It was 7:00 p.m. by the time we arrived at the Vietnamese restaurant. It was a small local place near the central area of the city.
It should've been around the time when the dinner rush began, but it wasn't that busy. It wasn't empty either. If I had to say, it was just right.
The interior of the place wasn't anything fancy like most restaurants these days. In certain spots, you could catch nicks of paint peeling off the walls, or scratches along the floor when the light hit them a certain way.
Those things might've been considered a red flag for some, but for me, I didn't really mind. It reminded me of my old house.
While most of the memories I had in that house weren't pleasant, it was still oddly 'homey'. Even a little nostalgic.
Mei looked around the place as if she'd just stepped into a whole new world, taking in the unfamiliar views. "Wow… I've never been to a place like this before."
"Didn't you also say that you've barely even eaten out at all?" I fired back, a little sarcastically. "That's no surprise."
That ruined her wonder fast as she jabbed my ribs with her elbow. "Oh, shut up. You know what I meant. But still…"
She paused, then looked up at me. Her earlier irritation had given way to something that, strangely, drew me toward her. Just seeing it, I felt the urge to take a step closer, but I held myself firmly in place.
"I didn't think you'd be interested in places like this," she said, her voice soft with curiosity.
My response came out on its own—almost as if I'd been compelled to answer. "Well, my parents used to take my sister and me to places like this whenever we went out as kids. I guess I ended up drawn to them as I got older, too."
Mei nodded slowly, taking everything in. "I see, that makes sense. But as a kid, wouldn't you have felt—for lack of a better word—uncomfortable in a place like this? Personally, I know my younger self would."
I shrugged. "Obviously, I was just a kid. Of course, I'd be less inclined to eat somewhere that looked 'run-down.' But I just grew used to it. Nowadays, I think places like these have the best food."
Mei let out a quiet giggle. "Hehehe. I'll be the judge of that, then."
Just as we finished our little talk, a waiter came over and led us to our seats. It was a small, two-person dining table right by a window.
Since it was the evening, the streets and buildings outside were washed in a light orange-lavender glow.
Most people would describe a view like that as 'beautiful.' Personally, I was never really struck with that feeling, but that didn't stop me from looking regardless.
That small sightseeing trip was cut short as the waiter returned and asked if we needed a menu. I replied with a polite "No, thank you," since Mei and I had already planned what we wanted beforehand.
I ordered two plates of Vietnamese broken rice and two cold glasses of water. The waiter came back with the food shortly after, each serving on a large plate.
I didn't react at all, since I'd ordered this countless times. Mei, however, let out a small, shocked gasp.
Even after the waiter set the meal down and left, Mei continued staring at the mountain of food with an almost fearful look in her eyes.
"I want to be honest with you—I don't think I can finish this," she murmured.
I, on the other hand, didn't waste any time and started eating. I had just come off a grueling eight-hour shift and hadn't eaten all day, so I was starving.
My Mom used to wake up early to make me lunch—and still insisted on doing so now—but I never ate anything she made. Not because it was bad, but because I'd rather use my breaks sleeping or on my phone, and I hated eating when my hands were already dirty from working.
So, despite the protests of my parents, I usually just starved myself through my whole shift.
"That's fine," I replied, my mouth half full. "I can't finish it most of the time, either. Just save the leftovers for whenever you get home."
"That's... reassuring, I guess."
Mei picked up her spoon, dug it into the plate, pierced the meat with her fork, and brought it all to her mouth. She was just eating, but she moved with such precision that it was hard to look away from her.
Mei spent a couple of seconds chewing before swallowing. Once she did, she paused for a moment, then let out a small breath.
"So, how was it?" I asked.
She looked toward me, her gaze lingering on mine for a bit—before a small, seemingly satisfied smile curved up her lips.
"It's… good! I can see why you like it. I don't think I like it more than any of my favourite foods—and I still think it's too much food for me—but I'd say it's still a nine out of ten meal purely off taste."
"Is that so? I'm glad you like it then." There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
I think most people would be happy sharing something they liked with someone—especially if that person was someone they loved. So, of course, I was happy. Or was it supposed to be relieved? Whatever it was, that was how I was feeling.
