ᵒᵖᵖᵒˢⁱᵗᵉˢ ᵃᵗᵗʳᵃᶜᵗ

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❝ interruption at dinner. ❞
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𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥. You were in need of some new shoes, and your friend was more than happy to accompany for she was on a mission of her own to find a dress.

"I still can't believe you saved him."

Ariella glanced at you with raised eyebrows, awaiting your response to her words but you were too busy grazing the heels, opting for a quick escape. "Who?"

She chuckled, shaking her head and pulling at a shoe just as you reached for it. "Warren," the girl clarified.

"Oh. Him." You shrugged your shoulders with a nonchalant sigh, smiling as you handed the shoe to a clerk who had been assigned to you when the workers knew that you were a buyer. "I mean, he was in the way, and that would look bad if I didn't save him. Like, expelled bad."

"Right," your friend nodded to herself, and you watched with squinted eyes as she smirked slightly.

"Ariella," you whined softly.

"I just think it's interesting, that's all," she defended immediately with a laugh. "I mean, one second, you guys are at each other's throats, and the next, you're his knight in shining fibre-plastic."

"I only saved him because he was literally going to die," you stated. "I hate him, but I wouldn't just let someone be killed like that. Speed and Lash are as psychotic as they come, so I wouldn't have been surprised if they continued."

"Buuuut," Ariella airily spoke. "You stepped in."

"Well, yeah. I'm a hero, aren't I?"

An hour later, you had purchased a new pair of shoes, and Ariella had found a dress she deemed nice. You both were pondering plans for your next hang-out when your eyes spotted one of your favourite restaurants.

"Ooh, the Paper Lantern!" you beamed, gesturing excitedly towards it. "Do you wanna have dinner?"

"Sure, I'd-."

She was cut off by the sound of her cellphone beeping. You both shared a curious look as she fished it out of her purse, lifting the flip to see the message. Immediately, a rosy blush painted Ariella's cheeks as her icy blue eyes scanned the text.

"Oh, my Gosh, it's Lucas, isn't it?" you immediately pried with a knowing grin.

"...Maybe," she mumbled, sheepishly peaking at you. You both were silent for a moment, before suddenly erupting into a fit of giggles and squeals. "He asked me out!"

"Oh, finally! When? Please tell me tonight!"

"Yeah, like right now," she laughed, shaking her head softly. "But I'll say no."

"What?" you exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief whilst she wore a look of confusion. "You are so not rejecting him right now."

"But, you wanted to go to di-."

"No, no, no," you interrupted, and the girl let out a laugh at your definiteness. "You are going on that date and you are gonna make him pick you up right now."

Ariella glanced between you and her phone, biting her lip in thought. "...Are you sure?"

"Yes!" you laughed, shaking your head in disbelief. 

Your friend was thankful and excited, embracing you for a moment as she spoke, "You're the best! Love you!"

She rushed off into the evening with her cellphone pressed against her ear. Smiling to yourself, you made your way to the Paper Lantern, opening the door as you texted your mother about how you were going to grab the dinner tonight. She didn't respond, so you were going to assume her and your family's usual order.

However, the sight of the hectic restaurant had you pausing by the doorway. You glanced around the large room, the tables filled to the brim with stacked plates, steaming food and dozens of people.

"Did you need any help?"

Your head snapped to the side, finding a young girl who looked only about a couple months younger than you speaking. She looked frazzled, no doubt a reaction due to the amount of people speaking and ordering around you both.

"Hi, yes, how are you?" 

The waitress blinked at the question, stammering out a reply, "Ye- Yes, thank you. How about you?"

"I'm good, thank you. I was just wondering if I could order some food? Take-away?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but it's going to be at least a 45-minute wait," the woman apologised. "It's super busy and the kitchen is packed."

She watched you with bated breath, worried that you might lash out or excessively express your distaste at the knowledge like many other customers had tonight, but instead, you offered her a friendly smile and a nonchalant flick of your wrist. "I can wait, no need to stress. But would you mind if I sat down somewhere? If not, that's okay."

The waitress exhaled, plastering on a sweet smile and nodding. She glanced around the restaurant, perking up when she noticed a couple leaving a booth. "Perfect, a spot just opened."

"Oh, it's just me, though. I wouldn't want to imp-."

"You're really not," she interrupted. You blinked, shocked at her hospitality, given how hectic it was in the restaurant. The girl held out her hand, and you moved forward to retrieve it. "I'm Hanna."

"Y/N," you introduced.

