C51 There Will Be No Next Time

Alicia turned around and started walking. “Come on.” She waved her hand. “Since it’s my first time eating with you, I’ll pay.”

Then she looked back with a playful smile. “Next time it will be your turn.” Chris nearly choked. “Next time?” he muttered. “There will definitely be no next time.”

Only I heard him. I immediately burst out laughing. His gloomy expression became even darker. Alicia either didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him.

She simply continued leading the way toward the café as though she had already won. For some strange reason, both Chris and I followed behind her.

Watching the two of them argue made me forget my sadness for a little while. And for the first time that day, I found myself genuinely smiling.

None of us noticed that from a window on the upper floor, someone was quietly observing the scene. Ben. His eyes followed the three of us as we walked away together. Especially Alicia.

A slow smile formed on his face. “Interesting,” he whispered. “It seems our little nerd is becoming more popular every day.”