novelraw Chapter 47: Just Want to Eat in Peace
Chapter 47: Just Want to Eat in Peace
“What’s so urgent that you had to drag me out?”
Even though he complained, Leon still stood up and walked to the door.
When he saw Haley outside holding a small plate of spaghetti, he froze for a moment.
“Here, a small serving of spaghetti. Enough to tide you over before dinner. I was chatting with my sister and mentioned that story about you going hungry, and she told me to bring this to you.”
Haley still wore that same look of disdain as she shoved the plate into Leon’s hands, along with a fork.
Leon studied her for a moment. Her expression might have been disdainful, but the blush on her cheeks was impossible to miss. Clearly, she was embarrassed, which made her words a lot less believable.
The problem was, Leon didn’t quite know how to deal with this. It might be a small portion, but spaghetti was still proper carbs and not something that stored well.
If he didn’t eat it, she might feel hurt. If he did, he’d probably have no room left for the dinner banquet later. A real dilemma.
Haley didn’t know what he was thinking. She just stared at him holding the plate with that conflicted look, not touching his fork. Her irritation flared. “Are you turning down my sister’s kindness?”
“No, I’m just a little moved. I can’t bear to put it in my mouth.”Leon’s offhand remark instantly dissolved her anger. Haley’s face turned bright red as she stammered, “Food is meant to be eaten. Think about it yourself, I’m going back.”
Then she practically fled, jogging quickly back into the room, leaving Leon alone in the hallway with his plate of spaghetti.
He decided it was silly to just stand there holding it, so he picked up the fork, twirled up the noodles, and quickly ate every last bite.
After finishing, he carried the plate and fork back along the hallway to the front counter, quietly set them down on the bar, and returned to the private room where the dinner was being held.
The moment he stepped inside, everyone’s eyes seemed to turn toward him. Haley, in particular, sprang up and strode over, grabbing his arm and dragging him back out before he could react.
The strength in her grip shocked him even more than the sudden grab—this girl was surprisingly strong.
“Don’t you ever wipe your mouth after eating? You’ve got sauce on it.”
As soon as they were out the door, Haley let go and pointed to the corner of his mouth.
Leon instinctively stuck out his tongue and licked the spot. Sure enough, he tasted the sauce. He shrugged. “Didn’t notice. I’ll go grab a napkin.”
“Use this.”
Haley hesitated, then pulled out a sunflower-embroidered handkerchief and handed it to him.
Leon stared at it without reaching for it, thrown off balance. After all, a girl’s handkerchief was a pretty personal item.
Seeing him frozen there, Haley stomped her foot in frustration. Then she simply rose on tiptoe, reached up, and used the handkerchief to wipe the sauce off his mouth herself.
Without a second thought for the stain, she balled up the handkerchief, stuffed it back into her pocket, and walked past him as if nothing had happened.
Leon sighed, rubbing at his temple as the faint scent of perfume lingered at his nose.
Was I just being flirted with?
But the thought flashed by and was gone. He pushed it aside and went back inside.
Haley was already seated again, but compared to the other girls, she seemed out of place. She didn’t join in their conversation, and aside from Jodi occasionally talking to her, the others mostly ignored her.
The realization made Leon feel a little sympathetic, though he understood why.
With her personality and the way she treated people, unless someone knew her well enough to see her true nature, they’d find her hard to get along with.
That was why Leon didn’t go sit next to her to break her solitude. It wouldn’t be appropriate, and it might even annoy her if she thought he was pitying her.
Instead, he chose to sit by himself. After all, when two people in a group were equally out of place, the original lone outsider wouldn’t stand out as much.
The situation stayed like that for about half an hour, until Emily and Penny arrived together and the dinner officially began.
Before the food came, Jodi, as the host, gave a little welcome speech. But when she went to introduce Penny to Leon, she was surprised to find that Penny already knew him.
From the natural way they greeted each other, it was clear they weren’t just casual acquaintances.
Jodi dropped the idea of warming up the atmosphere and went straight to the dinner.
Gus himself brought out the food. When he saw the scene—seven women and one man—he paused for a moment. Then, before leaving, he secretly gave Leon a thumbs-up.
Leon didn’t notice the gesture. He was too busy pushing his stomach’s remaining capacity to the limit, turning the delicious dishes into nourishment for his taste buds.
When it came to eating, Leon was experienced. Small talk could wait until after he was full. Filling his belly came first.
Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last. Before Emily and Penny arrived, Leon had been sitting alone. But once they showed up, they took the seats on either side of him, boxing him in, and they didn’t stay quiet while he tried to eat.
“Leon, I didn’t expect to see you here. So this was the surprise Jodi was talking about.”
“Oh? You didn’t know I’d be here?”
“No. When I saw Haley, she didn’t mention it—she just asked me for a small serving of spaghetti.”
“I see.”
“Then you’ve met my sister Haley, right? The blonde over there. She might seem hard to get along with, but she’s actually nice. I’ll introduce you properly sometime.”
“Mm.”
Before the conversation could lull, Penny spoke up next.
“Leon, how were the cookies? Anything I should improve?”
“They were great. You’re very skilled.”
“But compared to Gus, probably still a long way to go. The way you’re eating now says it all—Gus really is the best chef in town.”
“That’s just because I was hungry.”
“Are you still hungry? I can get you more.”
“No need, I can help myself.”
Between eating and keeping up with the two of them, Leon was exhausted.
Worse yet, their little trio was drawing attention in such a small dinner party. More than once, he caught Haley giving him a look of disdain, Abigail smirking, Jodi wearing her “auntie” smile, and Leah and Maru watching with curiosity. It was pure torment.
As soon as he was reasonably full, Leon quickly excused himself to “go to the bathroom” and escaped the room at light speed.