Perfect timing for angst because I'm not feeling great myself currently ;; Itaru with the lines of "Don't you see that this was a mistake?" "Don't say anything, please." Maybe Itaru did something that hurt the reader?
got it! tell me why i went off on this one :/
It kind of sucked that you were sitting alone at your dinner table right now. It kind of sucked that, after having gone on so many dates with this guy, he only saw it as a short little game.
Maybe you were just dumb for not realising it, but Itaru— that charming guy.. Fuck. He knew how to play his cards right.
How many times have you fallen for this scheme? How many people have tricked your foolish self into thinking that, hey, maybe you do have a chance at dating again.
And then— and then he pulls this shit off that makes you revisit the past that created the insecurities you have now, and you can't help but conclude that maybe you just weren't interesting enough for him.
You just can't believe Chigasaki has the gall to bring another woman to the same restaurant you both were talking about not too long ago.
He didn't even notice you at first despite sitting at a table near the reservation desk, and you were kind of glad because you felt like you were going to vomit.
The woman beside him held onto his arm as he asked about their reservations, looking up at his stoic visage with hearts in her eyes. Her finger was absently drawing circles into his bicep as he held conversation with the receptionist.
You figured this might be the best time to wave a waiter down and ask if you could cancel your appointment here.
"I may have to charge you for cancelling even though you haven't ordered yet. Is that alright?" They said with concern lacing their words while at the same time giving you a look of sympathy.
"It's totally fine. I just want to leave." You smiled reassuringly and smoothed down the wrinkles in your clothes. The dread in your heart continued to grow as time passed by, the waiter leaving to go and figure out for you how much you'd have to pay.
"I'm sorry, Sir. I believe you've booked two reservations here. You had an appointment set for seven, and this current reservation overlaps it by an hour." The receptionist said just as your waiter came back with your bill.
You thanked them with another kind smile of yours and looked down at the numbers. The bill wasn't too expensive, but still a hefty price to pay for cancelling. You shrugged it off as best you could and began to count the cash in your wallet, trying to ignore the buzzing fear of being seen by him.
"Your tip." You said to the waiter in a gentle whisper, finger pointing at the 50% you left on the money tray as you stood up from your seat. "Make sure you take it all."
"Oh. Thank you." They exhaled, bowing to you in gratitude. You tucked your chair in neatly as the confused rumble of Itaru's voice made it to your ears and you began to scramble to gather your things. Your heart stopped when he asked if he could check if the people for his other reservation was still here, and you begged in your head for the receptionist to say no.
"Please go ahead." They offered in kind, and you just had to punch yourself in the thigh.
You quickly began to stride towards the other side of the desk to avoid passing by Itaru who was walking in, but he immediately spotted you and cursed under his breath.
"Wait! Wait." He called for you, rushing to reach for your wrist before you could get away; lucky enough you two were out of the periphery of his date tonight.
"Let go." You hissed, tugging at your arm to pull away but to no avail. Itaru's grip on you was firm and gave you no chance to escape, so you took in a deep breath and lifted your head to glare look at him.
"This was a mistake, I swear." He said in a hushed tone. His stoic expression had changed into something more panicked and frazzled, but you couldn't bring yourself to care about the 180. "She invited me and I couldn't say no—"
You snatched your arm away from him with a stormy look in your eyes. Couldn't say no?
"Don't say anything." You cut him off sharply and held your bag to your body to protect yourself from whatever bullshit he was spewing at you. You took a glance to your side to see your waiter awkwardly hanging around to see if they'd need to diffuse the situation, but you shook your head, smile slowly appearing on your face.
"I appreciate your kind words," you started, your voice morphing into your workplace tone, "but from now on, I'd like it if you refrained from interacting with me."
Your face held a look of disgust towards Itaru who was grimacing, but you ignored it and opted to look at your waiter who was now.. looking proud. Of you. (lol).
"Did you take the tip?" You softly asked them, and when they flashed the bills you left on the tray, you felt your heart ease up a little. At least someone was going to have a good night.
You quickly returned your attention to Itaru who was running his hands through his hair and sighed, holding yourself back from curling your hands into fists.
"Delete my number from your phone. Only contact my work number if we need to collaborate. Bye." You waved your hand dismissively and left in a flash before the man could say anything else, your body filling up with the warmth of satisfaction.
You didn't really know if that night affecting Itaru in any way, but your interactions with him at work definitely lessened to a near zero; only making eye contact and having one worded conversations if you two had to work together on a project.
Ignoring him and pretending he didn't exist most of the time helped you get over the attraction you held for him, but each time he tried to start a conversation with you, you'd turn around and speak to another colleague.
And eventually, you two were only left with a work relationship. It was just like when you first started in the office and you felt like you wouldn't have it any other way.
You didn't notice it, but, Itaru felt the exact opposite. Everyone else but you saw how he'd give you those lingering glances every chance he got and how he'd hesitate to approach you whenever you were near.
Suddenly there were rumours going around that you had broken the heartbreaker.
