Chapter 142: Are you single?
Shortly after, a waitress appeared beside their table with a warm smile. "What would you like to order?" she asked politely.
Charles glanced at the menu, eyes skimming the options before settling on something simple. "I’ll have the pasta," he said, handing the menu back.
"We’ll have two plates of pasta," Reuben said smoothly, flashing a polite smile at the waitress.
With a nod, she turned and walked off, leaving the two men alone at the table.
Charles let out a soft sigh and placed his phone on the table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface. "So, Reuben," he began, his eyes meeting Reuben, "How have you been doing?"
Charles tone was calm, but his curiosity flickered just beneath the surface.
"Well, I’ve been caught up with work—bartending mostly," Reuben replied, resting his elbows on the table, his expression sincere. "And I’ve also been running around, applying to different companies with my school certificates."
He paused for a moment, then let out a short laugh. "Honestly... right now, I have a feeling you might think I’m weird once you got home but ever since that scene at the cosmetic store, I’ve been meaning to call you."
Charles arched his brows. "Why would you want to call me?"
Reuben sighed, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I just wanted to know if you were okay," he muttered. "And I kept thinking... does your ex still treat you the way she did that day? That kind of humiliation—it lingers."
Reuben’s kind words drew a soft scoff from Charles. "You’re too sweet," he said with a playful purr. "But honestly, I haven’t seen my ex or her new boyfriend since that day. It’s like they vanished."
The moment Charles mentioned his ex-girlfriend, a slight frown crept across Reuben’s face, his jaw tightening just a little.
"I’m glad they’ve stayed out of your way. You deserve better," Reuben said, his tone sincere.
Charles gave a slight nod in agreement, then picked up his phone from the table, staring at the screen in silence for a moment before gently setting it back down.
Soon, their meals were served by the waitress, and without wasting time, they both dug in.
"So, Charles, what do you do for work?" Reuben asked, glancing up between bites.
Charles lifted his eyes from the plate and met Reuben’s gaze for a brief moment, staring into his beautiful hazel eyes. "I work as a cleaner and sometimes as a waiter," he replied. "But before that, I used to be a bartender at a club."
Reuben’s interest sparked instantly. "Why did you stop bartending?"
Charles paused, his fork hovering over his plate as he gave it some thought.
After a moment, he nodded to himself. "I guess I stopped because the workload became too overwhelming. Plus, the late nights were draining—I was always sleep-deprived."
Reuben’s lips curled into an understanding "ooh" as he nodded, clearly intrigued by Charles’s response.
They continued eating in a comfortable silence, occasionally broken by Reuben’s questions about Charles’s life.
Charles answered with ease, but now and then, he would throw a question back at Reuben, sparking a natural back-and-forth between them.
It felt easy, almost effortless—like they had known each other far longer than they actually had.
Fifteen minutes later, their plates were empty, and Reuben signaled for the waitress. She returned shortly with their bill.
Reuben reached for his wallet, pulling out a few bills, but Charles quickly stopped him with a soft chuckle. "I told you, this meal is my treat. You don’t have to worry about paying."
With a warm smile, Charles handed the money to the waitress, leaving Reuben to look at him with an appreciative glance.
Reuben swallowed hard, his gaze lingering on the waitress as she handed Charles his change.
Once the transaction was complete, both of them rose from their seats.
"Shall we?" Reuben asked softly, his voice low and warm.
Charles nodded, a playful smirk on his lips. "Sure," he purred, watching as Reuben led the way out of the restaurant, the cool air greeting them as they stepped outside.
As they stood by the side of the road, Charles glanced at his phone screen, his fingers idly scrolling before a deep sigh escaped him.
He slipped the phone back into his trouser pocket, his thoughts seemingly distant.
"Umm, Charles, are you expecting someone?" Reuben asked, his voice breaking through the silence.
Charles tilted his brows in confusion. "Huh? No, I’m not." He replied quickly, his voice steady. "By the way, why do you ask?"
Reuben’s gaze dropped to Charles’s phone, now tucked inside his pocket. "Well, you kept glancing at your phone while we were eating, so I thought maybe you were waiting for a message... or someone."
Defensively, Charles raised his hands, waving them at Reuben. "I wasn’t expecting anyone," he lied, though a small knot tightened in his stomach.
Deep down, he had been hoping for a text—or maybe even a call—from Augustine.
Reuben chuckled softly, but there was a sudden intensity in his gaze as he leaned in a little closer.
"Are you single?" he asked, his voice low and serious, a hint of something deeper hiding beneath the casualness of the question.
Charles swallowed hard, feeling a flutter in his chest.
He wasn’t sure why, but Reuben’s change in tone made everything feel suddenly more intimate.
"Wh... why are you asking?" Charles replied, his voice almost a whisper, as he met Reuben’s eyes, unsure of what to make of the tension in the air.
The fierce tone in Reuben’s voice began to soften, and a nervous yet genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he leaned lean away, staring at Charles with an amuse smile.
"Well, I’m asking because I want to ask you out on an official first date," he said, his words steady but with a warmth that contrasted his earlier intensity. "And if the date goes well, then maybe... we can start something more."
Charles’s heart skipped a beat at the boldness of Reuben’s confession.
This was only the second time they had met, yet Reuben was bold and confident, shooting his shot without hesitation.
The way his hazel eyes lingered on Charles, full of intent and warmth, made a blush creep onto Charles’s cheeks.
’Damn, this man is handsome,’ Charles thought, feeling a rush of heat wash over him.
For a moment, he completely forgot about the question Reuben had just asked, lost in the magnetic pull of Reuben’s gaze.
"So Charles, what do you say?" Reuben probed and Charles snapped out of his thoughts.
But before Charles could respond, his phone suddenly rang, the ringtone slicing through the charged silence between them.