Xo Novel
Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Leanne was momentarily stunned. It was the first time anyone had ever said something
like that to her.
“I’m okay. It’s not a hassle. But I’m afraid you…
“I’m relieved as long as it doesn’t bother you.”
Jeremy’s expression was a little uneasy, and he couldn’t quite meet her gaze, so his eyes drifted from hers, settling on the tip of her nose.
“Sorry, I came here on purpose today. I overheard Selina calling you guys.
Leanne caught the implication in his words. She had initially thought Selina was being impulsive, playing matchmaker without a clue, but Jeremy himself was making his intentions clear, putting it all out there.
And just like that, she was thrown into an awkward silence.
Jeremy seemed more nervous than she felt, his fist resting against his nose as he cleared his throat, his gaze shifting away.
The restaurant was cozily warm. Leanne was wearing an ivory cashmere cardigan, whose fabric looked light and soft.
Her hair was pulled back behind her ears, revealing her delicate and pretty cheeks. She was holding her coat and fidgeting with her smartphone.
The atmosphere was awkward and thick with an unspoken tension.
When Curtis walked in, what he saw was the exact scene.
His eyes lingered on Leanne for a second before he gave the man standing beside her an indifferent once-over, and then his gaze slid back.
Seeing the blush on Leanne’s face, his eyes took on a darker hue.
“What are you doing standing here like a statue, Leanne? You working a second job as a waitress after your shift?”
Leanne and Jeremy only then noticed him and Suzan, who had followed him in. This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
Leanne withdrew her gaze, not even bothering with the pleasantries.
“Leanne? Jeremy?” Suzan seemed surprised to see them there. “Are you guys here for dinner, too?”
Jeremy, their schoolmate, wasn’t as close to Curtis and his crew as Skyler and Devin, but he managed a polite, “Fancy seeing you here.”
Curtis was distracted, his inscrutable eyes fixed on Leanne, who ignored him.
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Suzan continued, “Curtis was worried about the scar on my
knee, so he booked me an appointment with the best reconstructive specialist in Emberland Country. It just so happened to be here today.”
Leanne acted as if she hadn’t heard, her attention fixed on the restroom door.
Probably used to being the center of attention, Curtis wasn’t pleased with her disregard. Leanne didn’t want to engage with him, but he seemed determined to make his presence
felt.
“Getting ruder by the day, aren’t you? Can’t even greet me when I walk in?”
Leanne finally turned around, glancing at him. Why should I greet you? By not spitting on you, I’m already being quite polite.”
Jeremy and Suzan paused at that.
Even though Curtis always seemed laid-back and often spoke with a smile, no one, not even those who hung out with him regularly, dared to be too casual around him.
No one dared to talk to Curtis like that.
Not Skyler, not Devin.
At Leanne’s words, Curtis smirked and grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from Jeremy and toward himself. He looked at her with lazy eyelids, taunting, “So fierce. What did I do to piss you this time?”
“Your mere presence bugs me,” Leanne said bluntly.
Curtis laughed coldly and leaned in closer, his voice surprisingly softer. “Then keep on looking at me until you become comfortable with my presence.”
“Freak!”
Right then, Joy and Selina emerged from the restroom, pushing and shoving each other playfully. They were surprised to see the two new arrivals, and Selina exclaimed with delight, “Suzan!”
Selina had always looked up to Suzan, liking to tag along behind her. But she was four or five years younger than Suzan, and the older girls in that circle didn’t care to include a kid in their outings.
Suzan, watching Curtis and Leanne’s little tug of war with pursed lips, turned to greet them with a smile, “Are you and your brother here for dinner?”
“No, I came with Leanne.”
Suzan hesitated a little, smiled, and asked, “Since when did you and Leanne become so chummy?”
Selina, who wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, suddenly realized she was supposed to
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be on Suzan’s side, yet there she was, cozying up to Leanne like a traitor.
She was doomed! She should’ve stayed hidden in that bathroom!
Guilty, Selina mumbled, “Leanne took care of me a lot when I was in the hospital…”
After watching Selina’s indecision, Joy coldly interjected, “Fence-sitter! Weren’t you t one insisting on joining us?”
the
“I…” Selina opened her mouth, glancing between Suzan and Leanne, at a loss in this social combat she had never encountered.
Leanne spoke up, “Don’t make it so hard on yourself. Who you choose to befriend and how you do so is entirely up to you. You’re mature enough to be accountable for your actions.”
LE-PL