The Heart Thief

the heart thief - |15|

Millie

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As I walked into the private dining room of the Chinese restaurant, I was immediately struck by the dimly lit, warm atmosphere. The walls were adorned with traditional Chinese lanterns, casting a soft glow throughout the room. The scent of savory spices and succulent meats wafted through the air. We sat around a circular table, admiring the embroidered silk tablecloths and finely painted porcelain dishes that had been put before us.

Ellie sat close to Roman, never moving her gaze away from the man who grew uneasy with each passing second. Isaac was trying hard not to laugh, raising a perplexed brow at me as if I knew what was going on. I, like him, was out of the loop.

           Isaac cleared his throat, scanning the dishes on the table before addressing Ellie. "You've already ordered," he said, nodding at her with a grin that implied he wasn't thrilled about it. It seemed presumptuous to order food for others without knowing their preferences.

Ellie finally tore her gaze away from Roman to respond to him. "Yes," she replied bluntly. "The chef prepared everything thirty minutes ago."

He tilted his head. "Before you invited us out?"

"Yes."

A chuckle escaped his lips. "You were confident we'd say yes?"

I quickly interjected, "What he means is, thank you for the meal. I'm Millie, and he is Isaac. And that's Brent," I added, pointing my thumb at Brent, who smiled.

Ellie furrowed her brows and fixed her gaze on Brent. "You look familiar," she said, lost in thought.

"He's a celebrity, you might have seen him on TV," Isaac offered with a grin.

She shook her head. "No, I don't keep up with celebrities, but your friend reminds me of a bunny I had in my childhood - they have the same face." She traced a circle in the air while keeping a fascinated gaze on Brent.

Roman burst out laughing, his first reaction since they left the game. Brent appeared mildly surprised at the comparison, while Isaac couldn't hide his snickers. I was trying hard not to chuckle, but it was proving to be difficult.

Isaac threw his head back with another chuckle. "I can't believe you looked at him and saw your rabbit."

Ellie glared at him. "Don't disrespect Envy like that. He was more graceful than you'll ever be."

Isaac stared at her in disbelief and then looked at Roman as if he wanted to complain, but his best friend just sipped on his water and remained quiet.

"I don't think we're going to be good friends," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Good, because I was only showing you courtesy because you're Roman's friend. Any other day, I wouldn't have entertained you because you're giving me a vibe I don't really like," she deadpanned. "I think my soul agrees that we're not compatible."

Isaac made a throaty noise, and his face morphed from annoyance to disbelief. Brent cleared his throat, trying to shake off the awkwardness and play it off with a simple question in hopes of easing the tension.

"Dumplings. I think you like dumplings, Isaac," he said, picking up a steaming hot dumpling filled with savory pork and chives and putting it on Isaac's plate, who didn't blink in its way. "Or the crispy spring rolls."