Chapter 160

If not for the library then I was definitely going to return to that cafe for the cheesecake. I inwardly thanked Reign for having gone through those reviews and discovering that culinary treasure. It would be my motivation for the days when I had to study but was too lazy to make the trip there, all I'd have to do was think of the cake and I'd be on my way. 

" How have you lived here for so long and not known about this?"

" To be honest I'm wondering the same thing. " 

I gave him the fork back and he took it, then he continued eating it as if he was starving. But it was understandable. I was still curious as to whether there was a specific reason why he had wanted to see me, perhaps there was something urgent he wanted to tell me all of a sudden. Because we had already met up during the weekend and I doubt there's anything too urgent that we had to discuss. Most of our conversations were light and just aimed at fun. Exactly what I needed after a stressful day at school or whatever. When I asked him, he just shyly smiled at me and agave me back the fork. I took it and ate another bite as I waited for his response.

" There's nothing urgent, I just wanted to see you. "

" That's all?"

" Yeah. Why would I waste this extra time I've gotten doing something else when I could spend it with you?"

" That's sweet, thanks. "

What else was I supposed to say? I made sure the words didn't come out either weird or suggestive, I had taken his question as a normal statement shared between friends and I intended that he saw it as that as well. If I started acting nervous he would be able to tell and the situation would just turn awkward and unbearable, so I just played it cool and went on with our interaction. 

" You ever finish that song?" 

" My solo debut project?" 

" Mhm, "

" Not yet, The band has a couple of concerts in Baltimore so we're really busy with rehearsals. And I was also a little preoccupied worrying about Sage, "

" Oh yeah! How is she? And the puppies, are they okay?" 

He assured me they were all fine, then he showed me a recorded clip of them and I asked whether he could sent it to me. It was just extremely cute and calming to watch. He then asked me what I had done about the store, he knew I was supposed to be there immediately after school so his curiosity was only natural, and he was also scared that I had perhaps forsaken my job because of him. But when I assured him I had it under control he smiled and nodded. 

" I have something for you," he suddenly said in the middle of our conversation. We had been talking about experiences we wanted to try during our lifetime,and I got to realize that I needed to be more adventurous. He said he even had a bucket list, and it was while he was listing down his wishes that he just changed the subject and said he had something for me. I hadn't really been expecting it so it took me a second to load the words, but when I did my brows shot up and I placed the fork back down, feeling a little scared. 

It wasn't just me and my wild imagination. Reign was definitely changing his tactics. Before, he always strictly observed the boundary between us. Like before he said or did anything he always seemed to think it through a few times. But lately he was taking that one unwanted step further into that boundary. And he wasn't being subtle about it either. I knew he had utterly no respect for Austin but he still needed to realize that I was in a serious relationship with him. That just wasn't going to change. I valued Reign as a friend and that's how it needed to remain, but why was he trying to make things so hard for me by getting me all worked up?

I didn't say anything. If he really did have something for me then he was going to show it to me either way. I watched with keen and wary eyes as he reached into his Louis Vuitton bag and used his hand to blindly search for something, it didn't take him long before he found it. It was just an envelope. A cute red rectangular envelope that had an actual wax seal in the shape of a heart. 

" Before I give you this, you have to promise that you'll accept it no matter what. You can't turn it down Stevens. "

Him and Austin were the only people who called me Stevens, and it didn't feel weird when he called me that, mainly because it's how I had introduced myself to him the first time we had officially met. So it was all on me. There's no reason he would have asked me to say yes no matter what unless he knew that I would have most likely turned him down. The first thing that popped into my mind was money. It was an envelope after all, there wasn't much that could fit in there. If he had wanted me to be more eager he should have placed the mysterious item in a box instead. 

But as much as I tried, I couldn't pretend that I wasn't really curious about what it was. And if it turned out to actually be something really nice then I would be incredibly charmed. 

" Just promise me that you'll take it...and also use it!" 

It was definitely money. It was either that or he had decided to gift me a pretty red envelope, which I would have also appreciated because it was mostly about the effort. I couldn't just say yes. Because I never took money from anyone without meaning to pay it back. And I wasn't even that desperate for it. My mum hadn't been joking about sending me cash. It had been so unexpected I had just stared at my phone's screen for a long while while I wondered what was going on. My mum sure was taking the "Transformation" thing seriously. But I knew I had to call her later on and thank her before that day came to an end. 

" You won't take it?" He asked when I took to long. My eyes were just fixed on the item, and it took him assuring me that it wasn't cash to accept. I had just blankly asked him whether it was ask he had shook his head. 

A glance at my phone confirmed that I really didn't have the time to just stay there and fool around. Chelsea wasn't gonna be too happy if I made her stay for longer than her had agreed on. So I just resulted to make things go about faster. I had accepted the gift, and it had shocked me more than I had been expecting it to. 

Inside were literally two tickets to their concert, as well as an actual booked flight ticket. And he had handed me the precious gift as if it was the most basic thing in the world. I really knew that normal principle required that I turn him down and come up with an excuse. But they were actual tickets to his show. All the way in Baltimore, booked and all. And don't get me started on the plane ticket. It was a really thoughtful gift to offer me but the downsides were many as well. 

" I can't really tell whether you're happy or not, " he admitted some seconds later. I kept a strong hold on the envelope as well as the beautiful and thoughtful contents within it. Then I just sighed and thought of what to say to him. I also didn't want him feeling bad and getting disappointed because he assumed I hadn't liked the gift. It was almost too good and I was severely touched and honoured. 

Plus it would be during the midterm which should have also added to the advantages, but I still felt restricted. 

That wasn't by any means a cheap gift. Not to mention that he'd gotten me two. He had seriously gone to all the trouble if booking me a flight. It was obvious he wanted me to be there. 

" This is...I don't even know what to say to be honest. I'm really grateful Reign but it's a bit too excessive. "

" No it's not. We all always get three tickets for free, so it's really okay. "

" But--"

" Why do I feel like you're just finding excuses to turn it down? Take it, it's yours, "

I analysed the tickets once more, speechless and unaware of what to say next.

" You know I like you, right?" He asked out of the blue. He was definitely not being subtle at all! That was a bit too direct. I felt the discomfort as it creeped in.