Requital hope

Twenty

Yibo's Pov

We came to a stop near a street lamp and bench on the sidewalk. I was already out of breath by the time we got there. I'm going to become a marathon runner if I keep working like this.

"Look." Zhan said. I looked up at him after catching my breath to see that he was pointing across the street. I turned my sight in that direction to see a line of food shops and bakeries. My eyes lit up at the view.

"Whoa..." I gushed, in awe of the sight. "We're going there." Zhan announced, pointing at a specific shop. It was an adorable little bakery near the end of all the shops. The light from the street lamp made it look cozy and welcoming. The exterior had two square flower pots containing shrubs placed under the two large windows on the opposite sides of the door. Zhan turned to look at me, wearing a smile. I gazed into his charming eyes, trying to take in the moment. This was all new to me. I've never done nothing like this, and to be quite honest, it's exciting!

Zhan held onto my hand a little tighter and guided me across the road. No cars were in sight so it was pretty safe. He released my hand when he went to open the glass door of the bakery. The wonderful smells came pouring out once he had done so. I felt myself growing with anticipation. "Come." Zhan said, jerking his head to the entrance. I followed close behind as he entered. "Welcome. We're about to close soon." We were greeted by a woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties.

"Uh hi. My friend and I were looking to get a pizza." Zhan spoke, walking up to the counter. I mentally cheered hearing him call me a friend. It's been far too long since I've had an actual friend."We're closing soon." The woman repeated. feeling a little bad.

"Oh... Well, my friend and I missed dinner, so is there anything we can order?" Zhan replied disappointed. The woman frowned a little, giving us a look of pity.

"Peter, would you be a dear and make one more pizza for the day?" She called and spoke to someone who wasn't in sight.

"Alright, give me a moment mom." I'm assuming it was Peter who answered back.

"We'll have your pizza ready momentarily." The woman notified us.  "You can take a seat over on one of those tables if you want." She informed, pointing to the two tables placed against the windows on separate sides of the shop.

Zhan broke a smile and responded to her. "Thank you, ma'am." My, he's quite polite. He paid for our pizza and headed to the table on the left side of the bakery. I followed behind him and took the seat across from him. The atmosphere inside the bakery was amazing. The light from the street lamps across the street peeked through the large windows, lighting up the dim shop. It felt like one of those moments where you're in a car and you're driving near one of those orange street lights. The color that shines in the car gives an unusual yet relaxing feeling. Though I haven't been in a car all that often since being a little kid. I do occasionally have those memories flow back into my mind.

"You look happy." Zhan stated holding his head against his hand. My face flushed a little as the embarrassment grew.

"I've... just never been in a place like this. It's comfortable." I muttered. The woman at the desk somehow still managed to hear me though.

"I'm glad you like it here." She said rather peppy. A smile grew on both Zhan and I's faces.

"Same here." Zhan agreed. "I figured I could kill two birds with one stone." He continued. I looked at him curiously.

"You said you wanted to see the town. You also said you could do with some pizza." He explained. For some reason this made me more embarrassed. I'm really happy that he did all this for me though.

"Thank you, Zhan. I appreciate all of this." I said looking up at him with my flustered face. He continued smiling while looking at me. He looked so attractive under this light, I could feel my face heating up like an oven.

"For once you aren't apologizing." He pointed out, sounding a little surprised. I smiled in response. He's right, I guess it's becoming easier to accept

"What are your choices on the toppings?" Peter asked from behind the counter.

"What are our options?" Zhan replied with a question.

"Pineapple, Anchovies, Pepperoni, Onions, Broccoli, Peppers, Olives, and Mushrooms." He listed.

"Anything you want , Yibo?" Zhan asked.

"Umm. " I started thinking, being taken by the sudden question. "Mind if I try Broccoli, Peppers, and Onions?" I asked.

"You sure love your veggies don't you." Zhan chuckled. "Alright. We'll have a pizza with onions, peppers, broccoli and drop pineapple on one half." Zhan ordered. Pineapple huh, I've never tried that as a topping. Hopefully, he lets me have a piece.

We waited for a while, exchanging a couple of words while the pizza cooked. When it was finally ready a young man who I assumed was Peter delivered the pizza to our table. It looked so good. I could feel myself salivating over it. The smell alone was worth the price. I waited for Zhan to take a slice before digging into it myself. The way the cheese melted was amazing. Zhan took the first bite and moaned a little. I found it a little funny. I bit into my slice and by cows, it was delicious. I munched on the pizza happily while scanning it. It was by far the best one that I'd ever eaten. After finishing two slices I decided to ask Zhan if it would be alright for me to try a slice of pineapple.

"Can I try a slice with the pineapple topping?" I asked, pointing at the slice I had my eye on.

"Sure help yourself man." Zhan replied while shrugging. My anticipation grew in height as I reached for the slice. I bit into it and to my surprise, it passed my expectations. It was my turn to moan. The delicious mix of cheese, sauce, and pineapple meshed perfectly. When I snapped out of my blissful daze I caught Zhan's eyes on me. He was staring directly at me with a smile on his face. I looked at him then glanced back and forth curiously.

"What is it?" I questioned locking my gaze on him.

"Nothing. Just that you seem to be enjoying that pizza." He teased me.

"Y-yeah. It's the best I've ever had." I informed, feeling slightly embarrassed by my reaction.

"Same. It's really good." Zhan agreed. "I'd love to come back here sometime, but our trip is coming to an end."

"That's unfortunate. I'd hoped we hooked in new customers." The woman said with disappointment.

"If I'm ever in town I know my first stop. Zhan replied, standing from the table. We still had two more slices left, but I guess neither of us was hungry. Zhan had the slices bagged and carried them out the door. He was generous enough to leave them a tip. Their service was amazing so I
would've done the same. I waved to the woman and Peter on my way out. The night air kicked in once again as we left the bakery.