Her mind registered your name, and a thoughtful crease of her eyebrows shadowed her face. You frowned slightly in wonder at the way she dissociated for a moment, before Hanna snapped back to her usual self and beamed. 

"It's lovely to meet you. It's just, you've been a breath of fresh air since the rush happened."

"Oh, of course," you shrugged, sending her another winning smile. "I can see how busy it is, and please, take however long you need with my food. I've got plenty of time."

You were led to the table by a beaming Hanna, the girl offering refreshments as you accepted an iced tea. She rushed off, wanting to retrieve your order with gusto- you were the kindest girl to step through the restaurant doors this week, and she always tended to overdo her work when the customer was actually nice.

"What's got you happy?"

Hanna glanced up from the fridge after receiving a chilled glass, sending a smile to the older boy. He watched as she practically danced around the bar, retrieving the tea jug for an order. 

"We finally have a nice customer," Hanna answered.

"Plenty of people here are nice," he huffed with a slight smile.

"Yeah, but she's extra nice," she rebuked with a laugh. Peaking over the bar, Hanna pointed over at you. "There she is."

Following her finger, the boy found you a moment later, and a stunned expression overtook his stoic features. You were bathed in a warm glow due to the overhead lantern and surrounding candles, your smile soft as you used your cellphone.

"Oh, I know that look."

"Fuck off," he muttered, shaking his head slightly as if to shrug off the feeling that flooded his body, his cheeks feeling annoyingly hot. 

"Warren's got a crush," Hanna sang, traipsing away. "Hey, ma, guess what?"

"Zip it, you little brat!"

It hadn't been long, only around half an hour before your stomach started to growl. The restaurant had dialled down a little, leading into the evening, and you found yourself peeling your eyes away from the happy couples surrounding you. 

"Still working on that?"

The voice was eerily familiar, and you peeled your eyes away from the empty glass in front of you, finding Warren Peace standing at your booth.

"Warren?" you murmured, nearly rubbing your eyes before letting out a groan. "Ugh, and my night was going so well."

"Cause you're such a doll to be around," Warren muttered, watching as you threaded your nails through your hair. "And besides, this is my restaurant anyway. If anyone should be unhappy in this situation, it's me."

The both of you went quiet, simply opting to stare at one another. He looked... different. Not as tense and guarded like he did in school, and adorned in a black compressed singlet instead of his usual leather jacket. Because of this, you could see the silver chain bracelet and brown leather wristband on his wrists. His hair was pulled back into a bun to avoid any strands across his face.

Everything about him was so different to what you had seen these past few years, and yet, you don't think anything ever suited him this well before.

"What?" Warren murmured.

Oh, but he had no room to talk.

He watched you, your shoulders relaxed and your presence demanding a sense of openness he never saw of you. Sure, as popular as a girl can be, someone like you who was always so friendly and loved by others, it shouldn't be a surprise to see you like that. But here, in this little booth, he saw a truly hidden aspect about yourself that complimented you so perfectly.

"Nothing," you shrugged softly, clearing your throat as you forced yourself to look away from him.

"Want a refill?"

"Please."

Warren leaned forward, filling up your cup with whatever was in the jug he was holding. "You always carry around lemon iced tea? Or is that just for me?" you mused, sipping from the straw. 

Geez, was he that stupid? Walking around with your drink order? He wanted to say it was self-absorbed of you to think that just maybe he had only graced your table with your drink...

But he would be lying. Because he had only gone to your booth out of every other table in the restaurant... with your drink on hand...

You fucking idiot, he mentally cursed himself.

"Lotta people been drinking it tonight," Warren replied after a moment. 

You nodded slowly, eyeing him over the rim of your glass. He watched you for a moment, and the question, although too embarrassed or unwilling to ask, was there on the tip of his tongue.

And you knew it.

So, with a reluctant nod of your head, your answer was palpable, the boy sliding to take the booth seat in front of you. Warren flicked his forefinger out, and a flame appeared at his fingertip. He dipped it, lighting the candle in the middle of the table.

He was the first to speak. "Why are you alone?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Colour me intrigued," he shrugged, folding his - t̶̶̶o̶̶̶n̶̶̶e̶̶̶d̶̶̶ ̶̶̶a̶̶̶n̶̶̶d̶̶̶ ̶̶̶m̶̶̶u̶̶̶s̶̶̶c̶̶̶l̶̶̶e̶̶̶d̶̶̶ - tanned arms over themselves. "You're just usually surrounded by a swarm of obsessive teenagers."

