madnovel Chapter 474 Shrimp-Clock-Moon
Chapter 474 Shrimp-Clock-Moon
as we sat behind the counter, the morning rush finally behind us, nina leaned against my shoulder with a sigh of relief. she was quiet, her usual brashness softened by the moment. i glanced down at her, noting the faint blush creeping across her cheeks as she stared off into the distance.
i had a pretty good idea of what was going through her mind, especially when her lips quirked into a small, embarrassed smile. she probably realised how we looked right now—two people slumped together, exhausted but content, like a couple resting after their first shift at work. the thought must've embarrassed her because the blush deepened, and she shifted ever so slightly, as if to mask her thoughts.
i decided to cut through her musings by asking her about something that i've been wanting to ask about for a while now.
"you know, nina." i said, my voice light with amusement. "we really need to talk about your texting skills."
she immediately straightened, her blush deepening as she turned to face me, her eyes wide with surprise.
"what are you talking about?" she asked, her tone defensive but curious.
"oh, don't act like you don't know." i teased, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms. "your messages are...let's just say, a little hard to interpret sometimes."
"what do you mean by 'hard to interpret'? i text just fine!" her brows furrowed, and she crossed her arms as if to shield herself from my impending critique.
"sure." i replied, drawing the word out. "if fine means sending cryptic half-sentences that could mean five different things. or using emojis in ways that don't even make sense." i gave her a sarcastic look and then continued asking in an inquisitive manner, "last week, you sent me a shrimp emoji, a clock, and then the moon. what was i supposed to do with that?...like seriously, what am i supposed to interpret from that? that a shrimp time travelled around the world and landed on the moon?!"
"it meant that i was going to eat my dinner at eight in the night, kafka! how is that not obvious?...i even told you that i really liked to eat fried shrimp with beer at night, so it should've been obvious!"she groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"right, because everyone naturally interprets shrimp-clock-moon as 'dinner at eight.' makes perfect sense...truly, nina, your texting game is unparalleled." i barked out a laugh, shaking my head.
"but you know, i can overlook the emojis. the real question is—can you even spell?" i asked, propping my elbows on the chair and tilting my head at her with a chuckle.
when she heard the accusations i was throwing at her, her head whipped around so fast i thought she might strain something.
"excuse me?!" she squawked, her voice teetering between indignation and outrage. "of course, i can spell! i'm not a complete idiot, kafka!"
i smirked, delighting in her reaction.
"really? because i have my doubts." i said, dragging out the last word for emphasis. "if you do know how to spell, then why do all your messages look like a bad scrabble board? half the letters are missing, and the rest are playing hide-and-seek. it takes me a solid minute to decipher what you're saying—every single time! honestly, i feel like i'm decoding an ancient text."
her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, her face rapidly turning scarlet.
"i-i—that's because..." she stammered, clearly grasping at straws for an explanation.but i held up a hand, cutting her off before she could flounder any further.
"and don't even get me started on how long it takes you to send a single message." i said, feigning exasperation. "you know how many times i've seen the little 'typing' prompt from your side?...i could brew coffee, drink it, and start another pot, and you'd still be typing the same message...what are you doing? writing your autobiography?"
"i—it's not like that!" she protested, waving her arms as though she could physically deflect my words. "i'm just...thinking!"
nina's glare sharpened.
"don't act like it's that strange!" she snapped. "it worked perfectly fine for what i needed! and smartphones just seemed so...complicated and finicky, and i couldn't be bothered to learn to handle them, so i settled for what i had."
that did it...i couldn't hold it in any longer.
a laugh bubbled up from my chest, and i quickly clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle it. but the more i thought about it, the more absurd and adorable it seemed, and the laughter slipped out anyway.
nina's face turned crimson as she leapt to her feet.
"don't laugh at me!" she cried, grabbing my arm and shaking me with all her strength. "i'm serious, kafka! stop making fun of me!"
"i-i'm not making fun of you!" i managed between laughs, though my weak attempt at denial only seemed to enrage her further.
"you totally are!" she shot back, still shaking me like i was a rag doll. "you're awful! i swear, one of these days, i'm going to—"
i cut her off, catching her wrists gently. "seriously, i wasn't teasing you." i said, my laughter softening into something warmer. "i was laughing because i just thought that's just 'so you'."
she blinked, her grip loosening slightly. her brows furrowed.
"what's that supposed to mean?...what's so me?" she asked, her voice dripping with suspicion. "being too dumb to use a smartphone?"
i shook my head, a smirk tugging at my lips.
"no, dummy. it's not that." my eyes softened as i leaned closer. "it's you being so stubborn about your choices, sticking to what you think works, no matter how outdated it is. it's just so...you. and it's kind of...well, it's freaking adorable."
her mouth opened as if she was ready to fire back with another retort, but the words never came. the moment she registered what i said—adorable—her cheeks flamed red. her hands fell to her lap, and she sank back into her seat, staring at the floor like it held the answers to life's greatest mysteries.
"i-i'm not adorable." she mumbled, barely audible.
"what was that?" i teased, leaning closer. "did you say something?" a grin spread across my face.
"i didn't say anything!" she exclaimed, her voice a high-pitched squeak as she looked everywhere but at me.
her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, her lips pressed into a pout. the sight was almost too much to handle. i chuckled, letting her stew in her flustered state.
"sure, sure." i said, my voice dripping with amusement. "you're not adorable at all."
"exactly!" she insisted, but her voice trembled, and she was still blushing fiercely.
i didn't need to say anything else. the fact that she couldn't even look me in the eye was proof enough. and somehow, that stubborn, flustered expression of hers was just about the cutest thing i'd seen all day...