Chapter 22 : De Ja vu
Damn! Why the hell are they here now, of all times?
Eiden ducked slightly behind one of the decorative coral displays near the snack stall, peeking toward the entrance. There they were Deuel, John, Harry, and freaking Petter the Four Horsemen of Social Destruction. His eye twitched. Shit. Shit! They’re gonna ruin everything!
It was supposed to be a calm, casual, maybe even romantic aquarium date with Lyra. And now? Now these idiots had shown up like it was some unspoken bro code to stalk him on a rare outing with a girl.
He could already predict the future. Deuel and John might pick up the hint and quietly disappear maybe. But Harry? That guy was too dense to catch subtle social cues. And Petter... oh God, Petter.
That annoying f*ck would definitely do something outrageous like shout, "Let’s all stay single together forever!" just because he was bitter, fat from sheer laziness, and cursed with a voice like a dying goose. Eiden cringed just imagining it.
If he wasn’t a good friend underneath all that jealousy and greasy insecurity, I’d have kicked him into a pond by now, Eiden thought darkly. But nope, he’s one of the guys. Just the kind who turns into a sabotage goblin when you get too close to a girl.
"I can’t let them see me," he muttered.
Without warning, Eiden turned to Lyra and gently grabbed her hand. "Let’s go see the show from this side," he said, trying to sound casual, but his voice slightly strained. Before she could respond, he was already leading her in the opposite direction, weaving through the crowd toward the far side of the aquatic dome.
He plopped down onto a seat and subtly positioned himself so his back faced his approaching friends. Lyra looked slightly puzzled, cheeks tinged pink as she sat beside him, her hand still warm in his grasp. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glanced sideways and blinked. "Eiden?" she asked slowly. "Yes?" "...Why a squid mask?" Eiden shrugged. "Just felt like it."