"I call them friends, but that's an interesting way to put it," you said, tilting your head to look at him. He wasn't giving up on his pry, watching you beneath bushy eyebrows. Warren's gaze was intense, and something about it had your lips parting to speak. "I was with Ariella and she got a text from a boy."

"The ice girl?"

"The ice girl," you confirmed with a nod of your head. "We were gonna go out for dinner, but she has had the biggest crush on this guy for ages. And, well, he finally plucked up the courage to ask her out."

"So, she left you for the guy?" he asked.

"I wouldn't put it like that," you frowned gently. "She actually didn't want to leave me. But I encouraged her to pursue a date. She's been texting me about it all night actually."

Warren watched the way you smiled down at your phone, no doubt awaiting another spontaneous message from your close friend. 

Of course he knew who Ariella was. She was your best friend, and the two of you had been joined at the hip since the start of freshmen year. He remembers it, because he had watched you that entire orientation day.

You were just so...

How could he describe it? I mean, half of him was fuelled with insane rage at the sight of the Commander's daughter looking so happy, whilst he, the son of a 'disgraced villain', felt nothing but anger all the damn time. 

But then, the other part of him was so enamoured by the sight of you. He thought you were the most incredible girl he'd ever seen. I mean, have you seen yourself? And your smile- geez, you had him hooked from day fucking one.

"-Warren?"

The boy in question blinked rapidly, peeling his eyes away from- Oh. He was staring. Shit.

You watched him with a cocked eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at your lips as Warren cleared his throat, raising his eyes to meet your own. He opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by a third party.

"You're suddenly on break?" Hanna queried, seemingly appearing from nowhere. "What happened to powering through every single shift?"

"The place is calm, and I needed to sit down for a second," he defended, glaring at her. 

"Hmm," she hummed out lowly, sending him a knowing glance before looking over at you. "Well, I'm sure the company is wonderful for you."

"Hanna-."

"Alright, alright," the girl chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender once she noticed the red glowing from his knuckles. "I won't bite anymore."

Hanna walked off, and your lips parted in quiet shock as you watched his fists slowly unclench the further she walked away. Warren finally met your gaze away, frowning upon the look on your face.

"What?"

"Your powers," you whispered softly. "The staff here know about them?"

Warren sighed, glancing over in Hanna's direction before muttering,  "She's my little sister." The slight astonishment at the news was evident on your face, and he rolled his eyes with a short exhale. "My mum has owned and ran this place for over a decade now."

You nodded slowly, registering the information before a teasing smile slowly lifted at the corners of your mouth. "I'm sorry I looked so shocked, it's just... Hanna is so lovely, and you're, well..."

Warren scoffed, glaring at you darkly, but it was such a beautiful contrast with you laughing, the airy sound unearthing a flutter in the boy's stomach. 

"The food is finally ready!"

Hanna appeared once again, and Warren sometimes wondered if his mother's invisibility transcended to his little sister. The younger girl smiled at you and you returned, peaking into the brown bag that carried your dinner for the night.

"Thanks so much, Hanna," you thanked, sending her another grateful grin. 

"No sweat," she shrugged. "I'm just glad you kept my sulking brother company."

You shared a slight giggle with her whilst Warren glared at the both of you, his arms taught and crossed against his chest as he leaned against the plush booth backing. 

"Surprisingly," you started, looking across the table at the boy. Warren raised his gaze from the counter, dark brown eyes void of emotion as he waited for you to speak. "He's not the worst company I've had."

And there it was. A spark. A glint in his gaze that suddenly brightened his entire face. And you'd be damned if you said you didn't like it. 

Warren could only watch as you rose from the table, slipping out from the booth and walking towards the exit with Hanna. The two of you were bubbly with chatter as your hand raised to the handle, only to touch... skin?

You snapped your gaze, head swivelling to whoever was next to you, finding Warren standing right beside you, his head dipped downward to meet your eyes. 

Silently, you both watched each other, and before you could speak, he was clearing his throat and opening up the door for you.

"Get out of my restaurant," he said.

You scoffed, shaking your head and took a step outside, glancing over your shoulder to once again meet his gaze. His eyes never strayed from your form, and neither did yours.

"And the bitch is back," you tsked, clicking your tongue. "Just when I was beginning to tolerate you."

The clicks of your kitten heels sounded on the concrete as you walked down the street. Warren recognised your car just a few feet away from the Paper Lantern, and he watched you slip into the vehicle. 

"Ya know? I knew I recognised her name," Hanna smirked, patting her older brother's shoulder, although the action never caught his attention.

It was focused on something much more important.