Annabelle hadn't wanted to burn the restaurant down initially.
In all honesty, she had been in a good mood. The food smelled great, the weather was perfect, and the boy she had met on Tinder looked like an absolute snack in all his pictures.
But t...
Bryan shrugged, his blue hair falling into his eyes. "I just think it would be more fun that way."
"Aren't I enough fun?"
"Yes, Annabelle, of course, but... dates are just fun."
Annabelle threw up her hands. "Then go on dates with me!"
For a moment, she felt heat creep up her neck as everyone else in the café turned to glance over at their table. She stared down at her hands, clutching onto her hot chocolate, hoping the dim golden lighting would be enough to hide her flushed face.
"You've cancelled on me three times because of exams," she added softly. "Which is fine, by the way. I don't mind that you have exams and I get that you have to study. But it's just that... how do you think you'll have time for more than one person when you can't even make time for that one person?"
He shrugged again, lips curled in a frown. "I just think an open relationship would be good for us."
"Well, I think a break up would be good for us."
"Seriously? You're not even going to give this a go?"
Annabelle stood. Her grip over the hot chocolate mug was so tight that her hands had gone pale. "Nope."
"Your loss, then."
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"And then he said it was my loss," Annabelle cried out, pacing across her kitchen, the hissing of the kettle squealing over her steps.
Luca sat on the counter, watching her. "I think it was his loss."
"Do you think he actually had exams? Or was he avoiding seeing me?"
"I don't know." There was a moment of cutlery clinking, and Annabelle realised that he was pouring the water into the cups. Within moments, there was a cup of herbal tea in her hands, while he said, "Either way, I think you did the right thing."
"Really?"
"You said he made you feel stupid. Someone as smart as you should never feel stupid."
He gently touched her hand and eyed her. As if he was making sure she had heard him clearly.
Annabelle felt, for a moment, like she couldn't breathe.
"Thanks, Luca," she said, ever so faintly. "How's Christina?"
His face lit up. "She's good. She's meeting my pet turtle tonight."
"You have a pet turtle?"
"Yeah. His name is Scabious."
"That's the most ridiculous name I've heard."
Luca feigned hurt, gripping onto his chest. "Well, this is why you don't get to meet Scabious. You'll hurt his feelings with your rude remarks."
