Chapter 5 ; Lunch and Looks
"All done. Let's go. You're taking my car," Ivan said, tossing the keys to Cian. "Come on, get in. I'm starving—I need lunch."
"Why are you bothering me?" Cian groaned, still standing in front of the mirror. "Didn't you eat breakfast?"
"I did," Ivan admitted, fumbling through his closet. "I'm just trying to find something decent to wear."
"Something decent?" Cian raised an eyebrow. "Are we going to eat, or are you trying to impress someone?"
Ivan turned around, holding up two different shirts. "Don't you think going out with me is considered a date?"
Cian rolled his eyes, laughing. "You're so full of yourself. Let's go already."
They finally left the apartment, with Cian taking the wheel. The city was buzzing with energy as usual, but both of them were too hungry to care about the traffic. After a short drive, they pulled up to a popular local restaurant. As soon as they stepped out, heads turned.
"Wow! They're so handsome!" a group of girls nearby whispered, eyes wide with admiration.
Men on the street shot daggers at them, clearly annoyed by how their girlfriends were now staring openly.
"Ivan, the girls are admiring us again," Cian said with a smug smile.
"We're here to eat, not gather fans," Ivan replied dryly. "Quit acting like a playboy."
"Just give me a second," Cian grinned. He adjusted his walk like he was stepping onto a runway and threw a wink toward the girls.
"He winked at me!" one girl gasped.
"I think my heart's about to burst!" another one swooned.
"Ha! I'm so handsome," Cian said proudly, brushing his fingers through his hair.
"They're looking at me too, you know," Ivan muttered, clearly annoyed.
"Then why didn't you wink back?" Cian teased. "Face it—I'm the lead in this movie. You're just the sidekick."
"Let's sit down before your ego breaks the pavement," Ivan grumbled, pushing open the restaurant doors.
Inside, the place was cozy and buzzing with conversation. They found a table near the window.
"Waiter!" Ivan called out.
A young woman approached, dressed in the classic black-and-white uniform. Her smile was sweet, and the slit in her skirt showed just a hint of calf.
"What can I get for you?" she asked, her tone just a bit too flirtatious.
Ivan scoffed quietly and glanced at Cian, who gave him a knowing smirk.
"We'll have the usual," Cian said smoothly.
"Coming right up," she replied with a giggle that felt forced—and oddly pig-like, at least to Cian.
"She's giggling like a pig," he muttered under his breath.
"Did you notice what she was doing?" Ivan asked, leaning in.
"Did you notice who she was glancing at?" Cian smirked. "That was all me."
Ivan rolled his eyes. "You wish."
Moments later, their food arrived, and both men dug in.
"Let's eat fast," Ivan said between bites. "We've got that meeting later."
⸻
Back at the office, the afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass windows. The chatter and clacking of keyboards filled the space, but Ivan looked unusually tense. He slumped into his desk chair and groaned.
"Oh my God—the TME program. It's coming up so soon. I don't know what I'm going to do."
Cian looked over from his desk. "I'm not even interested in going. I don't want to attend."
"What?" Ivan sat up, eyes wide. "Cian! The Talented Mechanical Engineer program is for people like you. It's literally designed for the top five percent. It could open up huge opportunities!"
"I'm not attending," Cian said flatly, clicking through files on his screen.
"But Cian, it's prestigious. It could help you get to the next level, maybe even launch you overseas."
Cian gave him a side glance. "My work's already at the next level. I'm working at one of the best engineering firms in New York. I don't need some program to validate me."
Ivan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "It's not about validation—it's about exposure. Networking. Recognition."
"I don't care about recognition," Cian said. "I care about results."
Ivan studied him for a moment, then smirked. "You just don't want to compete."
Cian looked up sharply. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah," Ivan grinned. "You're afraid of being in a room full of people as talented as you are."
Cian leaned forward with a smirk of his own. "If I went, I'd be the most talented in the room. I'm just not interested in wasting my time."
Ivan shook his head. "Whatever you say, Mr. Too-Good-for-TME."
They sat in silence for a moment before both of them burst into laughter.
"I'll think about it," Cian finally said, turning back to his screen. "But only because I'm tired of you whining about it."
Ivan grinned. "Good. Because I already registered you."
"You what