He flushed slightly before pausing, looking stricken. He hid his face for a moment, subtly turning away from the group. It took him a moment before he returned, looking normal.
They all took the food out to the table, with Alyona chattering nervously, occasionally reaching over to tame Fleur's hair. They set the dishes on the table and all sat down.
Fleur looked a little surprised, glancing at Ferris. She turned to Alyona politely. "Oh, well.. I actually met him one night at a.. at a cafe."
She looked over at him with a plastered smile. "I don't quite recall. I think it started with an 'A'?"
"Okay," she said slowly, smoothing out her dress. "I remember that day very well, actually. It had actually been a pretty rough morning because my favorite pair of shoes broke. I was on my way to the store to get a brand new pair when I decided to stop by the cafe. I was kindly approached by Ferris where we exchanged pleasantries. I also learned that he likes poppyseed muffins, because that's what he ordered. I ordered a croissant and coffee. I found out he was rather new to Sylvaele so I decided to show him around a bit, since the only thing I had to do that day was pick up shoes. We went to a few of the local hot spots before I made it to my destination. Basically, after that we exchanged phone numbers and kept in contact after that."
Ferris still had his head resting on his hand, but he made eye contact with her and his eyes narrowed from a mix of appreciation and playfulness. "And now you are together, yes?" Alyona asked, clapping her hands.
"He is boyfriend, yes?" she persisted playfully. "I knew it!" "No, ma'am," Ferris interjected politely. "I'm sorry to crush your spirits, but Fleur and I have some fundamental differences that make us better as friends."
Fleur looked over at him, a strange expression on her face before she shook her head slightly. "Exactly."
Alyona's face fell and she squinted, looking at the two of them. "Then how did you find out about Romero?"
Fleur maybe sounded a bit resigned, but it was hard to tell. "I heard from someone that I wanted to see my necklace. It had to do with him."
