank his lemon water. "Some beef tacos for me. Thank you."

"Tortas and Pico de gallo for me." he gave his order to the server with a tight smile. He narrowed his eyes on Jess but she just gave him one of her pretty smiles. He couldn't say anything since Oliver is with them at the table.

"Luke," she raised her hand up in the air when she spotted her friend entering the restaurant. 

"Sorry, professor Boa asked me to help him with some files, and those siamese girls from your team caught me on my way here." 

He was taken aback when he realized Noah was on the table with them. 

"Mr. Tiefenbacher, my name is Luke." he offered his hand to Noah with a knowing smile curling in his lips. "It was an honor to finally meet you."

"Likewise, Mr. Ravenport. Even though we had been bumping into each other, we weren't formally introduced." 

"Well, Jess can be selfish with things she likes."

Jess pinched his thigh under the table.

Noah glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I already ordered for the two of us." she blurted up before Luke could open his mouth.

He clasped Jess' hand that was still squeezing his thigh and turned his attention to the guy in eyeglasses that was sitting next to Noah. 

"Hi, I'm Luke. This is my first time seeing you around Jess." he offered his hand to Oliver.

"Oliver, Mr. Ravenport. I am one of Jess' labmates. Pleasure meeting you." 

"Pleasure, indeed." he gripped his hand on a firm handshake. Pumping it three times for a good impression.