I spoke with a tone that sounded like I was making fun of myself. After all, my intention was to make the situation feel less awkward.
However, Bruce maintained the gloomy expression on his face.
It was obvious that he didn't want to entertain us.
Then, Cindy spoke up to smooth things over, saying, "It's a coincidence indeed. Nance, have you and Mr. Irvin made a reservation for a private room? You can join us if you don't mind."
This was the scenario that we had agreed upon.
I was about to answer when Bruce said, "Tonight's an important occasion for us. Are you sure that you want two outsiders to ruin our mood?"
He spoke in a calm voice. Yet, he emphasized on the word "outsiders".
We had experienced an intimacy that outsiders wouldn't otherwise have had. But even so, he wasn't wrong.
Cindy didn't mind as she smiled slightly. "Nance and Mr. Irvin aren't outsiders. Plus, the more the merrier."
Her voice sounded sweet, and her tone was coquettish and soft.
She made it difficult for others to reject her.
Then, despite not being in on the plan, Douglas seemed to have sensed something odd.
He asked out of curiosity, "What's the special occasion today?"
"To be honest with you, Mr. Irvin, today is our three-month dating anniversary," Cindy explained, her big, round eyes sparkling with happiness.
Upon hearing this, Douglas shot me a brief yet pitiful look.
He hesitated.
So, I continued playing along with Cindy's act. "I see. Then, it's indeed inappropriate for two outsiders like us to be present. We should just proceed on our own, Mr. Irvin."
It shouldn't have been a problem for me to reply in this way, so the next response would be up to Cindy.
"Don't say that, Nance. Bruce was just kidding." Cindy grabbed my hand and swung it from side to side. \
Then, she looked at Bruce with a pleading gaze. "Say something, Bruce."
Bruce gave me a quick and cold glance.
Then, he became more at ease and helplessly answered Cindy, "You're the boss tonight. You can make the call." He didn't sound particularly gentle. But he had still shown full respect to her.
To me, a typical man would never allow his ex-partner to join in on his anniversary celebration with his new girlfriend.
Yet, Bruce gave in to Cindy.
He sure was a man of principles.
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