novelraw Chapter 123: Turning the Tables
Chapter 123: Turning the Tables
“For example?”
Haley froze for a moment, then asked tentatively.
“For example… do you have a boyfriend?” Leon struck first.
“Huh?” Haley exclaimed, staring at Leon in surprise. “Why are you asking me that?”
“Just curious,” Leon replied.
Haley gave him a suspicious look but eventually shook her head. “No.”
“There’s no guy in town who’s caught your eye?” Leon pressed on.
“No. I’m not really into the boys here in town. Most of them are crude, and the way they talk is boring.” Haley scoffed.
“So, no male friends you’re close to either?” Leon continued his questioning.
“If I had to name one, I guess Alex counts. We’ve known each other since we were kids and graduated from the same high school. I was the head cheerleader, and he was the captain of the football team. We worked together a lot back then, so I guess we’re friends,” Haley recalled.“Oh, a cheerleader and a football captain—that’s the classic combo. Don’t tell me sparks never flew between you two?” Leon asked, genuinely curious.
“No way! Muscle-brained guys like him are definitely not my type. Plus, he’s a total flirt. Except for me, every other girl on the cheer squad has dated him. How could I ever be interested in someone like that?” Haley said with a look of disgust.
“And besides, all he ever cares about is building his muscles. He doesn’t even like to shower. I’d rather die alone than date someone like him.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. If Alex heard that, he’d probably cry himself to sleep,” Leon teased.
“He wouldn’t cry. I’ve said this to his face before. He didn’t even get mad—he just argued that I didn’t understand him,” Haley went on. “And I’m pretty sure he’s bi. You might want to be careful.”
“Hiss—” Leon sucked in a sharp breath. He honestly hadn’t known that, and now he felt a little uneasy, given that he had interacted with Alex before.
“From your expression, you clearly didn’t know. Too bad—maybe I shouldn’t have told you,” Haley said, breaking into laughter at his reaction.
“Let’s drop it. I’m starting to feel a bit nauseous,” Leon said, waving his hand, unwilling to talk about Alex any further.
With Leon losing interest, it was Haley’s turn to get curious. “You asked me and I answered, so now it’s my turn. Before you came to Pelican Town, did you ever have a girlfriend?”
“Actually, no,” Leon replied. If he didn’t count his past life, in this world, he was basically a complete novice when it came to relationships.
“Really?” Haley clearly didn’t believe him. With his looks, she couldn’t imagine he’d never been confessed to.
“Believe it or not, I’m telling the truth,” Leon said helplessly.
Haley stared at him for a moment before saying, “Then the problem must be you. Otherwise, how could you have never dated anyone?”
“How is it my problem?” Leon countered.
“If it’s not your problem, then how could you never have had a girlfriend?” Haley retorted.
“Maybe I just never thought about it before,” Leon answered.
“That’s weird. Don’t boys your age, once they hit puberty, try everything to get girls’ attention?” Haley muttered in confusion.
“Not every boy in puberty is like a rutting beast,” Leon said sarcastically.
“But most of them are. If you’re not, there’s definitely something off about you,” Haley said seriously.
“Forget it. I’m too lazy to argue with you,” Leon decided to just lie back and let her think what she wanted.
Haley rolled her eyes at him. “You’re the one who brought this up.”
“I wanted to gossip about other people, not myself,” Leon defended.
“But you gossiped about me first,” Haley protested. “That’s why I asked you in return.”
“Then let’s just end this topic here,” Leon declared.
“…”
Haley didn’t know what to say.
Seeing the atmosphere go quiet, Leon cleared his throat. “I’m going to check on Emily in the kitchen. You coming?”
“You go ahead. I’ll put this coconut away. Oh, and thanks for the gift.” Haley shook her head, then cradled the coconut and headed to her room.
Leon, meanwhile, made his way to the kitchen, carrying the gift he’d prepared for Emily.
“Emily, need a hand?” As soon as he stepped in, he saw Emily struggling to handle a piece of beef tenderloin.
“Hi, Leon. You look so handsome in that outfit, so to make sure it lasts longer, I’d better not let you help,” Emily said with a smile, setting down the knife.
“You could at least get me an apron,” Leon suggested. He didn’t feel right letting Emily work alone, especially when she was sweating and clearly under a lot of pressure.
“Wouldn’t that be weird? You’re a guest,” Emily hesitated.
“But we’re also friends, right? Besides, I can cook. You’re making me lunch, so letting you try one of my dishes is only fair,” Leon said warmly.
“Then I’ll leave it to you. I really am a bit overwhelmed here.”
Emily quickly fetched him an apron—a pink one. It was a little small on him, but at least it would protect his clothes from grease.
“These are all for lunch?” Leon asked, glancing at the prepped ingredients.
“Mm-hmm,” Emily nodded. “Not enough?”
Leon gave the table a quick look. “Too much. The three of us won’t finish it all.”
“I just thought since it’s the first time I’m inviting you for a meal, I should prepare more. It’s also my first time making this much food, so I didn’t really know how much I’d need,” Emily admitted, a bit embarrassed.
“Do you or Haley have anything you won’t eat? Or any allergies?” Leon asked, moving to the stove and picking up a frying pan naturally.
“No, but… are you going to be the head chef?” Emily asked, curious at his confident posture.
“Yep. I told you I’d let you taste my cooking. My style is very different from what you’re used to,” Leon said with confidence. Since cooking in this world was mostly Western-style, he was eager to see Emily’s and Haley’s reactions when they tried some homestyle Chinese dishes.