Chapter 1292: BAI ZE AND XIA LI'S MEET-UP (II)
Chapter 1292: BAI ZE AND XIA LI'S MEET-UP (II)
BAI ZE scratched the back of his neck, feeling a little flustered. He turned away briefly to pull out the chair across from her, then sat down. "Have you been waiting here long? Sorry if I'm late."
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Xia Li said, waving her hand lightly. "I also just got here a few minutes ago." She smiled and picked up her menu. "This is one of my favorite spots to come and draw. Their specialty coffees are great. Should we order? You have to try their tiramisu, it's the best."
"Then I'll go order for us," Bai Ze said, quickly standing up from his chair. Going to the counter would give him a minute to calm his still racing heart. "What would you like?"
"Hmm," Xia Li said, looking thoughtful for a second. Then she smiled up at him. "I'll have the red-cherry americano and a slice of tiramisu, please."
Red-cherry americano? Well, that definitely sounded like a specialty drink if he ever heard one. He gave a quick nod and walked over to the counter to place their order. As he stood in the short line, he focused on taking a few slow breaths. His racing heart finally began to calm down to a steadier, normal rhythm.
He hadn't expected that just seeing Xia Li in person would hit him so hard. If he had any doubts about his feelings before, they were completely gone now. His physical reaction was proof enough of that. But the realization also made him feel shallow. Because wouldn't it seem like he only confirmed his feelings because he found her physically attractive? Was he really that kind of shallow, face-obsessed person?
No, he knew he wasn't like that. If he was, he would have fallen for every good-looking person he'd ever met. And he had met plenty. With the social circle his family moved in, it was easy to run into beautiful people. But his heart had never pounded the way it did when he saw Xia Li earlier, or when she smiled. Wouldn't that mean he reacted this way because he already had deep feelings for her in the first place? That he also found her appearance so attractive was just a bonus on top of what was already there.
Having reached that conclusion, Bai Ze felt a lot more at ease with himself. He relaxed his shoulders just as he reached the front of the line.
A barista behind the counter looked up at him with a polite smile. "May I take your order, sir?"
Because he had been so deep in his thoughts while standing in line, he hadn't looked at the menu at all. Remembering Xia Li's order, he decided to just get the same thing as her. "Can I get two red-cherry americanos and two slices of tiramisu, please?"
"Of course, sir. Will that be all?" the barista asked. After Bai Ze nodded, the barista tapped the order into the register. "That will be 190 RMB."
Bai Ze pulled out his card and paid. Once the payment went through, the barista handed him the receipt along with a small wooden stand. The number 9 was painted on it in white.
"Please take a seat. We will bring your order to your table once it's ready," the barista said.
Bai Ze carried the wooden number to their table. He slid into his seat across from Xia Li and set the stand with the number 9 on the center of the table.
Once he was sitting there, looking directly at Xia Li again, he felt his heart beat hard and fast in his chest all over. He tried to take a quiet, deep breath, but it didn't really help.
Ah, I really, really like this girl.
"There aren't many other customers right now, so our order will probably get here soon," Xia Li said, glancing around the quiet cafe. When she looked back at him, she asked, her tone curious, "By the way, what did you end up ordering?"
Bai Ze cleared his throat softly. "I got the same thing as you." Xia Li gave him a slightly strange look when she heard his answer. That simple look made him feel nervous. "W-what's wrong?"
Xia Li laughed, the sound a little awkward. "Well, the red-cherry americano has a pretty... unique flavor," she explained. "It's a bit of an acquired taste, to be honest. I'm not completely sure you'll like it."
"Oh," was the only thing Bai Ze could say for a moment. Then he pulled up his usual, more playful grin. "Don't worry about it. If you like it, I'm sure I'll like it too."
Xia Li only raised one eyebrow at that. A clear look of amusement lit up her cat-like eyes. "If you say so."
It didn't take long for their order to arrive. A waiter came over and carefully placed the two tall glasses of red-cherry americano and the two plates of tiramisu on their table. He told them to enjoy their order before walking away. Bai Ze looked down at the dark, cherry-tinted drink in front of him.
The drink was served in a tall glass. A layer of dark, vivid red sat at the bottom. Most likely from whatever cherry-flavored syrup they used. On top of it was the rich, black-brown americano, the two liquids separate and creating a sharp line between them. A layer of white foam floated on the very top.
It looked fine, even pretty. But remembering the clear amusement in Xia Li's eyes earlier, he had a strong feeling it wouldn't be as simple as it looked.
"You have to swirl it around carefully with your straw before you drink it," Xia Li told him, picking up her own glass to demonstrate. "That's how you get the best flavor."
Bai Ze gulped a little nervously. Then he copied what Xia Li did. He slowly stirred the two layers of liquid together until they mixed into one color. He lifted the glass and took a small, cautious sip.
The moment the drink hit his tongue, his eyes went wide. A shocking, sour-sweet-bitter flavor exploded in his mouth. He clamped his lips shut to stop from spraying it everywhere. His body jerked, and he ended up swallowing the whole awful mouthful in one painful gulp, which sent him into a fit of loud, hacking coughs.