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Dinner Service

Dishes clattering, utensils clinking, metallic trays clanging against the serving spoon, dinner service in the dormitory housing had just begun almost an hour ago. The line never seemed to dissipate as more students kept coming over to fill their stomachs after a long day of doing strenuous activities in their respective clubs.

“One bowl of seaweed soup, please!”

“Can I get a side of string beans?”

“Gimme two cans of soda.”

The service ladies behind the counter wiped beads of sweat over their foreheads. They continued serving: scooping food from one student to another, refilling empty food tray containers, and grabbing cold drinks from the ice box.

“My, my, students are damn hungry on Fridays, huh?” One of the old ladies at the counter remarked.

“Heh, wait ‘til guys from the varsity team arrive in here. They will ask for seconds.” Another middle-aged woman chuckled under her breath while pouring a fresh batch of hot seaweed soup into the warming pot.

“Auntie, what’s for dinner today, hm?”

¹*Auntie/Granny = a polite way of addressing older persons with a tight-knit friendship, closely related to family relations, not necessarily blood-related.

A cheerful voice called out from the line. The ladies gasped in surprise upon seeing the student standing right in front of them wearing the swim team’s jacket with a hoodie pulled over her head. She leaned against the divider, taking a closer look at each dish.

“Oh! Yana~ Lovely to see you. How’s your day?” The middle-aged woman greeted her with a wide grin.

“Pretty hectic, Auntie. Had to do several presentations.”

“You’re working hard, my dear. When will you help us back here in the kitchen?” The Auntie casually asked with a warm voice.

The older woman nudged her colleague at the side with the back end of her serving spoon.

“Tsk. Stop asking questions. The line is getting long over here.”

Yana just giggled softly at the light banter between the two. “Auntie is chatty like always, Granny.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now, Darling, let me get you the best dishes out here,” the old woman enthusiastically suggested, taking the tray off her hands as she generously scooped portions of food.

“Whoa, not too much, Auntie.” Yana chuckled nervously after seeing a big dollop of mashed potatoes land with a plop in her food tray and several pieces of chicken wings lined up at the sides.

She scratched her cheek.

“Granny, I also need a to-go box for my friend, Natalie.”

“Sure, sure, dearie. Anything for you.”

“Thank you, Auntie and Granny!” Yana gratefully expressed as she received her food tray filled to the brim with a variety of dishes: mashed potatoes, chicken wings, string beans, seaweed soup, and an ice-cold beverage of peach mango tea.

“Now, eat up, darling.” Granny smiled warmly as she handed Yana a to-go box as requested.

After leaving the counter, Yana looked around the dining hall, finding a seat to eat her dinner in peace. Students filled every row of tables, leaving no vacancies.

She searched thoroughly in the farther back corners of the hall. There, she spotted two male students just about to finish up their dinner before they quickly stood up to leave.

Immediately, Yana rushed to it and took a seat, placing the tray on the table and the box on her side, securing the spot.

Ah, finally, I made it.

She exhaled deeply while catching her breath.

While grabbing the utensils off her tray, a loud grumble resonated, coming from her stomach.

She lifted the steaming bowl of seaweed soup to her lips, blowing it gently across the surface, before taking a careful sip. The grumbling eased out as the soup slowly filled her inside.

Warm.

Rich.

Refreshing.

A soft exhale escaped from her lips as her mind drifted off, thinking nothing but indulging the flavors in her tongue. While Yana was zoning out, closing her eyes as she took a bite of the chicken wing.

A man cleared his throat a few inches right next to her.

“Anyone else eating with you?”

His voice was muffled by the loud chants and boisterous laughter nearby, but she heard him enough to understand.

Yana shook her head nonchalantly, unbothered.

“Thanks.”

Must be someone else looking for a seat.

She didn’t mind.

However, something clicked in her mind upon listening to his voice once again, more clearly this time.

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W-wait. . .

Who is this? Why does he sound . . .

. . . Familiar?

She turned her head slightly, peering at the corner of her hoodie as the man sitting right next to her appeared in her periphery.

Jet black locks tousled in a slight wet mess. Crimson red eyes pierced through his gaze, staring at the spoonful of mashed potatoes.

A faint smell of fresh menthol shampoo and eucalyptus-scented perfume wafted in the air as he leaned in, taking a bite of his dinner.

His face appeared flushed red, fresh out of the steamy evening shower.

Raphael . . .

Her breath hitched as she realized.

He is sitting... right next to me?!

Of all the people here in the Academy . . . Why him?

She panicked.

The beating of her chest gradually thumped in rapid succession. Her fingers pulled the edge of the hoodie over her face, holding onto it tightly.

Please don’t look at me.

Don’t notice me. . .

She begged in her thoughts repetitively like a prayer before taking a few spoonfuls of mash, stuffing her mouth to hurriedly eat her dinner.

“Um, hey . . . Do you have a spare fork? Sorry, I kinda dropped mine along the way.” Raphael asked.

