Bite-size pasta

Chuyang and Ruoxuan talk among themselves after negotiating with the seller. "From what I heard from a friend, the place at Xinghua Street sells it cheaper."

Ruoxuan takes one more look at the shoe cabinet and nods in agreement, "let go."

"Laoban,"

The owner of the store walks up to them after hearing his name being called, "Ay coming. So how do you like it?"

"The color is very nice. We are gonna come back for this one. You promised this price, okay."

It took a while for them to leave the store as the owner caught on and tried to persuade them more.

"He was hard to shake off," Ruoxuan said laughing as they got back in their car.

"Should have left without a word," Chuyang chuckled. Turning on their engines he suggested they should take a break from furniture for now and eat.

After a long debate of where to eat, they chose a restaurant near the next store they were going to pay a visit to.

When they arrived, Ruoxuan got off in front of the restaurant to check if there were seats and confirmed that there were. Chuyang did an okay sign and drove around to find parking.

In the meantime, Ruoxuan started to look at the menu that was taped on the walls and was texting something on her phone.

"Ruoxuan?" A figure noticed her in the distance and released his hand away from his partner's hand. Seeing that she was so focused on the dishes that she sealed off her surroundings he gestured to tell his partner to be aware of Ruoxuan and walk faster.

Unknowingly Ruoxuan looks up at the store window reflection and her eyes caught attention to a person speeding past her and she turns around.

He turns around to see if she notices them or not to find her looking at him. "Ruoxuan," he said in a surprise voice, greeting her with a smile.

"Oh! Jun. What a coincidence."

"Yeah. What a coincidence."

"Who's that?" A female voice interrupted the mood.

"Right. I never fully introduced you two. Huiying. Ruoxuan. Ruoxuan. Huiying, my cousin."

"Ah." Both ladies reacted to his comments but with different reactions.

Ruoxuan put out her hand with a warm smile, "nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you from Jun."

Huiying scanned her head to toe and scoffed, "yeah. He does, doesn't he."

Ruoxuan doesn't know what her deal was but didn't let that affect her mood.

"You're planning to eat here?" Jun points at the restaurant they were standing in front of.

"Yeah."

"Alone?"

"No, I'm waiting for my friend to park his car."

Jun's brow raised in response to her answer, a friend huh. Could it be another gorgeous girl he smirks as he daydreams, and snaps out of it, "this is really such a coincidence. Huiying kept on nagging me to treat her here. Why don't we have lunch together?"

Huiying scoff and the corner of her lip turning to a pout , she was aware of his tactic.

Ruoxuan doesn't know what to do. She knows Chuyang dislikes when others join without being informed about it first, "how about next time?"

"Are you going to give me a cold shoulder again?"

"Cold shoulder? Since when did I?" Ruoxuan starts to tick off. This was one of the traits that she hates about a man. Being unreasonable. "I have to ask my friend if he's okay with it."

Chuyang was walking back to her until he noticed two figures crowding her. He felt how uncomfortable she was, so he quickly walked up and pulled Ruoxuan behind him. Ready to throw some hands.

"Wait. Wait… he's a friend." Ruoxuan says as she holds down his fist.

Chuyang looks behind him, "a friend?"

Jun scanned him and Chuyang did the same.

"They asked if we could eat together. But I know you-"

"If you're fine with it, I'm okay as well." Chuyang says but still stares down hard at Jun.

Ruoxuan brows raised, "are you sure? He's not really an important friend anyway," she added. Ruoxuan didn't really want to eat dinner with him anyway.

Before Ruoxuan could say more, Jun interrupts them.

"Since, your friend seems fine with it. Let's go in then," he says with a smile. At first he really thought it was a girlfriend that Ruoxuan brought over. He smirks a little, now he has another plan in his head.

After being given a table, Jun casually walks over to the seat next to Ruoxuan as if it belongs to him. Ruoxuan glances over at him and then looks at Chuyang. Chuyang just gave her a reassuring smile and sat next to Huiying.

