“Harry!”

That was the guy Maeve had been crushing on.

Though they weren’t together yet, she’d been secretly pining for him.

“Maeve? Wow, what a coincidence! You guys here for dinner too?”

Harry had barely said much to her, yet her face turned beet red with excitement.

“Yeah, why don’t we all eat together? I’ve heard this place is amazing!”

To her delight, Harry and his friends agreed to join us.

Maeve practically floated beside him as we walked.

I tugged at her sleeve. “There are so many people, and I only have a thousand bucks. I’m not sure it’ll be enough.”

But Maeve, caught up in her fantasy of dining with her crush, couldn’t care less.

“Relax, we’ll figure it out later. Worst case, I’ll cover the rest.”

After we sat down, Maeve took charge, generously encouraging everyone to order. It was as if she forgot who was footing the bill.

“Order whatever you want – go all out! Today–”

Before she could finish, I chimed in, “Yeah, Maeve said today’s on her, so order anything you like. She’s got it covered.”

She looked momentarily puzzled, but didn’t say anything.

Harry and his friends, amused by the situation, laughed and said, “Wow, Maeve, you’re really treating us. Guess we won’t hold back!”

While everyone else was busy ordering dish after dish, Harry poured her a glass of water.

“Thanks for treating us today. Let me treat you next time.”

His simple words sent Maeve into a frenzy of delight, prompting her to order an extra lobster dish.

I watched coldly, knowing she’d already forgotten my earlier warning at the door.

Or maybe she never cared at all.

She was likely counting on guilt-tripping me after the meal, just like she always did, to get me to cover the bill.

As the group indulged in seafood and wine, the meal dragged on for over four hours.

When everyone was full and satisfied, the server walked in with the check.

“Your total today is 14,876. Would you prefer cash or card?”

Maeve nudged me, and I pulled out the 1,000 cash I’d prepared.

“Here’s 1,000. Maeve will handle the rest!”