Helanie:
"Really? Who?" Lamar asked, either out of plain stupidity or ignorance.
"You!" She pointed her finger at Gavin instead, who shifted in his seat before smiling.
"Yeah, I’ve been here before. It was when I was getting ready for the backup tests," he admitted. "Why don’t you surprise us with your best meal, like you did last time too," he said while holding the menu.
"Sure, I would! Oh, I see you brought your mate here too," Benita smiled as she started taking orders.
"He talks about me, and I’m—cheating on him?" I noticed the shift in Lucy’s demeanor. I didn’t want her to take the lady’s comment too seriously because I didn’t want Lucy to do something irrational in the heat of the moment.
I just wanted her to take some time and ask Gavin if he had actually cheated on her or not. Because, like Lamar said, if she confronts him directly, he might never confess.
Thankfully, she left without causing more trouble, but Lucy had gone utterly silent the whole time.
Penn was busy on his phone, so I assumed he only tagged along because he knew his sister would be alone if he didn’t join.
As for Jenny, she sat with her shoulders slouched sadly. Lamar was the only one talking, and Gavin was engaging with him.
"I can’t hide it anymore," Lucy whispered in my ear as she stood up, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end.
"Lucy—" I grabbed her hand, trying to pull her back down, but she shook her head.
"Can we talk, Gavin?" she asked, interrupting his conversation. Lamar’s eyes darted to mine, and I gave him a look. He understood what I meant.
"Umm, the food is about to be here. Why do you need to talk right now? And in front of everyone? Rude!" Lamar tried to play it off, but Lucy seemed determined, and, surprisingly, Gavin seemed intrigued by what she had to say.
"Sure, what is it?" Gavin asked, folding his arms on the table.
"Can we go outside and talk?" Ignoring everyone, Lucy directed her attention solely to Gavin, and he focused only on her.
"Lucy, maybe let everyone eat first," I urged her, still holding her hand. I really didn’t like the idea of her speaking to him here. There were so many people around.
Why would she do that?
"I need to do this. I can’t live with this guilt. He deserves to know," she said aloud, not even trying to whisper. Everyone heard her and stared in confusion.
But Gavin, of all people, just nodded, his jaw clenching as if he already knew what she was guilty of. Of course, the pain he felt that night was a reminder of something Lucy had done wrong.
"Let’s go outside. You guys enjoy the feast," Gavin said, standing up and walking away, with Lucy following closely behind him.
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