"To eat here or to go?" asked a girl with black hair as she looked at Luke.
"Eat here. Get out of that house with the blinds closed for a bit and enjoy some fresh air," said Edgar quickly.
[We're in a local. Not in the fresh air] said Luke mentally.
"Sit near the window and watch the scenery," said Edgar without losing patience.
[The expensive house I rent has better views] said Luke.
"Your food will get cold," said Edgar.
[Mm, you have a point] said Luke. Eating cold food was not pleasant.
"Hello?" said the girl.
"To eat here," replied Luke.
"Great! In a few minutes, I'll bring you the food," said the girl with a different smile that Luke overlooked. Edgar did notice the change in the girl's attitude and smiled slightly.
[Step two is complete. Now everything depends on this girl] thought Edgar helplessly. His great-great-grandson was very innocent in these matters. Besides, his pride was too high, so he would not initiate a conversation himself.
Luke sat down at a table for two near the window and surveyed the place. It didn't hurt to eat out occasionally. His fame wasn't like that of a celebrity who can't even go outside.
He doesn't reach a million followers, and from time to time, he gets recognized on the street. Also, being a writer for a famous actor is very different. A lot of people could have read Carrie without even knowing who wrote the book or what the author looks like.
At Nevermore, they recognized it since Carrie looks like a book by an outcast in the Normie community, and it first came out in Jericho, where the academy is located.
"Sorry for the wait. Here's your food," said the girl who served Luke a few minutes ago.
The girl held a tray and began to put everything on the table. A cheese omelet, bacon, biscuits, and a cappuccino.
"If you want anything else, just call me. I'm here for you," said the girl with a smile, staring at Luke.
"Oh, yes, thanks," Luke said, not paying attention. He looked down at his delicious breakfast.
'This guy...' thought Edgar, shaking his head.
Luke mentally conversed with Edgar as he ate his breakfast. They chatted about training and outcast stuff. After finishing, he asked for the bill.
As he was getting up and about to leave, the girl who waited on him stopped him, "What's wrong?" asked Luke with a raised eyebrow.
'Doesn't he realize or have no interest...?' thought the girl, and her self-confidence was dropping. The whole time she was attending to Luke, she made subtle comments, but ones that showed interest. She considered herself pretty, and at her High School, she was popular.
"I was wondering if you would like to grab a drink," said the girl.
"I already had my cappuccino," said Luke with a strange look on his face.
"That's not what I mean... I mean, have a drink with me," said the girl, looking at Luke strangely.
[She's asking you out...] said Edgar with a blank look in his eyes.
'Oh, was that it... Being cooped up in that house talking to a crazy ghost for so long is taking its toll on me,' thought Luke, feeling like an idiot.
Luke took a closer look at the girl. She had sky-blue eyes like him, but her hair was black, and her skin was pale. Which made her light eyes stand out. She looked about his age, or a little older.
Her hair was shoulder-length, and she had beatiful features. Being asked out by a girl like that boosted his ego even more.
However, the idea of spending too much time in the sunshine on a hot summer day didn't seem very tempting to Luke. He preferred to stay in his luxurious house with air conditioning and many other amenities.
"If you want, you can come to my house," Luke suggested without realizing what this implied.
"Your house? I don't know," said the girl hesitantly. That was going too fast. She wasn't that easy.
"My house is on Lido Key. We can do everything there... I have a private beach, movie theater..." said Luke as he began to list all the luxuries that the house he rented had.
The girl opened her mouth, slightly surprised that Luke was living in Lido Key. A luxurious and exclusive area.
'Why is he coming here for breakfast?' the girl thought doubtfully. Lido Key had a shopping district with high-end restaurants. Instead, Luke was eating at the Cheesecake. A run-of-the-mill restaurant in downtown Sarasota.
"Okay, I'll go. My name is Emily. Nice to meet you."
"Luke, nice to meet you,"
"Can I go with some friends? These days, it's dangerous to go to strangers' houses for the first time," Emily said.
'Mm, she's not as much of an idiot as I thought,' thought Luke, having a better opinion of Emily.
"How many are there?" he asked.
"Four, with me, five," replied Emily.
"Fine..." replied Luke after a few seconds. He was only doing it because he found Emily attractive. Maybe he needed some more social time on this vacation and not be cooped up training like a nutcase.
Luke slipped Emily his number, and they decided to work things out over there since the girl was still working. He went home and resumed his routine.
Saturday came. That meant his date with Emily, or well, his meeting with the girl and her group of friends, since Luke didn't want to have a date in the sunshine.
"Coming," Luke said, walking down the stairs and heading for the door. He opened the door and saw a group of five people.
In the middle was Emily, who was wearing a tight black sleeveless top that highlighted her figure, especially two things Luke almost unconsciously averted his gaze at.
Then she was wearing a tight, high-waisted short that showed off her waist and elongated her legs. Finally, some sandals and some accessories like earrings and bracelets.
Seeing the sexy normie in front of him, Luke felt it was a good idea to invite her into his home. Besides Emily, there were two girls and two guys.
It was an odd group. Emily looked like the typical, most popular girl in school. The others, on the other hand, seemed normal and a little nerdy.