The two of us continued to enjoy our meal, trading a few words here and there. The conversation wasn't anything meaningful. It was just a bunch of small talk. Things like what we planned to do for the rest of the summer, or how we were almost done with high school—but it was still enjoyable.
After about fifteen minutes, we'd both finished eating. Surprisingly, I'd managed to finish the whole thing. The same couldn't be said about Mei.
In fact, she looked completely wiped—she had her whole body leaned against the table with her forehead pressed down on the hardwood without any cushioning.
Mei let out a weak groan. "Ughhhh. I don't think I can even stand right now."
The contrast of seeing Mei reduced to such a miserable state after moving with such perfection earlier made me laugh harder than I meant to. If it were a small one, maybe I could've gotten away with it.
But the second a laugh that loud slipped out, I braced myself. And sure enough, just as I did, Mei kicked my shin from under the table.
"This isn't funny!" she cried out, pouting.
"Maybe for you, but I think it's pretty funny," I replied, trying my best not to laugh.
Once it finally settled down, I pointed to the still half-full plate in front of her. "So, are you gonna be taking that out?"
Mei paused—then gave me a meek nod. "Well… yeah, I have to. It feels wasteful if I throw it out. Problem is, I don't know if I even have enough space to finish it by the end of the week."
That was a reasonable complaint. If she ate this again, she'd be reduced to the same state she was in now.
So I offered her a compromise. "How about I just take it then?"
She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "No… It's fine. I'll just give it to my Mom. I think she'd like it."
I didn't respond right away, letting her words settle first. But I didn't wait too long—she was watching me, waiting for some kind of response or reaction.
"Sounds like a plan then. I think she'd be happy with it."
"Yeah… I think so too."
We took a couple of minutes to recover before asking for the bill.
"So, would you like it to be together or separate?" the waiter asked, handing us the card machine.
Before I could even open my mouth, Mei answered for me, her card already on the table. "Together, please. I'll pay."
I didn't fight back. I didn't even say anything. I just stayed silent and let Mei do her thing. From the way she was watching me from the corner of her eye as she paid, I already knew why she was doing this.
"You paid for my clothes, so let me return the favour. Saying no isn't an option."
While a part of me did think—and believe—that as a guy, I should pay at least half. But out of respect for Mei's wishes, I stayed put. It was better to let her have what she wanted than appease my pride. And if it made her happy, too, then all the better.
Once she finished paying, we packed our things and headed for the car. We spent the rest of the car ride in silence. I was tired, she was tired, so we didn't force conversation.
Maybe it was wasteful to spend the last bit of our time together in silence, but I was fine with it. And judging by how Mei didn't say anything, I assumed she was, too.
Eventually, we arrived at her house. If we wanted to maximize our time, she probably should've dropped me off first and driven home after, but it didn't feel right for her to see me off. I was always taught that I should make sure the lady gets home safely.
Even if the walk home was slightly inconvenient, I didn't really mind.
I took the car keys out of the ignition and handed them to her. She took them, slipped them into her pocket, waved me goodbye, and opened the car door.
Just as she was stepping out, however, I realized that I had forgotten something.
I reached over and grabbed her hand, tugging her back. She turned around, halfway out of the car, confused. But that confusion only lasted a second.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" She slid back into the car, pulling the door shut behind her, isolating us from the outside world once again.
"How could I forget?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. But I almost forgot, too."
Mei let out a soft giggle and inched closer. "Hehe. I guess we just had so much fun today."
I inched a little closer as well, though rolling my eyes. "You're saying that like we haven't been having fun for the past week."
"Oh, don't say it like that! You know what I meant…"
By this point, we were only centimeters apart.
With a small, yet fragile smile, she slowly lifted a hand to my cheek.
"Goodbye, Hoshino. I really had fun today." She stopped, took a deep breath, then finished it.
"I love you."
The moment those words reached my ears, everything went still—and at the same time, happened all too fast.
Returning her gesture, I lifted my own hand and held hers.
"Yeah, I love you too, Mei."
After that, everything went blank. Like a dream I'd been having had been cut off. Maybe I would've believed it was nothing but that—a dream.
...If not for the single sensation anchoring me to reality: the warmth spreading across my lips.
And it wasn't just my lips. The warmth that had been sitting in my chest this whole time reignited, almost blazing, growing with every second that passed.
We continued to stay in each other's presence until the day, at last, came to an end.