If Ashton and I went out to eat by ourselves, Rebecca would find a way for him to bring her along somehow. Inevitably, it would become a three-person dinner, and I would be left awkward and embarrassed at the end of it all.
I might as well go along with Nora and join in the fun.
Because there were so many of us, Linda decided to book a private room. She placed the bag she had been holding onto the table and started handing out the items inside with Nora.
“I had this when I was shopping the other day. It tasted pretty good, so I brought a few cups for you guys too!” As she spoke, Nora handed each of us a cup of milk tea.
When she got to the last cup, she realized that she was just short of one. Linda looked a little awkward. “Sorry, I didn’t know Mr. Fuller’s friend was coming along with us, so I didn’t get one for her.”
“It’s alright, it’s alright! I don’t particularly like drinking milk tea either. Don’t bother your head about me,” Rebecca said, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Before anyone could say anything, Ashton pushed his cup of milk tea towards her. “Here, have a try.”
His actions had been too abrupt, and evidently a little too intimate. Nora and Linda looked rather stunned, and they stole quick glances at me as if to enquire silently what was the relationship between Ashton and Rebecca was.
I smiled blandly and didn’t say anything. Instead, I bent my head and took a sip of the milk tea—for some reason, it tasted sickeningly sweet.
Rebecca took a sip as well and turned to look at Ashton in surprise. “My gosh, it’s so sweet! Ash, do you want a sip too? It’s really good!” She even pushed her cup of milk tea towards him.
Nora shot a look at Linda before replying, “Oh, my bad. I should’ve bought green tea instead. Milk tea is always too sweet. Green tea is just right!” Her expression didn’t look very friendly.
Linda pursed her lips and snickered slightly. “Yes, it’s so sweet that my teeth are practically aching!” The two of them spoke in very soft voices, so Rebecca could only smile placidly in response.
I bowed my head and tried to make sense of my jumbled emotions. I knew about Ashton and Rebecca’s past relationship, and I knew that Ashton cared for Rebecca like a brother did. There was nothing suspicious about their relationship.
However, there was nothing I could do about the fact that I felt annoyed by their closeness anyway.
Suddenly, I heard a deep voice in my ear. “What are you thinking about?” It was Ashton. As he spoke, he took the cup of milk tea from me and took a sip from the same straw I just drank from.
Truthfully, this was normal behavior between a couple, and it was nothing worth making a fuss about. However, we were in public right now, and Rebecca was sitting right next to Ashton. To everyone else, his actions probably seemed rather calculated.
“Gosh, the two of you need to stop it with the public displays of affection. It’s making me sick! Can you be more considerate of everyone else’s feelings?” Nora joked, her eyes disappearing from laughter.
Linda glanced at her wryly and asked, “Is this the first time you’ve seen them behaving like this?”
The two of them exchanged another glance and burst into laughter.
However, the smile on Rebecca’s face faded away quickly. As her fingers tightened around the cup of milk tea, I held back my laughter and tore my gaze away from her.
The one who got away would always be a source of regret for one. For Rebecca, perhaps, Ashton was destined to be the biggest regret in her life.
Ashton put down in the cup of milk tea in his hand. Turning to me, he commented, “This tastes pretty good, but it’s too sweet for my liking. It’s bad for your teeth. Don’t drink it too often!”
I pouted. “I don’t drink it that often! I just happened to have it once today, and you managed to steal half of it from me anyway!”
Ashton burst into laughter. “Are you mad at me over one sip of milk tea? Is our relationship so weak that it can’t withstand that?”
His voice was very low, for he had said it with his lips practically pressed to my ear. To everyone else, it looked as though we were having a private quarrel.
For the sake of having a good dinner, I changed seats with Armond and sat down next to Nora.
Nora shot a puzzled glance at me and frowned. “Why did you change your seat? That’s your man, you know. Are you trying to avoid him?”
“I wasn’t trying to avoid him. Armond asked us out for dinner because he had something to talk about with Ashton. I might as well take the initiative and move out of their way. Do you want your boyfriend’s efforts in initiating this dinner to go to waste?”
Nora froze for a second before chuckling. She looked at me and said, “Babe, you really think of everything, don’t you? Thanks for the heads up!”
I was pretty hungry, to begin with. For the rest of dinner, I kept my head down and stuffed myself to the brim.
After a while, I finally felt somewhat full. Armond and Ashton were chatting with each other, and I was left to my own devices. Feeling rather bored, I swiveled around in my seat to observe both of them. More accurately, however, I had my eyes fixed on Ashton. It had been a few days since we last saw each other, but he hadn’t changed at all. Perhaps it was because he was too busy with work, but he looked a little tired. Still, anyone could tell that he was a very handsome man.
He must’ve felt my stare burning through the back of his head. Ashton looked up and glanced in my direction, his black eyes flashing dangerously.
I could sense that he wasn’t very happy, and I felt a little confused. Have I done something wrong? I looked down at myself and realized the problem immediately. Because it was rather hot in the restaurant, I had removed my coat when I stepped into the room. I was wearing a dress inside, and its neckline hung dangerously low on my chest. I hugged myself and lay my head on the desk, praying that my cleavage couldn’t be seen anymore.