"I told you it was him," whispered a short boy, nudging Emily.
"Yeah, yeah. No doubt about it," said in a low tone a girl with short brown hair.
"Shut up," muttered Emily, and then she looked at Luke with a smile.
"Hi, Luke. These are my friends. Bethany, Jack, Penny, and Leonard," said Emily, introducing everyone quickly.
"Hi... Come on in," said Luke, and they all walked in.
"Whoa... This house is big," said Leonard, dumbfounded looking at the luxurious house.
"You weren't lying about living on Lido Key," commented Emily.
"You didn't believe me?" asked Luke with a slight smile.
"Don't blame me. It was hard to believe that a guy who eats breakfast at Cheesecake is living in an apartment with a private beach on Lido Key," said Emily, playfully bumping her shoulder into Luke's.
"If you had recognized it was Luke Poe, you would have believed him," said Leonard, and Luke raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, did you read Carrie?" asked Luke.
"Yes, we brought it for you to sign!" said everyone, except Emily, pulling Carrie out of their backpacks.
"Sure, gladly..." said Luke, taking the books and reaching for a pen. It was weird to find four fans together. It seemed Emily's friends were better than he had first thought.
"I also didn't imagine that the person I was talking to was a famous writer," Emily said with a strange expression. She only invited Luke because she thought he was cute. She didn't know he was a writer.
"You would have known him if you continued to read books that others consider nerdy," Jack commented, and the others nodded.
"There you go with that again," muttered Emily, dropping the subject.
Time passed. Luke and his new "friends" spent time in the luxurious house. To his surprise, Emily's friends had many things in common with him. Video games, anime, manga, fiction novels, pop culture, etc.
They were all nerds, except for Emily. Luke realized that she was friends with Bethany, Leonard, and the others because they were childhood friends. Only Emily, because of her beauty, went the way of the popular, but she was still in touch with her old friends.
Thanks to this, it was a very fun afternoon. They played video games on the huge 65-inch TV, watched Star Wars: Episode I in the private movie theater, and then went to the private beach.
"I didn't think you'd like Star Wars and playing video games," Emily said with a slight smile. She was sitting on the sand, looking out at the beautiful sea with crystal clear water. Next to her was Luke. The others were playing in the sea.
"Disappointed?" asked Luke, looking at Emily, who was wearing a bikini. As Luke had told her there was a beach, she had come prepared like the others.
"No. I was just a little surprised. I'm used to it because of my friends," replied Emily, looking at Luke and lowering her gaze a little towards Luke's bare torso.
Luke had a toned torso, visible abs, and muscular, defined arms. This is due to all the training he's done since meeting Natasha a year ago.
His outcast metabolism makes getting muscle much easier compared to a normie. In other words, his genetics are much better, and even though he's fifteen, he fits the Netflix teen stereotype.
'Besides, with that body and that face, I don't care if you're a nerd,' thought Emily, looking at Luke's body.
'Is that an insinuation?' thought Luke. Although Emily didn't know it, that thought was read by him.
Luke had already mastered the ability to read a person's current thoughts. Though there was a range of how far he should be from this person, it was best to look at his target. Although the latter was not necessary if he had the target very close to him.
Emily looked up and noticed Luke staring at her. She was a little embarrassed, as she had watched him without disguise. She was more surprised when Luke slowly brought his face closer and closer to hers.
'He's going to kiss me!? Easy, Emily... Slowly move closer and close your eyes,' Emily thought nervously. Luke read her thoughts and had to hold back his laughter. It was rare for someone to be named in the third person.
Their lips met, and they began to kiss as the sun dipped below the horizon.
'His lips taste good... I'd like to touch his tongue,' Emily thought as she kissed Luke more passionately.
'Well, if that's what you want...' thought Luke, starting a French kiss. Reading minds had its advantages in these things, besides battles to the death.
After a few minutes, they both broke apart. For a first kiss, it was quite long and racy as they used their tongues. Unromantic compared to Luke's first moonlight kiss he had with Enid, but hey, he knew his relationship with Emily was fleeting.
After the passionate kiss, they returned to the house. Since it was getting dark, they had to go back to their homes.
"Hey Luke, can we stay in tonight?" asked Jack casually. He usually doesn't get along with boys his age, since he's a nerd and the target of bullies, but with Luke, he'd had a great time.
Besides, the house had plenty of rooms. Spending the night here should be great.
Emily and the others looked over to Luke, who was pouring himself a glass of orange juice on the rocks.
'Well done, Jack. I hope he says yes,' thought Emily. This time her thoughts were not read by Luke, as he was paying attention not to spill his glass.
"Yeah, why not," replied Luke, looking sideways at Emily.
"Great! We get to see Star Wars Episode II, Attack of the Clones!" exclaimed Leonard excitedly.
"We can finish watching all the movies," suggested Jack with a smile.
"You've seen those movies dozens of times already..." said Emily, shaking her head.
"You girls are staying?" asked Jack, looking at the girls, who nodded instantly.
'I'll text Veronica that I'm not going today,' thought Luke.
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