"What do you ladies feel like eating?" Jun asked as he flipped through the menu, and a dish caught his attention, "Ruoxuan, they have your favorite meal, bite-sized pasta."

Chuyang almost spit out the water that was in his mouth after hearing that. Ruoxuan met his eyes, gave him a glare as he choked up.

"Let's also get silverbeet galette." Huiying add.

"Are you set to go?" Jun looks at Chuyang and asks.

"Yes." Chuyang answered and smiled at Ruoxuan.

Jun waves to get the waiter's attention, " we will like two bite-sized pasta and a silverbeet galette." Then he looks at Chuyang.

"A lobster Mac n' cheese," he says to the waiter.

"That's it?" The waiter asks them.

"That's for now," Jun says and gives the menu back.

When the food arrived, all eyes were on the lobster Mac n' cheese.

Jun handed out the utensils to the ladies and helped Huiying cut her galette.

As Jun was passing back her plate, Chuyang noticed their eyes exchange and hands touch in that moment. And knew something was odd. He looks back at Ruoxuan who was playing with her food. He slightly shakes his head with a chuckle.

Huiying looks over at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Chuyang says and didn't give any eye contact to her.

Ruoxuan looked up at Chuyang and back at Huiying. 'What type of girl does he even like?' she wonders. And at this time, Chuyang passed her some lobster meat over to her plate.

Chuyang looks at her. She blinks rapidly in flustered. "What is it? Do you not want?" he asks while holding another lobster piece with his fork.

"If you want to give, I don't mind," Ruoxuan says as her eyes focus on the big lobster meat on his fork.

Chuyang noticed her little move, " On second thought, maybe I'll hold this one back.."

"Hey!" Ruoxuan says with a little dissatisfaction.

"I was just joking," Chuyang says with a chuckle and places another piece of meat on her plate.

Jun glared at him and looked at Ruoxuan.

Throughout the period they were eating, Chuyang had been passing lobster meats onto Ruoxuan's plate not caring about how the other two looked at him.

"She doesn't want anymore." Jun gritted his teeth and gave a forced smile.

Chuyang smiles back, "how do you know? Are you her? And oh, by the way, what was her favorite food that you said earlier again?" he glanced up at Ruoxuan with a smile.

Before Chuyang could speak, Ruoxuan stuffed a lobster meat in his mouth, "they sure are tasty." She says and eyed him to behave.

Chuyang's eyes smile at Jun, and eats the lobster meat that Ruoxuan fed him.

Even still then Jun hasn't once shut his mouth talking to Ruoxuan. And from time to time, Ruoxuan would glance up at Chuyang to make sure he isn't left out. And it seems like Chuyang was okay, but then Ruoxuan noticed how Huiying was trying to hold his arm.

A sudden feeling spark inside of Ruoxuan and she doesn't know what that is. And from then on, she didn't give a damn on what Jun was saying.

After they finished eating their food, one by one they went to use the bathroom. By the time Chuyang came out of the restroom, Jun was outside leaning on the wall. "Let's talk," as he fixes his posture.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about."

Jun stood up straight and claimed, "Ruoxuan is mine," as if he had confidence that Ruoxuan would pick him.

Chuyang walks up to him until they are inches away from one another. Chuyang looks directly into Jun's eyes, "Ruoxuan isn't a thing. And she is definitely not yours." With an intimidating voice.

Soon, they walk their separate ways and Chuyang is driving Ruoxuan back home.

"You were acting weirdly earlier at the restaurant," Ruoxuan says and glances over at Chuyang who is driving.

"What do you mean?" Chuyang says as he focuses on the road.

"The part where you start giving me the lobsters."

Chuyang quickly glanced at her before focusing back on the road, "It wasn't really hard to tell," he smirks as he noticed how Ruoxuan was eyeing his lobster the moment it came to the table. "Really don't understand how that 'Jun' could have such confidence to order you food. What was it again? Bite-sized spaghetti?" He added with a laugh.

Ruoxuan laughed too, "I guess there's really no other guy that knows me better than you."

"Needless to say," he says with a proud smile.