Chapter 67: Ellie and Chris

The gaming center was filled with noise, but Chris’s attention was captivated by the two women before him.

Their laughter was sincere as they dragged themselves from one game to another.

Even if Chris didn’t want to admit it, it was obvious Ellie was right. What June needed wasn’t just shopping. It was something that would genuinely bring out the child in her.

He had been watching them without getting involved in any of the games, and for some strange reason, he wasn’t eager to pull June out of the place anymore.

"Come on, Chris. We need one more dancer. Why can’t you join us?" June pulled him onto a small podium.

Ellie was watching.

Chris didn’t have to see her to feel her eyes on him. Ever since she had started laughing with June, she had looked different in his sight.

More beautiful.

Not that he was going to admit that to her.

And if Chris wasn’t something, it was a dancer. He couldn’t dance to save his life, and he wasn’t ready to embarrass himself in the presence of Ellie.

"If you don’t have enough dancers, I think you should play another game."

Instead of letting him go, June remained fixed in front of him, pouting. "Remember, you owe me the day. You’re supposed to do everything I say."

"That’s true. You owe her the day," Ellie added.

When it was two against one, it was difficult for him to pull away.

"Fine. But don’t blame me if you lose points."

"You can’t be that bad at it. I mean, the machine would give us directions on what to do. All you have to do is just follow it," Ellie added in hope of encouraging him to join.

She really wanted to see what he could do with that sexy body.

And she couldn’t have been more wrong.

Chris wasn’t just bad at it.

He was terrible.

Every move he made made them lose points, and it got to a point where June and Ellie stopped dancing just to laugh at him.

But at that point, Chris just didn’t care anymore. He was moving to the wrong steps, and some women were actually looking at him with interest.

When the machine finished giving the step instructions and announcing the score, Chris stepped down from the machine.

"I think I did alright. You guys are the reason we got twenty percent. You didn’t finish your part of the game."

Ellie turned to June. "And he is still blaming us for all those horrible moves."

"I think you’re horrible at dancing, but I have something you might be good at." She started pulling him.

She was a step ahead of him when something bumped into her, pushing her straight to the floor.

Ellie ran to hold her while Chris grabbed the man before he could run off.

But the man struggled. His face cap covered his face, and he wore a face mask to hide it completely.

Ellie looked up at Chris. "Chris!"

The look on her face, and the fact that June had remained on the floor clutching her head, made him let go of the man.

Immediately, the man ran off.

Chris crouched to her level. "Are you okay?"

Some of the people spared them glances, but everyone else minded their business.

June nodded. "I’m fine. I think it was just an accident."

With the help of Ellie and Chris, she stood up, still clutching her head.

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling pain somewhere?"

June shook her head. "It just feels like something pulled on my hair."

Chris frowned.

That was no accident.

His eyes darted around in search of the man, but he was gone.

Just as he took a step, his leg stepped on something.

Chris bent down to pick it up, putting it directly in his pocket before June could see what he was holding.

"I think we have had enough fun for the day. We haven’t bought anything else other than a phone."

There was no way he could continue letting the women play here when there was obviously danger somewhere.

"But..."

"Please, June. You just fell down and might need to rest."

June rolled her eyes. "He has been treating me like an egg ever since he found out I was pregnant."

But Ellie nodded. "I think Chris is right. You need to rest."

June stared from one person to the other. "When did you guys start ganging up on me?"

Ellie smiled at her, tugging her out of the gaming center. "When it’s time to tell you the truth."

Chris shared a look with Ellie before smiling.

When they got out of the center, June felt that the time was well spent.

"I don’t think I can do any other shopping today. What I want now is food. I’m hungry."

Ellie nodded. "I am, too. But I don’t know if Chris could eat here."

Chris sighed. "As long as they make edible food, I can eat there."

"Then I know this crazy restaurant with nice food."

"How come you know almost everywhere and everything around here?" Chris asked jokingly, while hoping to get some information about her.

Ellie blushed. "That’s because I grew up in New Central State with Granny." The smile slowly slipped from her lips. "Ever since I lost my parents, it had been Granny and I."

Chris bit his lower lip.

He hadn’t expected that simple question to have such a complicated response.

To bring back the smile on her face, he asked, "Where’s the place again? I’m famished."

June knew what he had done and hit his arm lightly while murmuring, "Thank you," when Ellie wasn’t looking in their direction.

Thankfully, unlike every other place Ellie had taken them today, the restaurant was quiet.

Apart from them, there were just two other groups seated around the tables.

It brought a sense of ease to Chris because he could see everything happening here.

Ellie decided she would be the one to order their meal because June and Chris had no idea what was best in this particular restaurant.

While waiting for their food, June and Ellie continued recapping their game and who actually won and who lost.

During their moment, Chris brought out the item he had picked up from the floor, inspecting it under the table and away from the prying eyes of the women.

It was a piece of fabric with some kind of organization logo on it. He couldn’t check it properly under the table.

"Are you okay?" June’s voice brought his attention back to the table.

He pocketed the item again. "Of course, I am fine. Just hungry."

He then turned to Ellie. "Does it take forever for this favourite restaurant of yours to bring the dishes we ordered?"

Ellie rolled her eyes at him. "Good things take time."

"Well, while the good thing is taking time, I’d like to use the restroom."

He pulled his chair back.

The only reason he was leaving them alone after the incident at the gaming center was because this place felt secure, and he had spotted a CCTV camera not far away.

He could feel their eyes on him as he left the table.

Chris moved to a blind spot before removing the fabric.

The logo on the fabric was unknown to him. It could just be a random logo from some knockoff clothes, or it could be a symbol of some kind.

In his line of work, Chris wasn’t used to overlooking even the slightest detail.

He took a picture of the logo and sent it to Nate with the caption, "Everything about this logo."

Then he deleted the message before returning to the table.

The table was filled with food, and the ladies had started eating without waiting for him.

Chris pulled his chair back. "And I thought I was the one who was famished."

Chris smiled, seeing that June’s appetite had returned from the way she attacked the food.

She didn’t bother sparing him a glance. It was Ellie who responded to him.

"You took too long in the restroom. We thought it was better to dig in. Are you okay?"

He stared at her for a while before nodding his head. "I’m fine."

Then he started eating.

After taking the first spoonful, he stopped.

"Wow. This is seriously delicious."

"I told you," Ellie responded. "You can thank me later."

Chris chuckled. "Let me thank you properly."

He pulled out his wallet, searching for something in it.

Then he pulled out a card from it, pushing it toward her.

"This is the access card to the mansion. You can come anytime you want."

Ellie opened her eyes wide.

"I mean, anytime you feel like visiting June. There shouldn’t be a reason you can’t get access to her anytime you want."

Ellie had spent the entire day trying to act cool in his presence. But with him handing over the access card, she could see June whenever she wanted.

And by extension, she could see Chris whenever she wanted.

"Thank you."

Chris waved her off. "You’re June’s best friend. Of course, you’re always welcome."