154. In the Car

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"What're you doing outside right now?" Irina asked.

She was seated in the backseat of a luxurious looking black SUV with the tinted windows on her side of the vehicle rolled down. I recognized the vehicle as it was the same automobile as the one I had saw her board in the first week that she had returned to school. Thinking back on it, my first encounter with Irina seemed to have occurred a long time ago. but in reality, it was merely months that had passed.

The black SUV was parked on the side of the main street with its emergency blinkers on, making it so that they could technically legally stop on the road for a bit. On the opposite side of the vehicle, the side that wasn't facing me and was facing the interior of the main road that was barricaded off from the sidewalk with bar railings, numerous vehicles passed by with their bright headlights flashing by when they did so. In the background, on the other side of the street were the beautifully decorated sidewalks as well as brightly illuminated storefronts. Above it all were the skyscrapers in the distance that shined as those too were influenced by the festive spirit and had decorative lights that flashed different colors as time went by.

Not allowing my mind to be distracted by the beautiful city view, I redirected my focus on Irina. It would appear that she was working at the moment as there were other people in the vehicle. I couldn't tell who they were though as the tinted windows made it impossible to see the interior of the vehicle from the outside in the dark, and due to the angle that I was looking at Irina, I was unable to see anything other than her and the black leather seats of the car.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Irina then asked with a smile on her face.

"I was going to find someplace to eat right now..." I responded and nervously looked to the side as I was certain that there were strangers in the vehicle that I am not accustomed with.

"If you don't mind, you want to join us?" Irina suggested.

"Well... I don't want to disturb you or anything..."

I was pretty reluctant on agreeing since it would definitely be with people that I do not know. I do not know how many people exactly will be eating with us if I go as well since it is simply foolish to assume that it will only be the number of people in the car plus me that will be eating together. She is a celebrity after all, so there might be other people joining us, people in the upper ranks of society. It's not like I am uncomfortable around people...well, maybe I am. However, the thing is that I will most definitely be ignored as the others demanded more spotlight than me. This is a good thing because that means I will be able to eat in peace. However, sitting in the middle of a lively conversation just seems extremely uncomfortable for me. In addition, I will definitely be ignored by the waiters and waitresses so why would I want to make my dining experience worse?

"You won't be," Irina insisted and opened the door. "Come on!"

She seemed oddly enthusiastic about getting me to go with her for dinner. This might be because it has been a while since she's been able to see any of us in the group, so I guess she just miss us. However, it is this enthusiasm that placed me in a difficult spot as she made it impossible for me to decline. I know that she had no intent of doing so due to her innocent character, but... I guess I really have no choice.

With a suppressed sigh, I hopped over the railing and boarded the vehicle that she was on. Irina had scooted over a spot and allowed me to take the seat by the window. Once inside the vehicle, I was able to pinpoint exactly how many people there were as well as their identities. Including Irina and myself, there were four people in the car. The other two people consisted of a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties as well as a middle-aged man that I had seen before. Both were seated in the front seats of the vehicle with the man sitting in the driver's seat. This man I recognized as Irina's father. Therefore, that leaves the identity of the young woman who had her brown hair styled in a fashionable manner being Irina's personal assistant.

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