In which I fall in love with my brother's best friend.
*****
"Don't pretend like you don't feel anything." His voice is low, sending shivers down my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"You know damn well what I mean."
"I don't know what you're talking about...
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While I'm sitting at the sushi bar, I lick my lips. My eyes follow the sushi plates lining up and moving in front of me.
They all look so tempting. In a heartbeat, I grab one plate that has salmon sashimi.
I'm pouring the soy sauce over it when I feel Vaughn's gaze on me. I turn my head towards him and find him staring at me in amusement.
"What?" I ask him nonchalantly and waste no time to put the food into my mouth with the chopsticks.
"Nothing." He smiles, still gazing at me.
I would be shaking if I allowed myself to be completely affected by Vaughn's Effect, but fortunately, my favourite food is such a good distraction. Tasting the sweet favour of the salmon, I close my eyes, enjoying every bit of it. It tastes like heaven.
Even Jake once told me that I ate it like I was in a TV commercial.
"You know," Vaughn begins. "This is quite a sight."
I raise my brows.
"Usually, girls tend to eat more carefully in front of me," Vaughn says. "They tried to maintain their image, even some of them chose the dish that would not ruin it." He chuckles. "But you, Mel, practically devour all the things catching your eyes right now."
I almost choke. I don't know whether it should be classified as an insult or a compliment.
"Don't worry," he adds. "I'm enjoying it." His tone is still rich with amusement.
I glance at his plate, which is still empty, while I just finished my second one. "I thought you said that you're hungry."
"I'm already full just by watching how you eat," he jokes, and I roll my eyes.
It's not my fault. He's the one who suggested what to eat. And that happens to be one of my favourite foods.
A while later, he joins me, and we eat in silence before I start talking again.
"When will the internship start?" I ask, somehow feeling a bit excited about what the company can offer Vaughn.
"I'll be working in their office three months from now," he says. "For now, I'll just carry on with my project and give them updates ahead of time before we can adapt it in the real environment."
I nod, listening intently. I'm happy for him.
"How did you do it?" I shake my head, laughing.
He raises his brows.
"I mean, you excel in everything," I say. "Academics. Sports. Career prospects."
He stares at me again, and I can see that his eyes are glinting with something I can't describe. But it's something good, I guess. A smirk touches his lips.
"What can I say? When it's your passion, it just happens," he says. "I'm not saying that it was always easy for me. No, it wasn't like that. I had ups and downs, Mel. I fell too. I fucking did. But that didn't stop me."
