What should we do? Olivia thought at me. L was slowly making his way to our table, his dark eyes locked on me. My mind raced wildly.

Start talking!

About what?

I dunno…tell me the juiciest gossip from school.

"Well, you know how Jake was going out with Amanda? It turns out that he dumped her over the weekend."

"Wait…What?" I snapped to attention. "They were inseparable, what happened?"

"Oh, that relationship was all one-sided. Apparently she was getting too clingy, if you know what I mean."

"Really? She doesn't seem like the type…"

"I know, right? Anyways, Jake's going out with Rachel now."

"Rachel? That hot-headed cheerleader?"

"Yup. Personally, I don't know what he sees in her…"

"Yeah…Jake always stuck me as the quiet type…Hey, you don't think he's doing it to make Amanda jealous, do you?"

"Why would he do that? He dumped her."

"Well, remember when Amanda and Mike were dating? Well, they were sneaking glances at each other in art class the other day. It's possible that Jake noticed, and…" I trailed off. L had seated himself in the booth behind Olivia, and was now absorbed in the menu.

Just a heads up, L's sitting behind you. I thought at Olivia. She stiffened.

Is he facing away from me or towards me?

Away…why?

Without answering, Olivia turned to stare at the back of L's head. After a few seconds, she turned back, a huge grin on her face.

It really is HIM, isn't it?

Oh yeah. Definitely. Now start talking again, L's going to get suspicious.

But…but…but…it's L!

I KNOW! We can freak out later, but for now, we have to keep talking.

I suddenly realized that something very, very important was missing.

"Hey, Olivia?" I muttered, my voice tense.

"What?"

"Leer's gone."

"What?" Who is Leer?

Well, we can't call him Near with L listening in, can we?

Oh, right. Wait, what? He's GONE?

"Well, he's not on your shoulder anymore!" I whispered.

"Oh, great. This is just perfect," Olivia growled, poking her head under the table. My eyes quickly swept the floor of the café, but there was no sign of Near anywhere.

"We have to find him! If any of the staff find him before we do…" Olivia trailed off, coming back out from under the table.

"I'll go check by the door." I muttered as I stood up. I walked quickly past L's booth, checking the floor on the opposite side of the aisle. When I got to the front of the café, I scanned the area. For a moment, I thought I had spotted him, and stepped forward eagerly. However, upon closer inspection, the object was…A napkin?

Damn it, I thought as I headed back to the booth. Olivia won't leave until we find Near, and if L truly suspects us, he won't leave until we're done. We could be trapped in this café with L for hours!

That might not be a bad thing…a small part of my mind put in.

Shut up! I told myself. If I'm just going to obsess over L, then-

My thoughts were cut off as I spotted the rat. I stopped dead, taking in the scene. Near was sitting on L's booth, happily nibbling at crumbs from a cake slice. Ryuzaki was watching the rat with mild interest, sipping infrequently from a mug that was surely filled with oversweet tea. He held the handle of the cup with his thumb and forefinger, a sight that made me grin despite myself.

"Excuse me," I said, my stomach rolling. I'm actually talking to him! L looked up, his unblinking eyes fastening on mine. Behind him, Olivia swiveled around in her seat, her eyes wide.

"Uhm…that's my friend's rat." Oh, nice one, Jay. Really smart.

"I know. I heard your conversation earlier," Ryuzaki stated. Oh my god, his voice sounds exactly like it does in the anime…

"Well, then why didn't you say something?" Olivia growled. "We didn't know where he was- we were really worried!"

"My apologies. I had never seen a rat close up before, and I admit I was curious."

"Well, can we have him back, please?" Olivia asked, irritation plain in her voice. I was shocked at how rude she was being. Apparently, L was as well, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he merely nodded, and I quickly grabbed the rat off the table.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I reached across the table. "She gets kinda intense sometimes."

"It was no trouble," L muttered.

"What is your problem?" I hissed at Olivia as I sat back down. She shrugged, taking Near gently from my hand.

After we had paid, and left the café, Olivia turned on me.

Okay, look. I'm sorry for how I acted in there, but I needed to draw attention away from you!

Away from me? What are you talking about?

You were acting way too awkward! If L didn't suspect us before, he certainly does now.

Oh, geez…I'm sorry, Olivia. I didn't realize…

Well, it can't be helped now. Let's look for the hotel.

All right. But think about this: Would you have done the same thing if it had been Near?

…Probably. All right, I forgive you.

Thanks. Let's stop and buy some clothes- we're already in front of the store.

Fine.

Author's Note: Don't forget to review! P.S.- No, I do not own root beer.