Operation: Tame Her

10. FIRST DATE

"What do you want to eat?" Grey asked, his voice was formal but not cold.

Venus tilted her head with a blink, and the Notorious Charmer simply raised an eyebrow at her.

What's wrong with me? She didn't know why she was feeling that way. She didn't know if it was good or bad. She just couldn't seem to think of anything besides his presence. Did my IQ drop to average or something?

She shook the unfamiliar nonsense off and looked around, realizing that they were now at one of the cafe's in the Imperial food alley called, "Epiphany". The smell of freshly baked cookies and various types of bread, vanilla and cream, and other scents that mixed with the aroma of roasted coffee beans surely made her mouth water. That was when she understood that it was the same cafe which was very famous throughout the world.

"Cat caught your tongue?" Greyson teased.

Instead of giving him a taste of her smart mouth, Venus grinned at the boy and pulled him towards the counter. The smell of heavenly delights made her set aside the thought of the customers turning their judging eyes toward them.

"Welcome to Epiphany!" the cafe server greeted with a warm smile. "What could I get for you?"

"One platter of Chocolate-dipped strawberries, a slice of Chocó mouse cake, a cup of Strawberry-Oreo ice cream, and a hot cup of matcha latte, please," she excitedly ordered without hesitation, eyes glued to the menu. "Oh! And I'd like a chicken avocado sandwich with a garden salad on the side!"

'Oh, well, the food was even better if it was free! Food is life; food is love!' she thought. looking up to the server with a huge, satisfied grin.

The server awkwardly smiled back at her. She couldn't understand how such a girl in 'comfortable' clothes and a messy bun was with the Greyson Park. As if Venus's sweater and ripped jeans weren't enough to seek a judging look from the crowd, her "lack of self-control" with her food also made people raise an eyebrow at her. How could a girl who just went in hand-in-hand with Greyson Park allow herself to eat like a pig with him?

"Are you sure, that's all?" Greyson sarcastically told the girl. His face was still formal but his right brow was forced upwards, indicating that he was trying so hard not to make playful remarks that might offend her. He had never met a girl order that much food with him around before.

"I'm not a glutton, okay?" she defended, rolling her eyes. "I'm a gourmet!"

He chuckled at her correction. In fact, he liked the fact that she didn't hold back on the food that she ordered and was planning to enjoy her dinner. It was the total opposite of all the girls he dated before, who chose to starve themselves just to please him. Not that they were on an actual date in the first place-- nonetheless, girls usually watch what they order to seem sophisticated and lovely when he was around.

"Then, I should also enjoy my meal," Grey said with a friendly demeanor. Maybe what she just did made him feel a little comfortable with her.

Venus wrinkled her nose. "What's up with that nonsense? Of course, you should always enjoy good food!" she told him like it should be the most normal thing to do.

Grey chuckled. Indeed, one should always enjoy good food. It was just that he got so used to the girls who only ordered food because they were at a restaurant or cafe with him, but they didn't really have the intention of enjoying the food. He felt bad whenever someone ate with him do that, so he would also hold himself back from enjoying the food.

"I stand corrected," he nodded before looking at the server and saying, "I'd have a ricotta toast, eggs benedict, and an order of creamy truffle mushroom. For drinks, I'd have a glass of cucumber mint basil."

Venus elbowed him lightly to get his attention. "Hey, I'm not sharing my sweets with you. Just so you know. They're all mine."

Greyson laughed at her early rebuke. "Right. A mixed-berry yogurt bowl," he added to his list of orders. "That would be all."

The servant didn't know how to react to the situation. Nevertheless, she pulled out her sweet smile as she repeated their order.

"Geez," Venus commented as they walked through the cafe, "You're so healthy, aren't you?"

"People are just so used to eating junk food that eating actual food is actually called healthy eating." Grey answered while shaking his head.

"Touche."

They settled on a table for two that was located at the middle corner of the refectory. Beside them was a floor-to-ceiling tempered glass, giving them a full view of the landscape outside. The interiors were of wood cut in strips and assembled meticulously to finish the walls, blending the fixed window glass that made the place cozy in a sophisticated way. Huge, framed tapestries added an aesthetically pleasing accent to the plain natural brown of the woods, complementing the beige graphite floor dressed in hazel-hued furry carpets.

For a moment, Venus felt like the breathtaking place was shaming her fashion sense. Her dark blue knitted sweatshirt and ripped pair of jeans seemed less than the rugs of the high-end cafe. She sighed and shook her head.

Venus looked at Grey for the first time in a hundred seconds and she was shocked to find out that he had been staring at her.

"You kinda look familiar," he uttered with a wrinkled forehead as he continued to stare at her quizzically. "Have I dated you before?"

She gaped again, didn't even know what to say because of vexation. This boy is unbelievable!

"No..." her words trailed. "--but I have slapped you before. I can do it again so you'd surely remember me next time."

"Ahem!" Grey cleared his throat. His hand unconsciously cupped the poor cheek. It was definitely not something he wanted to feel again. "Not that I remember every girl I hooked up with, anyway." He said before putting his hand back to the tabletop as if nothing awkward happened between them a while ago. He smiled. "I'm Greyson Park, by the way. A third-year student from the Business Administration and Management Department."

Venus just blinked with disarrayed thoughts. "Er... I'm a sophomore from the Department of Human Resources Management--"

"Really?" Grey blurted in interest, leaning a bit forward to show his enthusiasm.

Helios was also a sophomore but in Marketing. Since they were all studying business at the Imperial, there were courses that students from the same year level shared. So, he thought that their youngest and the transfer student might have shared some classes together. That also meant another thing...

"Have you had classes with the transfer student?" Greyson asked in a thrilled voice.

He was totally interested in gathering information about the legendary girl and meeting her. Since he heard about her yesterday during Azra's outrage and Hell's dilemma, he couldn't help but be curious.

"Is she pretty?" He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms coolly. "I heard she's really smart."

Venus raised an eyebrow at him. This guy is just... She couldn't find the right words to describe him. It was also amusing that he didn't know who she was yet, considering all the slander going around the campus that was directed through her. "Yeah, I heard she's amazing," she nodded, trying not to snicker at her own narcissism.

"What do we have here?" a boy with a balladry voice interrupted, making the pair slightly flinch before turning to him.