Chapter 142 Accidental Meeting



"Aiden?!"

My blood ran cold as I heard that familiar voice calling my name. I turned around slowly, my heart sinking as I laid eyes on Rose standing there, a mix of surprise and confusion written across her face.

Damn it, she found me.

I had hoped to avoid any encounters with her, but fate seemed determined to throw us together. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself and come up with a plan.

"Hey, Rose..."

I greeted her casually, hoping to maintain an air of nonchalance.

"What a surprise to see you here."

Rose crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"What are you doing sneaking out of the back of a clothing store?"

Chuckling nervously, I scratched the back of my head.

"Well, you see... I was just taking a shortcut!"

I offered a weak smile, mentally kicking myself for coming up with such a pathetic excuse. Come on brain, think of something better!

"..."

Rose's silence was deafening, and I could practically feel her skepticism radiating off her.

Why am I even affected by her opinion?

I wanted to wriggle away from her sight and disappear.

But, unfortunately, escaping Rose's scrutiny was easier said than done.

Her piercing blue eyes bore into mine as if searching for the truth behind my feeble explanation.

Although she kept quiet, I could tell that a few questions were swirling in her mind.

The main one being why I was here, in the city.

After my shenanigans involving my sudden disappearance at night and the Picnic Incident, she probably had already put some guards around me that would make it difficult for me to slip past her without an explanation.

Basically, I was on her radar, whether I liked it or not and me being here just added fuel to the fire.

How did I leave the academy without being noticed?

"So... How is your day going?"

Rose raised an eyebrow, clearly unamused by my attempt to change the subject, however, it also didn't seem that my feeble attempt at diversion would work.

"Are you avoiding me?"

Rose's blunt question made me pause momentarily. I couldn't just say the truth that I was, indeed, trying to avoid her.

Well, I could.

However...

For some reason, I felt that if I answered incorrectly, I would die.

Call it an Awakener's instinct but for whatever reason, I felt compelled to approach this situation with caution.

Rose was radiating an Aura that seemed to be quite dangerous.

"No, why should I?"

Putting on a confused expression, I spoke, trying to diffuse the tension between us.

"Is there a reason I should be avoiding you?"

This time I pushed forward a question she also couldn't quite answer.

It'd be a bit weird to say that you've ordered some people to keep an eye on me, wouldn't it?

This was a perfect counter to Rose's accusation, flipping the script and putting her on the spot to provide a valid reason for my perceived avoidance.

Now she is on the defensive and needs to justify her assumption that I am avoiding her.

I love mind games~

"You said you were shy around women."

Crack...

I felt my cool facade begin to crack as Rose hit a nerve with her response.

Maybe I was a bit too open and honest when we spoke...

Shit.

"Yes..."

I could only manage to quietly nod my head in response while cursing myself internally for being a bit too fucking transparent.

"...But that doesn't mean I want to avoid you."

I quickly added, hoping to salvage the situation, hoping that I wouldn't be turned into an Ice Cream.

"..."

For a moment, our eyes met in tense silence, but I averted my gaze after a few seconds, not wanting to appear too confrontational.

Too much confidence can also be bad.

"Okay..."I think you should take a look at pandasnovel.com

Rose's response was short and noncommittal, leaving me wondering if she truly believed my explanation or if she still had her doubts.

I was about to double down on my opinion, when a group of girls Rose came with, approached us, diverting our attention and bringing an end to our conversation.

"Rose, let's go to the next store, we've been waiting for you!"

One of the girls gently tugged Rose's arm, ignoring my presence completely.

Well, it's not that I mind it much.

In fact, it's even better, since now I can sneak away unnoticed, hehehe.

Thank you, unknown ponytail girl, you've saved me~

Spinning around on my heel, I was about to disappear when I noticed that I couldn't move my feet.

Confused, I glanced down at my shoe, only to see that it was frozen to the ground.

I lifted my eyes to see Rose smiling mischievously at me.

Her bewitching smile could only mean one thing.

Trouble!

"My friend, Aiden, here wants to join us for the shopping trip~"

She gave me a pointed look mixed with a hint of challenge in her eyes.

Her face also showed a twinkle of amusement, actually, it was more than a twinkle.

It was lit up by a huge smile.

"..."

The girls around me bore their eyes into me as I stood frozen, scanning me up and down, obviously evaluating me.

A boy joining a shopping trip with a group of girls could easily lead to...

A lot of bothersome situations.

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to ignore Rose's eyes, which said that I had no choice and gaslight myself that I was doing this willingly.

Deep breaths.

pandasnovel.com I needed to take a few deep breaths.

"Alright, I'll join you all for the shopping trip."

I tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible but couldn't fully hide my reluctance.

I'd rather train with Robbin than do this shit.

Reluctantly, I allowed myself to be dragged into the clothing store with the group of girls, feeling like a statue being pulled along by an invisible force. As we entered, the store was bustling with activity, with racks of clothes neatly organized and colorful displays catching the eye.

I looked around, desperately trying to find something to occupy myself with. I spotted a section with accessories and made my way there, hoping to find something that would catch my interest. I pretended to browse through the items, my mind racing with thoughts of escape.

Rose and her friends were engrossed in their own search for clothes, seemingly oblivious to my presence. It gave me a momentary reprieve, allowing me to think about my options. Perhaps I could slip away when they were busy in the fitting rooms or engrossed in conversation.

But as I continued to ponder my escape plan, I couldn't help but overhear snippets of their conversation. They were discussing the latest fashion trends, swapping opinions on different styles and sharing recommendations.

The usual stuff that girls engage in during shopping trips.

I sighed inwardly, realizing that escaping now would only draw more attention to myself. Plus, it wouldn't do any good to reinforce the notion that I was avoiding Rose. So, for the time being, I resigned myself to my fate and decided to make the best of it.

I continued to feign interest in the accessories, occasionally picking up a piece and pretending to examine it. Meanwhile, I listened to Rose and her friends' conversation, trying to absorb some knowledge about fashion and trends. It wasn't something I had paid much attention to in the past, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to expand my horizons a bit.

As the girls moved on to the clothes section, I followed them with a hint of reluctance. They were fully engrossed in their search, eagerly pulling out items and discussing their merits. I tried to blend in as best as I could, occasionally nodding along or offering a half-hearted opinion when prompted.

Somewhere along the way, they went toward the fitting rooms while I roamed to the other side of the store.

I am not risking getting myself into any kind of cliche situation.

***

While Aiden disappeared somewhere in the sore, girls literally flooded toward Rose with shining eyes that demanded answers.

Rose found herself at the center of attention as the girls bombarded her with questions about Aiden. They were curious to know more about him and their relationship.

Rose's mind raced, trying to come up with a response that would satisfy their curiosity without revealing too much.

She couldn't just say that he was her Compatible Person.

"He's just a friend."

Rose replied with a casual shrug, hoping to downplay any romantic speculation.

The girls exchanged knowing glances, clearly not convinced by her nonchalant answer. They were eager for details, wanting to uncover any hidden romance or scandal.

"But you two seem so close..."

One of the girls pressed, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"You asked his opinion on all clothes..."

Rose couldn't help but blush slightly under their scrutiny.

Wasn't this normal?

Isn't this what friends usually do?

She did the same with Tess, so what was the issue now?