She flinched, a burning sensation slowly rising from her neck to her cheeks.

I-is he talking to me?

Crap, Yana, what to do?!

Her fingers trembled as she reached her barely-used fork, sliding slowly to the side, right in between them.

“Oh, thanks.” Raphael casually replied, swiftly taking the fork off the table.

Yana turned her head slightly, sneaking a quick good look at him. He was poking a piece of stringed beans with the fork before grabbing a bite and chewing slowly.

For a moment, she was mesmerized, carefully studying his features: the way his jaw moved, his eyes wandered around, and his lips parted to take another bite.

It was her first time seeing him personally up close.

Five years since the last time they saw each other, he has changed so much. His delicate, soft features had been sculpted into long and sharp ones with a chiseled jawline. His slender frame had become leaner with toned muscles and broader shoulders.

Raphael... you have grown so much.

Why bother looking for me?

Raphael’s eyes drifted in her direction. For a brief second, their eyes locked onto each other, staring deeply into each other’s irises.

Suddenly, the noises in the hall seemed to stop, fading into the distance like quiet background sounds.

Quickly, she snapped out of it, averting her gaze.

Her eyes widened, and her breath gasped.

Yana, you idiot! You stared too much!

She shoved another spoonful of mash in her mouth, one after another, while internally screaming in her thoughts.

As she swallowed the food down her throat, a lump was left behind, stuck. Her hand hammered on her chest, trying to dislodge it from her throat. A fit of cough followed as she continued pounding.

Crap, am I gonna die like this? Choked to death after seeing him?

“Are you okay?”

Raphael’s voice spoke up once again, worried.

Yana still didn’t look.

While still in the middle of a coughing fit, she gestured her fingers with an ‘okay’ sign as a reply to him.

She cleared her throat as she quickly grabbed the peach mango iced tea from her tray. While opening the bottle, it slipped from her fingers, and it spilled all over the table.

She stared over the spilled drink as her shoulders dropped.

Ah, I am done for.

A hand slid across the table, holding a bottle of water.

“Here.”

Yana hesitated at first, but she reached for it eventually, swiping it off his hand.

She chugged it down.

The choking sensation finally stopped after the cold stream of water rushed down her throat. As she wiped her lips with the cloth of her jacket, a sigh of relief escaped in a breath.

“You good now?”

Yana tugged on the drawstrings of her jacket, tightening the hood over her face. A flush of redness appeared on her cheeks as she buried her face in her palms.

She nodded, signaling to him another okay sign.

Raphael snorted.

“Alright. Glad you’re okay. Quite a peculiar way of talking, isn’t it?”

She gave him a thumbs-up this time.

Quit asking me!

She bit her lip hard, suppressing the urge to speak up. Will he even recognize her by her voice?

“Okay . . .?”

His voice trailed off, turning away from her.

There was silence between the two of them as the bustling halls slowly filled the room with loud chatters, obnoxious laughter, and metallic clatters of trays.

Yana turned towards the food tray in front of her, still half-finished. Now, splashed with the drink that she had recently spilled.

She took a piece of a chicken wing that survived from the drench, nibbling softly. Then, her phone vibrated in her pocket, ringing.

Her fingers reached for it, checking the caller’s ID.

Edmund <3

Oh god, not right now . . .

The ringing continued, calling right after another.

Finally, she tapped the screen, hovering over the green button to accept the call.

Edmund’s voice spoke up with a husky tone, slightly agitated.

“Babe, what took you so long?”

“Sorry, babe.” She apologized softly, putting the phone closer to her face as she turned her back.

“Huh? Where are you seated?”

Yana looked around the hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

“Mmm…. Back corner?” she whispered, hovering the phone closer to her lips.

“Damn it. I still can’t hear you clearly. . . W-wait…”

The loudness of the dining hall echoed into their phones, muffling their voices into distortions.

“I am coming right over- “

The call ended.

Yana sighed, tucking her phone back inside her pocket as she rested her chin over her arm, waiting. Then, she took another glance at the man beside her.

He was almost done, poking the last remains of beans in the tray.

He would be leaving soon.

A man’s arm wrapped around Yana’s shoulders, pulling her in a tight embrace. Immediately, she looked up to see Edmund hovering over her with a charming smile, carrying a tray in his other hand.

“Hey, babe. Finally, found you.”

“Edmund, you are here.” She smiled.

“Yeah, sorry. I couldn’t hear you over the phone.” He carefully placed his tray on the table, looking baffled at the clutter. “What is going on here?”

“B-babe. Sorry, the table is a bit of a mess.” Yana chuckled nervously, fidgeting with her fingers over her chest.

“It’s fine. I’ll clean it up for you.” He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. Then, his gaze shifted to the man sitting right next to her. His body tensed the moment he noticed him.

Yana felt his fingers tighten on her shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, blinking.

Edmund straightened up, shoulders squared as he quickly moved to the side, approaching Raphael’s direction with heavy strides.

His voice roared.

“Hey!”

“What are you doing, huh?”

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