Urban LitRPG System-Chapter 65: He was craving an ice cream after all.

The dinner was fancy, quiet, and warm, plates placed like art instead of food, soft music humming somewhere far away while glasses clinked gently around them. Blanka smiled as she wiped her face with a napkin, slow and satisfied, the dinner was delicious, the food was great, every bite rich and warm, the kind that melted the moment it touched her tongue.

She leaned in and held his left hand across the table, fingers sliding between his naturally, and she felt full not only in her stomach but in her mind as well, like the whole day had finally settled down peacefully.

" Thank you "

" You’re welcome, I just wanted to treat you to a meal, you’re my first friend ever "

" Is that so? "

Blanka smiled softly at that, eyes curving, then she noticed the waiter approaching with the payment terminal. Max didn’t rush or check the bill twice. With his right hand he calmly pulled out his card from his wallet, while his left never left hers, their fingers still linked together on the table. Under the warm fluorescent light the silver card caught a faint shine. He tapped once. That was it.

*CLING*

" Yes, you really are, I’ve added 20% as your tip "

" Thank you, sir "

The waiter bowed slightly and stepped away. Max only nodded once, natural, like tipping well wasn’t generosity but basic manners. The screen flashed €560 total and disappeared.

Blanka tightened her grip around his hand without realizing, her smile widening, cheeks a little pink, like she wasn’t impressed by the money, but by how easily he did it, how steady he always was, like being beside him made the world feel simple and safe.

" Max " " Blanka "

Both of them opened their mouths at the same time, their voices overlapping, which made both of them stop and smile. The table light reflected softly on the glasses between them. Max tilted his head slightly and motioned for her to go first. She shrugged her shoulder gently, eyes dropping for a second.

" Do you think you will ever like me? "

" I thought you proclaimed me as your boyfriend already? "

" That was just... I think I like you "

Blanka took her time, then slowly tightened her fingers around his hand under the table, a little harder than before, almost like she was testing him, like if he pulled away even slightly she would laugh it off and pretend she never said anything.

But his hand didn’t move, not even a twitch, his grip stayed exactly the same, warm and steady, like letting go never crossed his mind, her heart skipped hard at that.

Max wasn’t shocked at all. He just leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes on her, thinking. He didn’t rush to answer, just quiet consideration. He didn’t know how to explain himself, didn’t know how to tell her about the girls already in his life, about how complicated everything around him had become so far, so he stayed silent for a moment, the faint smile still there.

" Thoughts? "

" Y...Yeah, I was just thinking that, give me a moment "

Blanka, seeing he didn’t reply even though almost a full minute had passed, the silence stretching longer than she expected, her heartbeat started pounding louder in her ears.

The restaurant noise felt distant all of a sudden, like everything around them blurred out except the space between their hands. She couldn’t bear it anymore, so she looked up at him and asked for his thoughts, voice small, while Max only nodded once and took a slow breath through his nose.

" Blanka, including you, I’ve heard three ’like’ or ’love you’ today "

" Three? "

Max saw Blanka’s eyes widen instantly, the smile freezing on her lips, then slowly turning into a small ’O’ shape. The light in her eyes dimmed a little, the excitement she felt draining out almost visibly. Her fingers tightened around his hand without her noticing, nails pressing into his skin hard, almost digging in.

He didn’t react, didn’t pull back, didn’t loosen his grip, his hand stayed exactly where it was, letting her hold on as tight as she wanted, the table between them suddenly felt smaller. The air heavier.

" Yeah, three, and if I am being honest with you, your like is the truest one among them, if you said it a few days earlier, I would’ve accepted that in a heartbeat, but now things are different, I don’t know how to break it to you "

Max spoke slowly, not looking away from her, not joking, not hiding behind a smile this time. His thumb brushed lightly over the back of her hand while he talked, like he didn’t want to hurt her but wouldn’t lie either. The warm restaurant lights reflected faintly in his eyes, steady and direct, every word simple and heavy at the same time. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

" You’re in a relationship already? "

Blanka instantly understood where this was going, so she narrowed her eyes and asked with a fake smile which showed how hurt she really was. Her lips curved up but her fingers trembled a little around his, like her body had already accepted the answer before her mind did.

