This Won't End Well

12: How To Take Your Neighbor To Lunch

After a few minutes of walking, Gon and Killua finally reached Sam's. Gon took a few steps in front of Killua and opened the door for him, the bell at the top ringing as it moved. He gave Killua a wide grin. Killua rolled his eyes and scoffed, stepping through the door.

Sam's was a tiny hole in the wall, a mom-and-pop sandwich shop. It had no more than five or six tables in the store and a few outside. The ceiling fans hummed, circulating cold air. The lights were dim, probably due to how old they were. It was the same as the first day he and Retz found this place.

It was pouring rain. Absolute buckets outside. So hard that Gon and Retz were genuinely scared the raindrops would give them concussions. They were both huddled under Gon's jacket, the rain seeping through and offering them little shelter. They decided to duck into the first open shop or place they could find. In this case, it happened to be Sam's.

"God, that came out of nowhere!" Retz said, giggling and gasping, the sound of her light laughter filled the air. Water from her blonde hair rain down her face, smudging her mascara and eyeliner. Dark circles developed under her eyes, black streaks flowed down her cheeks.

"I know! One second we're having a picnic in the park, the next, we're on the set of Titanic," He chuckled, admiring the girl standing next to him. Even drenched and with her makeup smeared, he thought she was the most beautiful person in the world. Every time he saw her, she knocked the wind out of him. She made him feel like no one else could. He was just overwhelmed by her existence in the best possible way.

"Welcome, you two! Hiding out from that nasty storm?" The shop owner asked, walking over to the young couple with an abundance of paper towels. Gon and Retz took them with gracious smiles.

"Yes, I hope you don't mind," Retz replied kindly. They started running the towels through their hair, on their faces and clothes. It hardly helped, but it was better than nothing.

"Not at all. Glad to have some company. Can I get you two something to eat? On the house," He smiled. They accepted. The rest was history.

"Earth to Gon?" Killua asked, waving a hand in front of his face. Gon snapped back to the present.

"Yeah, sorry," He nervously laughed. Killua eyed him up and down before shrugging it off. "Sam? You here? It's your favorite customer!" Gon called, ringing the service bell on the counter an obnoxious amount of times.

"The only kid I know that loud is my Gon," An old man called out, the same one from years prior that he and Retz met. He emerged from the back room with a bright smile on his face. Gon returned it with an eager and toothy grin.

"Hey, Sam, how's it been lately?" He asked, leaning against the glass counter.

"Well, you know, same old, same old. Didn't I see you a few days ago?" He asked, eyeing Gon playfully. Gon shrugged, pushing off the counter and walking over to Killua.

"Yeah, but your food is too good to pass up. Plus, I wanted to bring a friend here. Sam, Killua. Killua, Sam," Gon said, introducing the two with a smile. They both shared half-hearted waves.

"Nice to meet you, Killua. Any friend of Gon's is welcome here," Sam greeted. Killua just nodded and hummed in response, browsing the menu. Sam turned to Gon with his eyebrows furrowed. "Say, Gon, where's Retz? I haven't seen you two together in here since-" He stopped midsentence, observing the way Gon shrunk into himself and stared mindlessly at the floor. Gon couldn't bring himself to speak up. Luckily, Sam knew exactly what he meant. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear about that," The old man said, a heavy sadness coating his voice.

"Yeah. Me too," Gon said simply, leaving it at that. From where Killua was standing, he listened to their conversation, taking mental notes of the two and their melancholy around Retz. He glanced at them from the corner of his eye, confused and slightly intrigued.