Raigon continued to gaze on Zoe with eyes that are full of longing and bittersweet regret. He clenched his hand as he strained himself from asking her how she has been for fifteen years.He wanted to know how she survived and how she lived after leaving the City of Terra. Most important of all, how she coped up after her parents" death.
He recalled the unfortunate event which left his heart shattered and unmendable. Tears welled up in his eyes.
He blinked to suppress it and looked away. He cannot get emotional in the presence of these ladies and with his goal in mind.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Zoe probed with furrowed eyebrows as she put down her spoon and fork. They were in the middle of their dinner when Zoe became aware of the struggle of emotions inside Raigon"s heart.
Drawing a deep breath, he composed himself and gave them a cozy smile. It is more than enough to warm anyone"s chilly night.
"Yes, of course. Please enjoy your meal," He answered her in a friendly tone.
Erin made a frown and glared at Zoe. "It"s your fault. You shock him with your crazy insatiability!" She accused Zoe as she pointed out her orders.
Zoe"s mouth opened wide in disbelief at her friend"s sudden change of side. "I beg to disagree! I said this was my order for both of us. You told me you"ll come back, right?" She was now darting at Raigon, commanding him to eat the meal in front of him with her fiery eyes.
"Yes, I did." Raigon creased up in laughter as he grasped the knife and fork near him like a scalded kitten. Those were the last words that he gave Zoe before he took off from the island.
"She still remembered," his eyes crinkled at the corners. He trifled on the sweetened potatoes on the table.
He glanced at the two gorgeous damsels. They were still bickering at each other in a controlled fas.h.i.+on. Both were hoping that he would not feel uncomfortable at all in front of them.
They continued to make rumpled faces at each other. As they each grabbed a bit of what is on their plate, they munched on them with gritted teeth.
All of a sudden, Zoe coughed up vehemently as a morsel of food got stuck up in her throat. Her pink hue became as purple as the heather as she struggled to breathe.
Raigon stood up in a flash to go to Zoe"s aid. Without a second thought, she snagged the nearest gla.s.s of water and a.s.sisted her to drink it. Erin also quickly rubbed down her back as Zoe tried to catch up with her breathing.
Because of their prompt intervention, Zoe was relieved in a matter of seconds.
"I"m okay. I"m okay. Geez," she shoved them off with a wave as she cleared her throat and straightened herself.
"I know how much you"re dying for seafood dishes, but will you just slow down? I almost got a heart attack there!" Erin nudged her and clutched her chest as she huffed and puffed.
Now it was the other way around. Zoe patted Erin"s back and gave her a gla.s.s of water to cool her down. It even took longer for Erin to recover.
As her friend finally eased up, Zoe"s concerned face brightened up and smiled, revealing her sparkling set of white teeth.
Raigon released an appreciative sigh. He could look at that face all day and still dream about looking at it the whole night and the next morning.
The two girls laughed afterward and continued eating as if nothing happened.
Raigon also went back to his seat. He observed Erin, who was a few inches near him.
She was stunning in her own way, stylish and pleasing to the eye. But what he likes about her is her genuine relations.h.i.+p with Zoe and her evident concern for her.
"She"s safe with her," he let out a huge sigh of relief. He was feeling responsible for leaving her alone on this island after they met again. But taking her to the City would pose a major danger to her at this rate.
He scanned the area where they are in. Families were enjoying their time with their children as they had their meals. Some were scolding theirs for being mischievous while eating at a fine-dining restaurant. Others were couples having a heart-to-heart talk as they held hands and waited for their orders.
"It seemed it is sounder and more secure here," he uttered under his breath as he tried to make a conclusion. Or so he a.s.sumed
He went back on feasting his eyes at Zoe like it was her who is his delectable meal that night. He wants to savor each moment while it lasts.
Right at this time, she was relis.h.i.+ng the spicy Catalan mussels as her eyes glowed while she was having a taste.
"You love seafood, eh? He displayed a wide grin, amused at Zoe"s undeniable love for food.
He reached out to the plate of mussels and put some in an empty plate. He tugged out the furry patch attached to the mussels with a knife and discarded them. After he did so, he pushed the plate with debearded mussels near Zoe with his dimpled cheeks.
Zoe"s mouth partly opened at Raigon"s sudden thoughtful gesture. She wanted to cough as she forgot to breathe for a moment. But she realized that there was already a coughing scene a few minutes ago.
Too much coughing because of food would make her look like the queen of gluttony. She gobbled down the food she was eating instead and grinned at him in grat.i.tude.
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