Nash let his words sit there for a moment, like he'd just thrown a grenade onto the cafe table. The silence after was so heavy it felt like you could bite into it. It was that kind of awkward silence where everyone stops breathing for a second.
Aiko's jaw actually dropped, like those old-school anime characters when they get hit with something unbelievable. Rei's hand just stopped moving entirely, her coffee cup hanging in midair like her brain had short-circuited.
And then,
"Ehhh?!"
Both girls made the exact same noise at the exact same time, sounding like someone just stepped on a cat. Aiko's twintails bounced as she practically launched herself forward, eyes wide as dinner plates. Rei's coffee cup wobbled dangerously between her fingers, her pupils shrinking to tiny dots.
Aiko was the first to snap out of it, or at least pretended to. She smacked both hands on the table so hard the parfait glass jumped, sending pink whipped cream splattering over the edge.
