**ROSEANA**
"Where do you want to eat, hm?" Damon asked me, his wide, calloused hand resting on my back as we walked inside the mall.
I looked around, trying to find a decent restaurant where we could dine. "Can we go to Jollibee?" I asked in a daring voice. That's all I'm familiar with. I don't often eat out, so I can't suggest anything to Damon's question.
The truth is, my stomach is already rumbling. We have been walking around inside this big mall for several hours. Lunchtime has arrived.
I looked back at Damon when he didn't speak. His eyebrows meet while his eyes are fixed on the ground floor of the mall, where the fast food restaurant I am referring to can be found. "It's too crowded in there," he commented.
My shoulders slumped. Knowing him, he certainly won't wait in line just to buy fast food. I mean, in his perspective, it's just normal food for the masses.
“Ahm, it's up to you to choose the restaurant. I don't know many places that we can eat." My excuse. My voice has bitterness.
"How's this? I will decide where we will eat lunch, and then after, we can just return when there is no long line at the restaurant you want to dine in. How's that sound?" he asked me. Their voice was gentle as if coaxing a recalcitrant child. He negotiates with me like the real businessman that he is. He probably noticed how my eyes glistened while looking at that fast-food restaurant.
"Shall we come back later?" I clarify.
Damon nodded with a smile. “Yes. We just need to fill your stomach. We have been walking for a while; you must be hungry. If we wait in line, I'm sure it will take us a long time before we can eat," Damon explained at length.
I thought he just didn't want to stand in line, so he didn't agree with my suggestion. It turns out he just cares about me.
In the end, I agreed with him. He is right. It must have taken us an hour to eat in the extremely long line.
Damon took me to a fancy restaurant. As usual, I am not familiar with the place. The surroundings were quiet, and the melodious playing of the violin in the background calmed my mind, even though I was not a fan of that instrument. I let Damon order my food.
I was quietly sharing my lunch with Damon when suddenly a tall and muscular man approached us. He was wearing a white t-shirt and rugged pants for men. The other diners even looked at us because of the loudness of the man's voice.
“Demon! My friend, what are you doing here? "Asked the man. He deliberately pronounced Damon's name as demon. I can't see his face because he has his back turned in my direction. He probably doesn't notice my existence as well.
"To eat," Damon said seriously. He didn't even glance at or greet the man.
I think he is about the same height as Damon. Damon's body is a little bigger compared to his, but that doesn't make the man less appealing. I wonder who he is. He and Damon looked close together. He can joke around with him, even though my husband is very rude.
The man dramatically gasped, and then his veiny hands clutched his chest as if hurt by Damon's answer. "You didn't even invite me? I am hurt, babe. Just last night when you enjoyed drilling me from behind, and now you are acting as if you didn't even enjoy my company!" I don't know how I will react to what he said. His voice was loud, which I'm sure he meant for people close to us to hear.
I hid my face in my palms when the people who heard what the man said gave us foreign looks. I just want to hide myself under the table.
Damon's hand moved quickly, and he threw the table napkin at the newly arrived man. If the look was deadly, the man in front of us would have been blind before long.
"Shut it, Lavigne." He glared at the man.
The man laughed loudly. He was not even affected by Damon's reaction. "Man, I am just wondering. We can't even see your shadow for almost three months. You have vanished like dust in thin air, and I will just see you here eating," he mumbled. "We are the ones your girls are pestering. Have mercy on us. We are dealing with so many already.”
Damon ignored the last thing the man said. Maybe it's his friend. Because of the way they talk, or more like the way the man talks to him, he seems used to Damon's cold treatment of him, and he is no longer affected, more like immune.
"Been busy with work," Damon lazily answered. He gracefully sliced the piece of meat, then put it in his mouth. I finished eating and was just looking at the two men in front of me.
The man sprang up. "You haven't come into your office for a week since I asked Dianne about you yesterday," the man answered.
Damon's brows furrowed. Finally, he looked at the man. "Who's Dianne?" he asked. The mention of the woman’s name caught my attention.
"The head of the HR department. We kind of click so."
"Fucker," Damon murmured.
"When are you going to visit your bar? Many bitches are missing you. We are always asked when you will visit. We always go home not drunk because your bartender doesn't give us free alcohol."
I closed my eyes tightly at the word choices of Damon’s friend. I will just call him Damon's friend because I don't know his name. I tried so hard to ignore the women waiting for Damon, as said by his friend. I felt my throat dry. There was no water in my glass, so I turned my head to look for the waiter.
"What's the matter, love?" I heard Damon's sweet voice, so I looked back at him. His eyes were fixed on me, waiting for my answer.
I heard the dramatic gasp of his friends, but I didn't pay much attention to him. albeit it was only he who noticed my presence. I feel like I was compelled to stare back at Damon.
"I am thirsty," I answered in a weak voice. It was loud enough for him to hear.
Without a second thought, Damon pushed his glass of water in front of me. "Here, drink it." His gentle speech when talking to me still didn't change. His eyebrows no longer meet.
I just accepted what he gave me, even though he drank it.
"Thanks."
“Oh, feisty. What do we have here? I am Lavigne Oreste. What's yours, my lady? ”
My attention turned to Damon's friend when he spoke. His hand was extended in my direction, offering me a handshake.
I was about to reach for his hand when I felt Damon's sharp gaze on me more like the hand of the man whose name is Lavigne. I smiled awkwardly at the man in front of me, and instead of shaking hands with him, I just waved at him.
"Fuck off, Lavigne."