A Bite of Love

13. Stale Luck

Mu Ran stood in front of the restaurant with disbelieved eyes. Luck was really NOT on his side.

The restaurant they chose was the favorite restaurant of his parents...

Well, his knowledge was based on five years ago and the name of the restaurant was different now. Maybe he was worried for nothing.

"Why are you standing here?" Ou Yang broke his trance.

"Nothing," he murmured and followed the lover boy inside with reluctant steps. Unfortunately, although the name was different, the interior was the same. Mu Ran hoped that it was the only thing which was from the past.

"What's wrong with you?" Ou Yang grabbed Mu Ran's arm, stopping him as they already reached their table, but he continued to walk, his eyes checking around frantically.

"Nothing," Mu Ran tried to smile, but it was too hard when apprehension was gnawing at him.

"I don't understand why she didn't want me to collect her on the way."

"Ha?"

"Seriously, is there something wrong?" Ou Yang pressed again, but before Mu Ran could answer, Ge Lin arrived, distracting Ou Yang.

"Wow, such a beauty," Ou Yang jumped on his feet and greeted Ge Lin.

"Thank you, but as I told you already, this will be a friendly dinner, nothing more," Ge Lin warned him as she sat across from him.

Ou Yang raised his hands, meaning surrender although he found Ge Lin's red dress a bit too fancy for a friendly dinner.

Before long the menu arrived and Mu Ran let out the breath he was holding in. It was a completely different menu with mainly Italian dishes! There was no way his father would eat Italian food.

They ordered and chit-chatted a bit. Mu Ran wouldn't expect it, but he was fine with their apparent flirting while ignoring him because his mind was too occupied, thinking about his parents which made him unable to follow the conversation.

Unfortunately, being a lightning rod for bad luck, half-way through the dinner, a couple around their early-sixties entered the restaurant and the whole world stopped for Mu Ran. His breath hitched and his hands started to shake uncontrollably. Although his body was in the escape mode, his eyes betrayed him, being glued on his parents.

They aged too much, he said inwardly, looking at their wrinkled faces and white hair. Still, they seemed healthy and happy. The first part made Mu Ran glad whereas the second part made him resented. The same parents, the same restaurant, the same happiness... only Mu Ran was out of the picture... as if he didn't matter much from the very beginning.

"Mu Ran, are you okay?" Ou Yang's highly worried voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Only then, he noticed that Ou Yang's hand was on his cheek, checking his temperature.

"I... have to go," Mu Ran managed to squeeze the words out as he removed Ou Yang's hand with his shaky fingers.

"Why? What happened?" Ou Yang stood up as well.

"I don't feel like being the third wheel," he lied and dragged himself from the other door before his parents could see him.

"He acted so strange," Ou Yang commented, his eyes still on the direction where Mu Ran left.

"Was he right?" Ge Lin asked aloofly.

"What?" Ou Yang turned his head back to look at Ge Lin.

"Was he the third wheel?"

"What do you mean?" A deep frown accompanied the words.

"I feel like I was the third wheel, not him. All night long, your attention was solely on him, not me," Ge Lin declared with a cold gaze.

"Was it?" Ou Yang was genuinely confused.

Ge Lin nodded, "do you like Mu Ran?"

"No..." he mumbled. He didn't even like gays, so there was no chance for him to like a man. He was straight as an arrow!

"Still in denial I see," Ge Lin sighed as his tone was lack of certainty, "nevermind, this was planned as a friendly dinner from the beginning, so let's continue."

Ou Yang could only nod. However, the moment his eyes caught the sight of the man, sitting two tables behind them, his fork fell back on the plate.

That man looked so alike to Mu Ran... Could it be... OH F*CK!

With the revelation, Ou Yang jumped on his feet, "I have to go, I am sorry!" he exclaimed and rushed out of the restaurant after paying the bill. He hopped in his car and started to drive towards Mu Ran's apartment while he kept calling him. However, there was no response and it made Ou Yang more panicked.

Please, be okay, he begged to whomever listened as he stepped on the gas.