Chapter 3

The next day I wonder if Ri-yo knows where I’m heading. Bet he does. I decide not to worry about him and just enjoy my lunch at the Grand Hotel Lunchroom. I’m hoping a certain someone is working today…
“Good afternoon, Cedar.”
His voice is like music to my ears. It’s as if my whole body just glows whenever I see or hear the tall, brown-haired waiter. But I try to keep it cool.
“Ah, hi, Niklas! Are you working again today?”
“Yes, I am. No rest for the wicked,” he jokes. “So what would you like for lunch today?”
“The shrimp on toast, please. And a glass of cola.”
“Shrimp on toast again?” he laughs. “There are so many more delicious dishes on the menu, but you insist on shrimp on toast each time!”
I feel my cheeks turning red.
“Next time I’ll try something you recommend, okay?” I quickly offer.
“I’m only joking, if you enjoy shrimp on toast, you should order shrimp on toast,” he winks and walks away.
At that moment I see a blonde, pink and blue flash across my table and Ri-yo appears, smirking at me.
“Wow, you really fancy this guy, don’t you?”
My dreamy smile turned into a scowl.
“What are you doing here?”
“Observing your flirting techniques. Why don’t you ask him out when he brings you your lunch?”
I shake my head.
“I don’t want to talk right now, it’ll look like I’m crazy.”
Out of the corner of my eye I notice Niklas coming back with my drink and I quickly change my facial expression into a much friendlier one.
“Thank you,” I say as he puts the cola down in front of me.
“Ah, you’ve got company. What would you like to drink and eat, Sir?” I hear him say.
My eyes grow wide.
“You can see him?” I exclaim a little bit too loud.
Niklas frowns and then smiles a bit awkwardly.
“Of course I can see him.”
“I mean, he doesn’t look weird to you? There is a dress code here, isn’t there? That outfit of his is really not appropriate for a lunchroom like this, is it?” I ramble on.
Niklas takes another good look at Ri-yo, who gives him an angelic smile, and then frowns at me again.
“He’s wearing a blue shirt and a white pair of trousers, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
I turn to my mentor-fairy and blink a few times.
Niklas is right, there is nothing weird about his clothes. The little bastard must have changed his appearance when I wasn’t looking.
Ri-yo sighs and leans towards Niklas.
“You must excuse my friend here, she hasn’t eaten yet and speaks gibberish. She’ll be back to her normal self when she’s had her lunch,” he quips. “Anyway, I’ll just have a coffee.”
“Then I’ll better go and see if your toast is ready,” Niklas smiles and makes his way towards the kitchen.
“Thanks for making me look like a fool,” I hiss at Ri-yo.
“You did that all to yourself! I told you I can decide who sees me, and I never asked you to criticize my usual outfit.”
“Did I just hurt your feelings?”
“A little,” he says. I’m not sure if he means it or not.

A few minutes later Niklas comes back with my lunch. He puts it down and just as he’s about to walk away, Ri-yo quickly reaches out across the table and knocks over my glass of cola. It shatters on the floor next to Niklas’ feet and I cover my face with my hands.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, even though it was not my fault.
“No worries, I’ll clean it up and get you a new drink,” he says politely.
“Now you’ll get a chance to talk to him more while he cleans up this mess,” Ri-yo whispers almost excitedly. “Ask him where he’s from and what his hobbies are!”
I shake my head angrily.
“I can not believe you did that. I can’t casually hold a conversation when he’s cleaning up next to me! He’s going to think that I did that on purpose, so this just makes me look desperate!”
Niklas returns with a new glass of cola and cleaning supplies.
It turns awkward as I have no idea what to say to him and he seems very occupied with cleaning up the mess of glass and sticky soda. So I just silently eat my shrimp on toast. It doesn’t taste as good as usual, and it’s all Ri-yo’s fault.
When Niklas is done, he gets up from the floor, gives us a slightly uneasy smile and goes away. The rest of the lunch he’s nowhere to be seen.
Ri-yo is quiet as well and seems to contemplate what to do.
Eventually I get up, pay for the lunch and Ri-yo’s coffee, and abruptly walk outside. I don’t bother to check if he’s following me, but march straight on to the bus stop.
As I stand there with my arms folded across my chest, I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder.
“Let’s try that again next time, alright? Maybe then you can ask him out on a date?” Ri-yo doesn’t sound like his usual direct self. He probably feels my frustration and knows he messed up.
“I don’t want to see you again. I can manage my life on my own. You’re just making things worse.”
I don’t even look at him, but stiffly enter the bus that just arrives and take a seat all the way in the back of it. Just as the bus takes off, I glance through the window and see Ri-yo standing on the sidewalk. He’s wearing his usual pink and blue outfit again, his shoulders slumped down and he has a sad look on his face. Although he managed to piss me off the second I met him, the pitiful sight of him looking all hurt as the distance between us gets bigger and bigger upsets me.
“Stupid fairy,” I mutter, but I feel I’ve been too harsh on him this time.

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