As the lunch hour stretched on, the cafeteria buzzed with students at nearly every table, with some wandering around with food trays. The narrator stood back, taking in the crowd until identifying Chloe at her table. Simon, who stood nearby, playfully counted the number of seconds it took for the narrator to approach, noting it as a record.
Despite Simon's teasing about his quick decision, the narrator felt annoyed by the remark. Simon continued to compliment the action as “cute,” further provoking a scowl from the narrator, who clearly didn't find the situation amusing.