"I dunno why people like eating raw fish so much."

It was the same thing he said every time you two went out to this sushi restaurant. Always with the same tone, always with a piece of your roll in his mouth. Not that you minded too much, you got to steal a dumpling from him and he was paying.

The first time you went out, you'd tried to split the check. After all, you were the one that asked the assistant tennis coach out (against your better judgement). But then it was revealed that he'd handed your server his card before you'd even ordered drinks, and from then on a little piece of your heart was his.

It was a situation that seemed more precarious to you than it probably really was, an undefined relationship between an assistant coach and a student teacher. No, there weren't any rules against fraternization, and the school was so big that there was a small percentage of students that had actually met both of you.

But it was the idea that some students knew him and you both, and as soon as one teenager said that you were dating Patrick, soon enough all of them would know you as the trainee going out with him.

So your favorite date spots were miles away from campus, including this sushi restaurant. Looking around the room again, and being met with only unknown faces, you let out a small sigh of relief and allowed your attention to fall back onto Patrick.

"Seems like you're pretty into raw fish, Pat." You smile as you use your chopsticks to knock his fork away from another piece of your roll.

He whines, trying to sneak the metal tines past your guard again. "C'mon, y'know I'll buy you another one. I'm not going to go broke funding your sushi habit."

Did you love him? Maybe. That's one possible explanation for the way you lift your chopsticks, letting him spear the rice and fish with a smile that was definitely worth it.