Wake Up Leave The Liar novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Mersu

When the freshman orientation wrapped up, the auditorium exit was still packed, but Eli walked right up to me. He said, “Heard there’s a new Eastern restaurant that just opened near the east gate. Wanna check it out?”

His voice was low, but it cut through the noise, perfectly clear.

I blinked.

I looked up, saw the smile in Eli’s eyes, and nodded without a second thought. “Yeah, sounds good.”

They walked along Maple Avenue toward the east gate. Eli was quiet, mostly just listening to me babble about all the interesting stuff from freshman

orientation.

Like which club performances were the coolest, and how the advisor kept stressing all the important notes about course registration.

When they passed a convenience store, he grabbed two orange sodas. He twisted one open and handed it to me.

The icy cold soda instantly melted away the summer heat.

I chugged it down, feeling totally refreshed.

The restaurant wasn’t huge. The wooden tables and chairs were polished to a shine, and a few ink wash paintings hung on the walls.

At first glance, I almost forgot I wasn’t back home.

Eli told me to find a seat first and went to order at the counter himself. He came back with two pairs of chopsticks, gently setting them in front of me.” asked the owner,” he said, “and the specialty dishes are Steamed Fish and Braised Pork Ribs. So I just ordered those two to start. Want anything else?”

I was just about to say we had enough, when the server came over with two plates of cold appetizers.

Eli looked at me, a thought suddenly hitting him. “Oh, hey, anything you don’t eat? Like, no spice? Or hate onions and garlic?”

Nope, I’m not picky. Just as long as it’s not super sweet.”

I shook my head.

By the time all the food was out, our table was packed.

Eli put a boneless piece of fish on my plate, then scooped some ribs into my bowl. “These ribs are braised super soft, they should be good.” We chatted about school stuff, everything from the class building layout to how to book a study room at the library.

I noticed Eli remembered everything super clearly. I was actually pretty impressed with his memory.

When we left after dinner, the sky was already dimming. Streetlights flickered on, stretching our shadows long down the street.

Eli walked me back to my dorm. When we were almost at the building, he suddenly pulled a square box from his backpack and handed it to me. This is for you. Honey Cinnamon Cookies. They’re lightly sweet, not cloying at all.”

A weird flutter went through me.

Noah never asked me that when we were together. He’d always bring back pastries-either mung bean cakes so sweet they’d make my teeth ache, or mango ones I couldn’t stand. Every time I said I couldn’t eat them, he’d just casually hand them right over to Lila, who always conveniently popped up.

I took the box. It had delicate gold honey cinnamon patterns printed on it, and I could feel the quality of the material under my fingertips.

I looked up at Eli. His ears were a little flushed. He scratched his head and said, “I passed by that shop this morning, saw a long line, and just figured I’d grab a box to try. If you don’t like them, no biggie. Don’t force it.”

Thanks, I said. I actually really love honey cinnamon cookies.”

I clutched the box, a warm feeling spreading through my chest.

When I got back to the dorm, my three roommates were all gathered around the table, unboxing their packages. Mia Stout saw the box in my hand and came over. “Ella, what did you get? It smells amazing!”

‘I didn’t buy it, I told her. “A friend gave me these honey cinnamon cookies.”

I opened the box, and the sweet scent of Honey Cinnamon Cookies instantly filled the room. I split them into four, handing a piece to each of my

roommates. Try some, they’re really good.”

My roommate Sophia Davis took a bite, and her eyes instantly lit up. “Wait, aren’t these those famous Honey Cinnamon Cookies from that old shop by school? I tried to get some last week, waited in line for half an hour, but couldn’t even get one! They only make like two hundred boxes a day, I heard. If you show up late, you miss out completely!”

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