" Yeah, I am in a relationship "

" Well, congrats "

Max saw it clearly then. A thin crystal line of water slipped out from her left eye first, then the right, quiet and slow, tracing new paths down her cheeks under the soft light. She was still smiling though, stubbornly smiling, like she didn’t want him to feel guilty, gripping his hand tighter and tighter, nails pressing in as if letting go would make everything real.

Her eyes filled with regret, the kind that comes when you realize you waited too long, when you keep replaying the same thought — I should’ve told him earlier. Her sister told her to wait, to not rush, to not act too fast... and now that small delay felt heavier than anything.

Max didn’t pull his hand away. Didn’t look uncomfortable. Didn’t try to escape the moment. He just stayed there and let her hold on, taking the weight of it quietly like he always did.

" Then... "

Her voice came out weak, almost stuck halfway. The smile was still on her lips but it didn’t hold anymore, trembling at the edges, like one more word would break it completely.

" Well, I worded it wrong, I am in two relationships "

Max said it plainly, like he was correcting a small mistake, not dropping something heavy enough to flip the table, without any hesitation. There was no guilt in his tone. Just direct.

Blanka, who didn’t wipe her face, only stared at him, lashes still wet, cheeks damp. The tears hadn’t even dried yet and now she was confused again. Her mind stopped working for a second. She wanted a clear answer from him, something simple she could accept, but what he said didn’t make any sense to her at all.

" What... do you mean? "

" I mean, I have two girlfriends, I am a polygamous person, I will have more than one woman in my life, so you didn’t lose out on anything "

Max smiled lightly, his fingers still locked with hers on the table, firm and warm. He didn’t hide it, didn’t sugarcoat it, didn’t act sorry. This was simply how he lived. Then he made a small face at her, half teasing, half helpless, like he was saying trust me, you actually dodged a bullet.

Blanka leaned back a little in her chair, the movement slow, like the air between them suddenly got heavier, the nails that were dug into his hand slowly pulling out and leaving thin red lines behind.

Max didn’t flinch, her nails were bloodied at the tips and his skin showed shallow scratches, small beads of red forming along the cuts, yet his fingers stayed exactly where they were, still open for her like nothing even happened.

Her eyes were full of questions, dozens of them crashing around inside her head, but her mouth opened and closed without sound, words simply wouldn’t come out. She just stared at him, trying to process what kind of man sits across from you so calmly and says he has two girlfriends like it’s nothing.

Then she noticed his hand which was lightly bleeding but he was still smiling at her, the same faint smile, not bothered, not pulling away, like her feelings mattered more than the pain, and that quiet steadiness shook her more than anything he said.

’Why? God why? Why can’t he be mine, just mine?

Blanka wanted to rip her hair out, the urge rising hot in her chest, but she stopped herself halfway, fingers trembling before they even reached her head. Making a scene here would only make things worse.

The restaurant was still quiet and warm around them, plates clinking softly somewhere far away, people laughing like nothing happened, like her world wasn’t falling apart at this small table.

She gently pulled a tissue from the holder, then another, then another, there were hundreds of them for their use, and after wiping her face carefully she reached across the table and used a fresh one to wipe his hand instead, slow and focused, cleaning the thin lines of blood like it mattered more than her own tears.

" You’re bleeding, ahem! "

Her voice almost choked but a cold tone was heard, forced steady, like she was trying to act normal. Max just nodded his head. He wasn’t going to force anyone, it’s his life and he wanted to enjoy it to the fullest, cheating was not in his vein and honesty was his trait. He simply let her clean his hand without pulling away.

" Sigh! Max, I think I will leave now, thank you for the dinner "

Blanka stood up after wiping his hand. This time her playfulness and immature behavior around him was gone. No teasing smile. No jokes. She looked properly adult, just like her age, shoulders straight, eyes dry, like she locked everything back inside. Max looked at her with slight shock but a small smile still formed on his face as he stood up too.

" You’re always welcome, we can still be friends right? "

Max extended his hand, simple and direct. He was glad he was friends with her and she was his first friend, she was strong and a very nice person, while he was not a cheater and definitely not a simp.

Blanka just stared at his eyes for a long second, lips parting like she wanted to say something, then nothing came out. She picked up her backpack, turned around quietly, and walked away without taking his hand, leaving him there with his arm still half-extended.

Max slowly lowered it, sighed once, and sat back down. The chair felt colder now. After a moment, he glanced at the menu again.

He was craving an ice cream after all.