Early spring of the following year.
It was the first White Day after the passing of Yanny.
Shayne was sitting alone in an overcrowded Pizza Hut, with people coming and going while surrounded by the hustle and bustle of lovers.
A waiter walked over with a menu and asked politely, “Sir, are you alone, or are you expecting someone?”
“Alone.”
Feeling a tinge of awkwardness, the waiter thought that the man was good-looking, yet he was spending White Day alone. “Do you wish to order our one-person set meal? We are actually offering a lover’s set meal which includes small snacks, and it definitely is a good bargain even if you’re having it alone.”
Shayne smiled slightly and said, “Sure, let me have the lover’s set meal then.”
Shayne ordered quite a few servings of the vanilla fantail shrimp, in addition to the lover’s set meal. The dishes piled up on the table, and so did his loneliness.
Lovers around were stealing glances at this man. It could have been that Shayne was good-looking, or that Shayne ordered a table full of dishes even though he was alone.
The fantail shrimps were Yanny’s favorite.
Shayne picked up a fantail shrimp, stuck it in his mouth, chewed it bit by bit, yet he could not taste anything. It was as if he was chewing wax.
Clearly, he could not taste anything, yet bite by bite, he thought of her.
Shayne stuffed his mouth with the fantail shrimps as his yearning for Yanny grew like vines, creeping around his heart and wrapping it tightly until it felt suffocating.
He picked up a glass of coke and gulped down a mouthful. It tasted acrid and cold.
He looked up and saw Yanny sitting in front of him, smiling as usual. She looked at the table of dishes, and said gently, “You ordered this much, will you be able to finish them?”
She then picked up a fantail shrimp and started eating.
While staring across the table, Shayne’s eyes started turning red.
“Uncle, is everything all right?”
Next to him, a young girl with a basket of roses went up to Shayne and asked with concern.
Shayne looked away and hid his eyes, then turned and looked at the girl. He replied weakly, “It is nothing, the sand might have gotten into my eyes.”
The young girl looked at him with her eyes filled with doubts as she did not believe how there would be sand in a mall.
The young girl then asked, “Uncle, would you like to buy a rose for your girlfriend?”
Girlfriend.
Shayne stared at the basket full of roses as his gaze showed hints of despair. “I… I have just lost my girlfriend.”
“You could buy my roses and get your girlfriend back. Girls like roses.”
Unwarrantedly, Shayne started talking to this young girl. He even intended to get a little reassurance and hope from this young child. “Do you think so?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Uncle, don’t be sad anymore. You are so good-looking that your girlfriend would not be willing to lose you.”
Shayne bought her basket of roses, yet there was no one that he could give it to.
Leaving Pizza Hut, the cashier said to Shayne who was paying, “Sir, as you have spent a total of 50 dollars, we are giving you a set of lover’s glasses.”
Shayne looked at the set of lover’s glasses as he raised the corners of his lips.
Lover’s glasses... he might not be able to use them in this life.
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