Xize and I went to the nearby cafe. It was actually quite secluded and not many people were around.

After placing our orders, the staff told us that there were also sits available upstairs. We took our coffee with us. We decided to pick a spot where we can people watch while eating together.

"Thank for the treat Xize. Next time we eat out, I'll be the one to pay, well after you treat me to HouShaoYun. " I playfully said to him.

"It's no big deal. I promise I'll take you there. I'll hold you to that treat though. The problem is you're so busy these days. I can't even remember the last time we had a chat." His eyebrows wrinkling, trying hard to remember.

"Me too. Even the last message on our chat group is Didi and Yue's usual memes. I actually missed hanging out with you guys." I told him.

"Why didn't you send a message then?" He asked, his stare intense.

"I..." I swallowed hard. There was actually a reason that I can't actually put into words.

"I actually don't know. It seems right at first, but the longer it took me to send messages to all of you the more awkward it felt. So I didn't know whether to send message or not anymore. I don't know, I just somehow felt embarassed you know? " I tried to explain.

"You could've messaged us anytime Jiaqi. You could've message me. I would have replied." He told me, sounding a bit hurt.

"Well you could've message me too you know. I guess I ended up questioning the bond that all of us formed as time went on. It seems like a dream to me right now. "

"It's probably just a miscommunication. Because with the F3 and Shen Yue it's like nothing has change whenever we meet. You get to choose to maintain that friendship Jiaqi. We're just a text away. But, I also should have checked on you too. Sorry about that." He smiled guiltily.

"I'm sorry too. I guess I should also apologize to the others as well."

"You don't have to. Just message them, it'll be just like before. I know our bond enough to say that." He reassured me.

"Thanks Big bro! I'm glad we got to have this conversation." I fistbumped with him. Yue and I got used to doing that greeting with them during the MG filming days.

"Anytime Jiaqi. And I mean it. Anytime okay? You still got my number?" He looked at me seriously.

"Yup. Still got it." I smiled.

"That's good. Now don't let it rot on your contact list. You can text the number at times or even call it. But I'll probably be the first one to do that, just to annoy the hell out of you." He teased.

I slapped his hand. Then suddenly my stomach grumbled. We looked at each other and laugh once again. Luckily our food has arrived.

The middle-aged woman that served our orders gave us a compliment.

"My, my! You two look great together. What a cute couple."

I was trying to drink some water and I almost spit it out the moment she said those words. I shook my head at the same time that I heard Xize saying to her, "Auntie, you think so?"

I kicked him on the leg, widening my eyes at him. I was blushing hard. The woman might get the wrong idea about us.

I swallowed the water and explained.

"Auntie, we're not a couple. He and I are like brothers."

"Aww, young love. My husband and I used to banter like siblings as well. Until we realize that we actually like being with each other as more than friends. We've been married for 25 years now."

"That's good auntie but we're really not like that." I defended.

"Oh, you don't have to deny it Miss." she said. I blushed even more. Well hello there Tomato Jiaqi.

"That's right Jiaqi, you don't have to deny it." Xize said mischievously.

The woman smiled knowingly. "Well, I'll let you have your privacy now. Enjoy your food." She said.

When the woman walked away, I stomped on his foot.

"Ouch! Why did you have to do that?!"

"You were supposed to tell her the truth. She might get the wrong idea!" I told him.

"Well she was really enjoying our 'romance' besides, it was fun watching you flustered." He chuckled.

"What the fa?! Ay, come here let me punch you let's see who'll be flustered next." I slap him on his arm once again.

"You know, you and Yue should really tone down the violence. You act like guys sometimes." He complained while nursing the arm that I slap.

"Well big brother, if it weren't for your idea of 'fun' you won't be hit in the first place. And we won't be able to tolerate you guys if we don't know how to be violent. " I said finally grabbing a bite of the pasta that I ordered.

"Yeah, yeah keep saying that. If I don't know any better, you actually had butterflies on your stomach when she told us how a cute couple we are." He teased. Again.

So I did the only revenge I could think of. I ate the first spoonful of food he was about to eat.

"I thought you were starving? It seems like you're not interested in your food anymore. Give it to me then, I'll gladly eat it." I was about to grab his plate when he held my wrist.

"Alright, I'll stop. Damn, Jiaqi you're on fire today. You on your period?"

I threw the extra plastic spoon beside me on his direction.

He dodged and laugh. Raising his hand with a peace sign.

"Eat. Big brother." I said, voice filled with menace. Although I was annoyed, I was also secretly overjoyed. Because I missed this I missed our banter. More importantly, I missed him.

We were still talking after we finished eating. We decided to stay longer and talk for awhile.

"There's this restaurant I tried one time in Japan. I just forgot its name. Anyway, they were located underwater and the seafoods were served fresh. I love every minute of it. I didn't notice I ate so much until the plates piled up." I laughed at the memory. We were both foodies so we really enjoy talking about foods.

"You really eat like a guy. I always wondered where you put it. You don't gain any weight at all." He said amused by my appetite.

"Hey it's the genes. I'm actually really grateful that I got it. I won't be able to control my weight otherwise. I love food, food is life. " I said.

He chuckled. "That's what I like about you. You don't care at all. You just eat what you like, and you don't regret it. Whenever we eat together, you really savor every bit of it. Eating with you is a lot more fun." He suddenly said.

I smiled and blushed at his comment.

"That's a nice way of saying I'm a pig." I joked.

"Ay! I didn't say that. I meant that I actually enjoy hanging out with you because we both love food. It's nice to share the same interest with your friends." He clarified.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." I said condescendingly. Friends. Yes Jiaqi. You're friends. Damn it. Get that to your head.

"What you don't believe me? How about this, everytime we're both free even if it's just for a few hours, we eat out. Let's just explore the restaurants here first. Or if we discover a new one, we should message each other about it, take some pictures and share our reviews with each other. Deal?" He offered. He raised his hand for a fistbump.

I mimic him. "I love that! Deal!" That means I get to hangout with him more.