Cosplay Shenanigans

9 - of baby dumplings and phone numbers

This day couldn't get any better.

Not only did Mairi crash the party despite having no recollections of his friends, but now she was casually cramming dumplings down her throat. Beside her, sat the blue-haired man, who could do nothing but munch on his food as he-not intentionally- stared at the supposed newcomer. Thankfully, he had learned to avert his gaze before she could catch him red-handed.

Nope. Not today, Mairi.

However, that didn't flush those stupid butterflies off his stomach. In fact, it seemed to have worsened when he felt a pair of eyes intensely zooming through him and confining him in his spot. Just keep eating. Don't mind her. Don't even bother acknowledging he-

"Dish ish rully gut."

What?

For heaven's sake, Mairi had the gall to speak with such a stuffed mouth. She was the shining example of a chipmunk storing their food on their cheeks. Her voice was way too muffled. I don't speak Minion language.

Abel swallowed - the appropriate manner - his own food before he spoke, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Almost immediately, Mairi gulped every single thing in one go and licked her lips. "This is really good," She remarked properly this time. "I never knew they served these delicacies before."

"Right?!" Charlotte enthused before Abel could answer, butting her way in. "I'm not lying when I say their dumplings literally melt in your tongue. It's a total paradise. Glad we dragged you here or you're gonna miss out a lot!"

"Damn girl, I can see how massive your drool is." Adrian joined in. "God, your foodgasm sometimes..."

Without a word, Mairi bobbed her head before she shoved another dumpling right into her mouth, shutting her eyes as if she was taking her time to ravish the delicious treat. Wait, wasn't this woman supposed to be running errands? Guess she prioritized eating dumplings over those. Can't say I blame her though.

"Is this restaurant one of your hidden gems?" she asked, turning towards Abel.

"Hell yeah, I'm the one who found it first," he crowed, pointing to himself. "It's just that Lotte and Adrian have been dragging everyone here since I introduced them." He lifted his head. "You should be thanking me for these delicious dumplings."

"Yeah sure. Thanks, Abel," said Mairi without even giving herself a minute or two to contemplate. And at that moment, her outstanding gratitude should have had him smirking and shimmering with pride, so why the fuck was he massaging the back of his warm neck and pressing his lips together?

Maybe it's because she straight up thanked me and didn't ridicule me like Lotte would do. Surely that question was meant to be rhetorical, but it looked like his brain wouldn't mind answering it. No pun intended. It could be insincere for all you know, but whatever... I don't even care at this point.

Or did he?

***

Not even an hour had passed, every single plate of dumplings had been obliterated to oblivion, leaving no trace of evidence. Mairi - this woman had been awfully dead silent for the rest of the course - was nibbling on hers, while the trio sighed in satisfaction and rubbed their bulging bellies. What a wonderful way to clear my head.

"Gosh, it's been a while since I ate this much..." Charlotte moaned. "Now I'm struggling just to stand up."

"Me too... I'm practically pregnant with baby dumplings." Adrian tapped his abdomen. "Ah, now I feel like I'm about to give birth... " he groaned. "Ey Abs, help carry me to the toilet."